Stockton officials celebrated the completion of the new Stockton City Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 7, marking the culmination of nearly two decades of planning, setbacks and rising costs that delayed one of the city’s largest civic projects.
City leaders, elected officials and community members gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony before the Stockton City Council was scheduled to hold its first meeting in the new council chambers later in the day.
Mayor Christina Fugazi called the celebration “an important day for the city of Stockton” and said the building “a symbol of progress, stability and renewed confidence in the future of our city.”
“For generations, city hall has represented the place where public service begins,” Fugazi said. “It’s where residents can ask for help, where ideas become action, where challenges are addressed and where the work of building a stronger community happens every single day. This new city hall represents the people of Stockton. It belongs to the people of Stockton. It belongs to the residents, our families, our businesses, our employees and everyone who believes in this city and what it can become.”
The city began moving employees into the renovated buildings at 501 and 509 W. Weber Ave. in February, relocating all public service counters — including the finance department, community development department, building and life safety, planning, development engineering and fire prevention — before additional departments gradually occupied the two towers.
The new city hall brings most city services together in one complex. The council chambers are on the first floor of Building 1, along with the city attorney’s office, city clerk’s office, city manager’s office and mayor’s office. Most city services are on the first floor of Building 2.
The new council chambers include 123 public seats, increasing capacity from 75 spectator seats in the historic city hall.
The July 7 ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the formal dedication of the facility, with the city council, its committees and citizen boards beginning to meet there.
Years in the making
Stockton’s need for a larger, updated city hall was formally recognized in 2007 when the city council voted to purchase the former Chase Bank building at 400 E. Main St. for $35 million to replace the historic city hall, citing the city’s growing workforce and infrastructure problems that made renovating the existing building difficult.
Stockton lost the former Chase Bank building during bankruptcy in 2012. The city rented it from a creditor for about $950,000 a year through 2022, and previous plans to renovate it for a new city hall never materialized.
In 2017, Stockton’s city leaders proposed purchasing the Waterfront Towers for $13.6 million as an alternative plan. Initial estimates projected that renovating the buildings would cost $11.9 million. The city council later approved the purchase.
By 2022, city officials said the new city hall would cost taxpayers nearly three times the initial estimate, with the projected cost rising to $74.5 million. Officials attributed the increase to rising labor, oil and material costs after the pandemic.
The new city hall continued to face delays and cost overruns, with some estimates exceeding $100 million, according to a Stocktonia report. City officials have not confirmed a final cost. City spokesperson Tony Mannor said the project remains open and work is continuing.
During the July 7 ceremony, Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said he often describes Stockton as a “jewel in the rough” and that the completion of the new city hall is “one step in shining that jewel.”
“It didn’t happen overnight,” McNerney said. “It didn’t happen in the vacuum. It took years. It took people with vision and foresight. The city council today and the city council past that stuck together despite the doubters that thought this wouldn’t happen. This is a great day for the city of Stockton because it opens up this city council to the city. It brings it up to code.”
McNerney added that he was proud to represent Stockton in Sacramento.
“We’re going to work together as a team to make sure that we do shine up Stockton as a city for the future,” McNerney said. “I want 10 years from now for people in San Francisco to say, ‘What’s happening out in Stockton? We’ve got to do the same thing here.'”
San Joaquin County District 1 Supervisor Mario Gardea said he is a lifelong Stockton resident and worked for the city of Stockton as a firefighter for more than 22 years. He said the previous city hall no longer met the needs of a city whose population has grown from about 150,000 residents to more than 350,000 since the first city hall was built.
“We need this type of facility to house all governments of the people who represent Stockton,” Gardea said. “It’s a much better place, much more efficient, as an employee. As a labor representative for the fire department, I remember having a meeting at city hall with the city manager. After going three blocks down to go to HR or go to wherever, you never knew where you were going. Parking was always a challenge.”
Public Works Director Peni Basalusalu thanked city employees, contractors and consultants who worked on the project, including the design team of Indigo Hammond and Playle Architects, the construction management team of Griffin Structures, and contractor Rogue Built Construction.
He said the facility is intended to serve Stockton for generations.
“In December of this year, old city hall will be 100 years old,” Basalusalu said. “It is our hope, and it is our prayer, that this new facility here will take us successfully to the future for the next 100 years.”
During the ceremony, city officials accepted certificates of recognition from the offices of U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, and McNerney in recognition of the opening of the new city hall.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: New Stockton City Hall opens after nearly two decades of planning, setbacks
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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By Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
