I’m just putting it out there, is it fair to compare the two buildings in cost and size and what would be accomplished?
Washington Square with a price-tag of $28 million;
Washington Square will feature 22 luxury condos, 7-thousand square feet of retail space, 22-thousand square feet of office space and nearly 200 additional public parking spots.
The city administration building is $25 million;
The city this week unveiled details surrounding a proposed 79,000-square-foot city administration building in downtown Sioux Falls that would include three stories and a basement level featuring 34 underground parking spaces.
I guess if I was comparing apples to apples, Washington Square is getting more bang for the buck.
Remember Rex Rolfing saying in a city meeting a government building should cost at least half again as much as a private building. In other words for a buildg to be built expect to pay 1.5 times more just because a government is building it.
On another note, the federal government’s post office system does not own buildings anymore. It has found it much more cost effective to lease buildings built to their specifications.
And nearly across the street is an empty multistory building the same size as the Admin Building. A 20 year lease would cost half. Why not lease it until a new building can be justified?
After Huether, the Admin Building can be given to the county and redesigned for a jail. The county would take over the bond payments. It’s time to give the new mayor ideas for correcting Huether arrogance.
Government is a public service, not a real estate development business. Trumpism, of course, sees it otherwise.