Renovated city hall provides village with sense of community
The growing economic base and population of Greenwood Village, Colo., created a need for additional staff and office space at City Hall. By 1995, movement of maintenance functions to an off-site facility, current space needs, anticipated growth within some municipal departments, building codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements had all motivated Mayor David Phifer and the city council to consider options for improvements to the building.
After examining many alternatives, the council chose to keep customer-oriented services available and remain in the same location by renovating and/or expanding City Hall.
The council’s goal was to create a civic presence in Greenwood Village with an emphasis on the provision of customer service in a facility that was more open and accessible. Since the city lacked a “downtown,” or central place for the community to gather, the completion of City Hall provided a sense of community as well as a space for special events.
Prior to renovation, the previous facility maintained a low-profile existence in the middle of two nationally renowned business parks, the Denver Technological Center and Greenwood Plaza.
The structure, an unobtrusive one-level building, was often hard for customers to locate. The limited signage, in some cases, instructed customers only about where they could not park.
Additionally, visitors sometimes had to leave the building and enter through another door to get to another department. Customers often had business with more than one department and were burdened with several trips throughout the entire facility.
Since the renovation, City Hall is easy to locate with its second-story clock tower, improved landscape and signage and a plaza incorporated as part of the building entrance.
Now, departments are accessible from the same lobby, and signage has been improved so visitors can either direct themselves to their customer service point or speak with someone at the information desk for assistance.
The facility has added four designated conference rooms and a community room for overflow attendance at city council meetings. The community room can also be divided into two smaller units.
Construction began in July 1996 and was completed in May 1997. The final cost of all renovations, landscaping and furniture was $5.3 million. Actual building construction costs, when divided by the total building area, were approximately $74-per-square foot or about 60 percent of the cost of a new City Hall building.
Who helped: Barker, Rinker, Seacat & Partners Architects P.C., Saunders Construction, Richdell Construction, Brannan Sand & Gravel