Councillors have given the nod to a plan to replace town hall with a new building on the existing Trafalgar Road site.
The new building is expected to shift west, into the current parking lot. Work on the new town hall is expected to be completed by 2028.
At their August 15 meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to spend $251,800 to hire a consultant who will start preliminary design work.
Town staff say they do not yet have a cost estimate for the new building.
Replacing the town hall building is necessary to accommodate plans to build a new north-south road through the property, running parallel to Trafalgar Road.
The new four-lane road - being called a flyover because it will cross the QEW - will connect White Oaks Boulevard to a future extension of Cross Avenue in Midtown.
An expected 2028 completion of the new town headquarters will allow construction on the flyover to start in 2029.
Town staff looked at options for moving town hall to Centennial Square or sites in Midtown or the Uptown Core but ultimately recommended keeping the building at its current location at 1225 Trafalgar Road.
Building on the existing town-owned nine-hectare property will allow staff to make a smooth transition to a nearby new building and maintain public familiarity with the site, said the report presented to council.
But that didn’t stop several councillors from pitching the idea of moving the Oakville base of operations to their ward.
Ward 1 councillor Jonathan McNeice suggested a high-rise town hall in Bronte could be a catalyst for the community and provide a badly needed parking garage in the area.
Ward 5 councillor Jeff Knoll argued that relocating the building to the Uptown Core would allow the high-density Trafalgar and Dundas node to maximize its potential.
"I just feel this is a great opportunity that’s being lost for an area that’s always been contemplated to have a municipal presence of some form," said Knoll.
Knoll added that town staff would benefit from the Uptown Core transit hub, while housing planned for the town-owned former Public Works property could be built on the existing town hall site.
According to town staff, the new building is intended to be a landmark structure that will provide a hybrid work environment for 600 staff members, incorporate smart technologies and be designed for net-zero energy use.
It will also provide publicly accessible gathering spaces and incorporate public art.
"This presents an opportunity to reimagine, redefine and reconstruct a new town hall," said Kendall Wayow, the town’s director of facilities services.
The existing town hall was constructed in the 1960s.
A full copy of the council brief on this subject can be found online here.