SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - After nearly 12 years as a city, Spokane Valley is one step closer to its own city hall.
Officials are in the process of buying part of the old University City Mall to build a new facility.
U-City's empty parking lot will eventually become city hall.
Right now the City of Spokane Valley rents office space, but the city's mayor says it needs a central location.
"It gives the city an identity and I think that's really, really important," said Mayor Dean Grafos.
The city is buying the mall parking lot at Sprague and Dartmouth which it considers 3.4 acres of prime commercial real estate.
As part of the $1.1 million deal, the nearby parking ramp and mall parking structure will also be demolished.
"It's not part of the land the city is purchasing, but the developer has agreed to remove this structure. So it gets completely out of the way of anything you want to do with that property," said City Manager Mike Jackson.
The city says the location is perfect. It's right along the main Sprague corridor near other revitalization projects and it will bring all city departments, now scattered at offices around town, together.
"It's especially important for having our permitting and planning departments under the same roof as community development. It just leads to better communication," said Jackson.
To pay for the $14 million cost, the city says $6 million is expected to come from cash on hand. The remaining $8 million will come from issuing city bonds.
"We'll sell the bonds and finance those bonds with our current lease payment at the existing city hall... There will be no extra bill. This will be done within our existing budget," said Jackson.
"Anytime you can add to the infrastructure of the city, it's a long term commitment, and it's something that will last for a long, long time," said Grafos.
Once the parking structure is removed in August of 2015 that land will then be available for further development.
The deal is expected to finalize in early January.
