La Habra Heights Council Weighs City Hall Relocation

La Habra Heights City Council members want the advice of residents on whether to move City Hall half a mile to the city’s only park or make plans for expansion on the current site.

Mayor Fred Klein has suggested building a new home for municipal offices in conjunction with upcoming renovations to a community gymnasium at Hacienda Park at 1885 N. Hacienda Blvd.

But some council members point out that the park is too small to accommodate future projects such as a senior housing facility. They have argued in favor of buying the building that has been home to City Hall for more than a decade. The lease on that property, a large school district-owned building at 1245 N. Hacienda Blvd., comes up for renewal in 2000.

The council voted last week to set up a special committee to make a recommendation.

The issue of finding a permanent home for City Hall has come up several times in recent years, City Manager Les Doolittle said. But a decision is more pressing now, he said, because of the lease option, the availability of funds to renovate the park building and the need to remove asbestos within the school property.

City staff members have not been able to estimate the cost of constructing a new City Hall, but Doolittle said that it could be a modest building just large enough for a meeting room and a staff of seven.

“We’re talking about a very small facility,” he said.