Pinellas County leaders choose design agency for brand spanking new authorities middle

Pinellas County leaders took one of many first steps in the direction of creating their new authorities middle by lately selecting a design agency.

“That is going to be a kickoff of our new campus,” County Administrator Barry Burton mentioned at a latest assembly. “That is enormous.”

County commissioners unanimously authorized the agency HOK on the July 22 assembly. 

It has 26 workplaces worldwide, together with in Tampa. The contract with Pinellas County is for about $21.6 million.

“The crew engaged on this mission, designing this mission, is a neighborhood Tampa Bay space crew,” Jonathan Rae, Senior Principal at HOK, mentioned.

Dig deeper:

Many of the county’s present buildings had been constructed within the Sixties and Seventies, and are unfold out throughout the world. Officers say repairs and maintenance would value extra in the long term in comparison with shifting to a brand new area.

In 2023, commissioners authorized shopping for the 21-acre ICOT Heart Enterprise Park off of Ulmerton Highway for about $33 million. County leaders and their actual property guide, CBRE, say the positioning is central and can home the whole lot below one roof.

“We’ve got a whole lot of work to do participating every one in all you and getting these concepts and ideas can be a part of this course of,” Burton mentioned to the commissioners on the assembly on July 22. “You should have alternatives to have that sort of enter. We’ll be wanting on the configuration of workplaces, the place your workplace is in location to the general public assembly area, workspace, all these kinds of issues,” he mentioned.

Departments can be consolidated into three buildings that embody administration, a courthouse and a growth providers constructing.

What they’re saying:

“Only for my enter, taking a look at a whole lot of the designs of courthouses you guys have carried out, it looks like they’re simply a whole lot of like glass, and so for my enter that I’ve form of been saying all lengthy is I would prefer to see classical structure that is extra timeless, and I believe may be trendy and power environment friendly on the within,” Commissioner Vine Nowicki mentioned. “You guys are good. That’s simply my two cents,” he mentioned.

There may also be a parking storage and parking tons.

“We’ll positively, in our kickoff visioning periods, wish to speak with the entire stakeholders about what will we envision this new campus to appear like,” Kristine Bishop Johnson, Principal in Cost at HOK, mentioned. “We pleasure ourselves on having the ability to produce buildings which might be contextually acceptable to their communities,” she mentioned.

What’s subsequent:

CBRE estimates development may value between $263-$333 million.