PORTSMOUTH — The city is opening up the bidding process to select a developer who will demolish and construct a new City Hall building as part of an effort to free up property along the waterfront.

Portsmouth received an unsolicited proposal from from Virginia Beach-based Ripley Heatwole Company, MEB, and other partners that proposes the simultaneous design and construction of a new City Hall and downtown parking garage about two blocks from the current City Hall location.

Portsmouth leaders have been preparing for the redevelopment of a civic center, with plans to demolish the aging City Hall in 2026 and construct a replacement building on the site of the former County Street parking garage by 2028. The garage site is located at 220 County St. City Hall is located at 801 Crawford St.

Council chambers, which currently meets on the sixth floor, will be integrated into the first floor of the new building. City staff say the current City Hall, constructed in the 1970s, has inefficient space, high maintenance and energy costs and accessibility limitations. The parking garage was demolished due to its deteriorating condition in 2023 and replaced with a temporary paved lot.

Some funding has been set aside for the project in the city’s fiscal budget and multi-year capital improvement plan, including $3 million for abatement and demolition and $5.5 million to begin the construction project. But an additional $50 million will be needed in future fiscal years, which could come from municipal bonds, an outright sale to a developer, a long-term lease agreement or a public-private partnership for mixed use development, according to the city.

Portsmouth is now required to advertise the proposal publicly and invite others to submit proposals for consideration through Dec. 2.

Specific information about the cost and timeline of the project in the proposal is redacted. But Ripley Heatwole Company is offering a design that “features an active extension of the Middle Street pedestrian plaza between the City Hall building and parking structure and a transparent, street-facing lobby that promotes a sense of community, safety, accessibility, and efficient governance.”

In the unsolicited proposal, Ripley Heatwole Company listed Clark Nexsen and Kimley-Horn as architecture and engineering partners on the project.

“We have been studying this specific project for several years, with Clark Nexsen involved in the programming of the new City Hall in 2018 and 2025,” the unsolicited proposal states. “The proposed project timeline is optimized to allow for the simultaneous construction of the County Street Parking Garage and City Hall, leveraging the work already done by Clark Nexsen with the programming that saves significant time on the schedule.”

The proposal also states Kimley-Horn would bring “direct knowledge of the project site through our work on the Downtown Parking Master Plan and Master Plan Update, the County Street Parking Garage Evaluation, and the County Street Parking Garage Programming project.”

Ripley Heatwole Company boasts that it has worked with the city on a number of projects over the years, including Westwinds Apartments on Gateway Drive and West Norfolk residential housing in the Churchland area. Other Hampton Roads projects they point to in the proposal include the Virginia Beach municipal complex and the Chesapeake Public Safety Operations Center.

The unsolicited proposal is available for review on the city’s website at portsmouthva.gov/2560/City-Hall-Proposal. It can also be viewed in person at the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/10/28/portsmouth-proposals-city-hall-demo/