The commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic is representing Saint John in its search for a new home base for City Hall.
A request for expressions of interest was released last Wednesday and will be open for two weeks. We’re told that there have been 15 responses and it’s expected that they may receive a few more before it closes.
In an interview with CHSJ News Don Darling said that the move could mean an annual savings of anywhere from $250,000 to $350,000 or even $400,000 depending on the outcome. He also told us that they’re looking to stay in the uptown core.
Bill MacAvoy is the managing director for Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic and he says right now there’s probably a desire to land a place before September.
“Whether it’s a municipality, or a Crown corporation, something that’s a little bit different than a for-profit corporation, the processes tend to be longer. There’s just a lot more stakeholder engagement, a lot more people in the mix,” says MacAvoy.
When it comes to the City of Saint John’s wish list, MacAvoy says that number one would be the fit for purpose but that location and urban development are also factors in the decision.
“Ultimately what impact will their site selection have, not only on the building that they select, but the other buildings in the adjacent area,” says MacAvoy.
We asked whether they would consider spreading out City Hall between several locations, and were told probably not.
