The Spokane Valley City Council is expected to approve the initial renderings and concept plan for the new city hall at its meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 29. At its Sept. 15 meeting, the city council picked one of two options presented to it by staff and contractor Architects West: A classic three-story brick building with a large open space between its three floors, featuring a glass front and a covered entrance.

At the Sept. 29 meeting, the public is invited to comment on the design and the initial plans.

“We hope we will get a lot of input on the design of the building and the site,” said John Hohman, Spokane Valley Community Development Director.

The budget for the new city hall is $14.4 million, including land acquisition, design, construction, furniture and fixtures. The project is paid for by $6.3 million in cash to cover land acquisition, design services and construction.  A 30-year, $8.2 million bond issue will pay for the rest.

The lease on city hall is up in March 2017, but it may be extended slightly to make sure the new city hall is ready. Hohman said the plan is to have the design finalized by the end of the year so the project can go out to bid in early 2016 and be finalized by March 2017.

“If the city council approves the plans, then the next step is the much more detailed design drawings,” Hohman said.