Several Buildings Poised For Demolition In Downtown Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — An expanded Lake Elsinore City Hall campus will likely inch forward this week.

During Tuesday night's Lake Elsinore City Council meeting, the council will decide whether to approve a $150,000 agreement with Lake Elsinore-based Edmonson Construction Co. to demolish city-owned buildings at 102, 106, 108, 110, and 114 S. Main Street. The buildings are situated near the current City Hall located at 130 S. Main Street.

The teardown of the old buildings is needed to make way for a new 35,000-square-foot City Hall facility at the southeast corner of Main Street and Graham Avenue. The new City Hall will house administrative offices and City Council chambers, according to city documents

"To address the current needs and future growth demands of the City, staff has proposed the expansion of the existing City Hall to include the acquisition and reuse of certain properties on Main Street to Graham Street," according to city documents. "In preparation for the new construction, existing buildings on S. Main Street from East Graham Avenue to the existing City Hall will be removed thereby allowing for site preparation and new construction."

To pay for the new City Hall construction, a “lease revenue bond” structure was approved last year by City Council. It involves the city leasing certain city-owned property to the Lake Elsinore Facilities Financing Authority, and the Authority then leasing the property back to the city for a fixed annual rental payment that would be payable from the city's General Fund, according to city documents.

On March 8, 2022, the City Council approved a contract with Temecula-based STK Architecture, Inc. to provide schematic, development, and construction design services related to the new City Hall.