Gadsden plans new city hall as hotel-and-convention development is proposed at Coosa Harbor
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Mayor Craig Ford said the city of Gadsden has adopted a contractor to build a new city hall and is moving ahead with a riverfront development that will include a hotel and convention space called Coosa Harbor.
The new city hall will sit on property the mayor described as “the most valuable piece of property in Gadsden” overlooking the Coosa River and will be built to be ADA compliant and more accessible than the current building, which Ford said dates to about 1959–1960 and has structural, mold and asbestos issues. Ford said the city purchased adjacent properties and will use a combination of land, improvements and financial incentives to support the private development.
Ford said the city’s contribution to the project includes the land plus about $1,450,000 in improvements and $1,500,000 in incentives. He said the new municipal complex is budgeted at about $16,800,000. The mayor noted the city previously sold a building to Regions Bank for $2,800,000 (including furniture) and purchased another building for about $3,000,000; those transactions and existing tenants generate rental income he said helps the general fund.
The planned hotel and convention center, Ford said, will include a rooftop bar and a pedestrian bridge that the city will seek federal funding to build. He said the private developer marketing the project modeled it on City Harbor in Guntersville, a development by Patrick Lawler, and called the Gadsden project Coosa Harbor.
Ford said the existing city hall would be the subject of a forthcoming video showing building conditions, and that repairs would cost more than constructing a new facility. “It would take more money to get this building than it would to build a new city hall,” Ford said.
The mayor said plans and renderings will be posted on the City of Gadsden website and that the project ties to the city’s GROW master plan. Ford framed the project as revenue-generating and part of broader downtown and riverfront redevelopment that, he said, will support tourism and business growth.
Ending: Ford said the project team is communicating with the federal delegation about funding for the pedestrian bridge and that the city will produce a public video and post plans online. No contractor name, final funding commitment from federal sources, or formal council vote details were provided in the mayor’s remarks.
The new city hall will sit on property the mayor described as “the most valuable piece of property in Gadsden” overlooking the Coosa River and will be built to be ADA compliant and more accessible than the current building, which Ford said dates to about 1959–1960 and has structural, mold and asbestos issues. Ford said the city purchased adjacent properties and will use a combination of land, improvements and financial incentives to support the private development.
Ford said the city’s contribution to the project includes the land plus about $1,450,000 in improvements and $1,500,000 in incentives. He said the new municipal complex is budgeted at about $16,800,000. The mayor noted the city previously sold a building to Regions Bank for $2,800,000 (including furniture) and purchased another building for about $3,000,000; those transactions and existing tenants generate rental income he said helps the general fund.
The planned hotel and convention center, Ford said, will include a rooftop bar and a pedestrian bridge that the city will seek federal funding to build. He said the private developer marketing the project modeled it on City Harbor in Guntersville, a development by Patrick Lawler, and called the Gadsden project Coosa Harbor.
Ford said the existing city hall would be the subject of a forthcoming video showing building conditions, and that repairs would cost more than constructing a new facility. “It would take more money to get this building than it would to build a new city hall,” Ford said.
The mayor said plans and renderings will be posted on the City of Gadsden website and that the project ties to the city’s GROW master plan. Ford framed the project as revenue-generating and part of broader downtown and riverfront redevelopment that, he said, will support tourism and business growth.
Ending: Ford said the project team is communicating with the federal delegation about funding for the pedestrian bridge and that the city will produce a public video and post plans online. No contractor name, final funding commitment from federal sources, or formal council vote details were provided in the mayor’s remarks.
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