Twice before, dating back to 1987, the idea of constructing a new city hall at the current 10-acre civic center site has gone no further than the talking stages, says deputy city manager Wes Morgan. The current one-story, 22,000-sf city hall facility located on Beach Boulevard near the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), which opened in January 1958, had an originally estimated lifespan of 30-35 years.

"We got the most out of them," Morgan says. "Right now we're spread out in eight buildings in an old campus-style complex. They're little single story bungalows spread out across the acreage. It was time to sink money into these buildings to comply with codes like the ADA and to repair the parking lots. We will have to spend some money one way or the other."

The 10-acre civic center is large enough for the current building to remain standing and operating until the new building is finished. Once the new building is complete, the present city hall building will be demolished to make room for a new police headquarters, enabling the city to consolidate its staff from nine buildings (including the present police building) to just two facilities.