A New City Hall Appears to Be a Done Deal

Wyandotte officials are moving ahead with their plans of converting the four-story city-owned at the corner of Eureka and Biddle into a new City Hall.

Todd Drysdale, the city’s director of financial and administrative services, said it’s virtually a done deal.

He said the move likely will be done in stages, with the first part completed by the end of this year.

Currently, Chase occupies the first floor of the building and Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital occupies the third and fourth floors.

The proposal has Chase staying on the first floor, but only occupying half of the 11,000-square-foot space. The hospital will move out, allowing City Hall to occupy the remaining three-and-a-half floors.

In addition to bringing all the workers into the new building, the city’s municipal service employees also would be housed there.

Drysdale said a council chambers likely would take up at least half a floor, leaving three full floors for other municipal operations. There’s enough city business to fill all three floors, Drysdale said, but the option also remains to lease out some of the space if need be.

Mayor Joe Peterson said he’s been in recent talks with officials and expects the hospital will construct a new building in Wyandotte to house its orthopedic and physical therapy units that currently are in the bank building.

Hospital spokeswoman Stephanie Scheer said the hospital had no immediate comment.

Peterson said hospital execs are eyeing a couple different parcels of land, but definitely want to stay near their existing hospital in Wyandotte.

“They’re not dragging their feet,” Peterson said.

Drysdale said he expects the hospital will make an announcement within the next month, that portions of City Hall will be moved into the new location later this year and that the full deal will be signed by April 2012.

If that happens, there leaves the question of .

Drysdale said he foresees it being demolished and marketed as one large piece of land, along with two adjacent lots owned by the city. He said he envisions a first-level retail space with condos or high-end apartments above.

“If you get above the second story here, there’s really an incredible view of the river,” he said. “The hospital employs a lot of young professionals who don’t necessarily want to buy right now. I could see young people, in their 20s, finding this quite attractive.”