Riverbank is close to buying site of demolished Del Rio Theater for new city hall
Riverbank could take a key step Tuesday night toward building a new city hall where the Del Rio Theater once stood.
The City Council will consider spending $840,000 for the vacant lot at Third and Atchison streets. It also could pay $37,125 to have an architect do an initial design and construction cost estimate.
The new city hall would be three or four stories high, hugging the sidewalk in keeping with Riverbank’s downtown master plan. It would replace cramped staff quarters now spread across three one-story buildings.
General fund reserves would cover the purchase cost, City Manager Marisela Garcia said in a report to the council. The architect payment would come from fees charged to land developers to account for their demand on public services. The timeline and funding sources for construction have not been determined.
The Del Rio showed movies from 1947 to the early 1970s. Later uses included a restaurant and bingo hall, but the building fell into disrepair.
The city purchased it in 2006 for $1.7 million with the hope of creating an arts hub. The renovation costs turned out to be much more than expected, and that plan faded.
The city sold the property to businessman Tony Zaia for $175,000 in 2016. He paid for the June 2023 demolition and had planned a new structure with housing above ground-floor shops.
Early last year, the council narrowed the options for a new city hall to the Del Rio site and a multi-story addition to the current City Hall North. The latter would have required leasing temporary offices while the work was done.
The theater site would have 46,320 square feet of office and public space. This includes a lobby, council chamber, and office space for the city manager, finance, recreation and land-use planning. The police and fire departments would remain at their current downtown sites.
The design would be done by Architecture Plus, based in Modesto. The firm would come up with floor plans, facade materials and other elements of the new city hall.
In their proposal, architects Heidi Van Dyk and Joseph Smith said they “envision a city hall that reflects civic dignity through simplicity and warmth, integrates modern performance with timeless materials, and strengthens the bond between citizens and their local government.”
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, at 6707 Third St. Instructions for viewing on Zoom or YouTube are at www.riverbank.org.
