New City Hall Construction Underway In Largo Following Groundbreaking

LARGO, FL — It's now official. Largo city commissioners, Mayor Woody Brown and City Manager Henry Schubert broke ground this week on the new Horizon West Bay multi-use project that is intended to ignite the redevelopment of West Bay Drive in downtown Largo.

Joining city officials in the groundbreaking ceremony were representatives of project architect ASD│SKY and Biltmore Construction.

Residents can find out more about the project during an information session that was rescheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. following the cancellation of an earlier meeting due to Hurricane Ian.

The information session will take place at Woodrow Park, 290 3rd St. NW. Planners will be on hand to discuss the project, timelines and construction routes. Residents can drop by any time during the hour-long session to speak with the project management team.

Construction of the project will result in road closures on 4th Street Northwest, 5th Street Northwest and 1st Street Northwest, which will remain closed through the construction. Vehicles will not be able to turn east on West Bay from Ridge Road, 6th Street or 1st Street.

Additional parking will be available in the lot next to 4th Street Northwest and 1st Avenue Northwest.

Up-to-date information, including detour maps, will be posted here.

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In 2019, the city of Largo began efforts to develop a new project downtown that would include a city hall. The current building on Highland Avenue is in need of costly repairs, is unable to be expanded to meet the city's projected growth and isn't storm- and flood resistant.

The five-story Horizon West Bay, expected to be completed in late 2024, is designed as a mixed-use project with 13,965 square feet of retail space, a 100,385-square-foot city hall to house all departments and a five-story parking garage on the northern 400 block of West Bay Drive with 308 parking spaces.

The project is estimated to cost $38.25 million.

The relocation of the city hall is part of Largo's investment in the redevelopment of the West Bay Drive downtown corridor, which aims to ignite more mixed-use downtown development.

The five-story building will include space for restaurants and cafes, a water harvesting system and a public plaza with an amphitheater.

It also incorporates residents' requests for more downtown parking.

Features of the design were developed with input from residents, business owners and community groups as well as the results of an online survey and multiple focus groups.

The intent is to create an environmentally friendly public destination and sustainable development that connects downtown, welcomes both visitors and residents, is family-friendly, provides a central focus in downtown Largo and features a design that enhances the city's natural elements.

To learn more about the mixed-use project, visit HorizonWestBay.com.