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ECONOMIC VITALITY, Best Adaptive Reuse Project:
An Award of Merit is presented to: the Town of Fuquay Varina, Cline Design Associates, Bass, Nixon and Kennedy Consulting Engineers, and H.M. Kern Corporation for Governmental Facilities Project Fuquay-Varina Town Hall.
For more than 30 years, the Fuquay-Varina Town Hall was located outside of downtown. However, to show its commitment to downtown revitalization efforts, and to meet a need for additional space, the Town of Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners purchased, in 2017, the former Bob Barker Company headquarters, located at 134 North Main Street. The Town contracted with Cline Design Associates to design the 29,000 square foot facility to meet the Town’s needs. Construction began in December 2018 and was completed in October 2019.
The new space allows staff to serve the town’s growing population of more than 28,000 more effectively and efficiently through enhancements to the staff work environment and the customer service experience.
The building footprint of the new facility is twice that of the previous town hall and the seating capacity of the board meeting chambers increased from 90 to 200. The new Town Hall houses the Mayor’s Office, Administration, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Economic & Downtown Development, Communications, Finance, Planning, Engineering, and Inspections.
Departments that work closely with one another have been grouped together, allowing for better collaboration, while numerous conference rooms provide more meeting space. The building layout and improved technology create a better overall experience.
Nearly 100 full-time Town employees now work in downtown Fuquay-Varina. Town services bring an additional 3,000 visitors to downtown annually and many more attend public meetings held in the building. The Town Hall has brought synergy to the downtown streetscape with the addition of a new exterior sidewalk and patio improvements that allow town staff and citizens to sit outside and enjoy the public space. The Town’s $6.9 million investment has sparked interest in additional downtown redevelopment activity.