Nine years after an apparent arson fire destroyed a city hall building under construction in Lakeland, the City Council could soon be purchasing a commercial property at 84 St. Croix Trail South for a new city hall.
The Lakeland City Council is moving forward with plans to purchase the Telus commercial property at 84 St. Croix Trail South for a new city hall. A letter of intent to purchase the property went out on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Courtesy of the City of Lakeland)
The council voted unanimously last month to discuss the potential of developing an offer to purchase the Telus commercial building and its property. The council voted to provide a non-binding letter of intent to the owners of the property consistent with an independent appraisal commissioned by the city, said City Clerk Michelle Elsner. The appraised price of the property was not disclosed.
The letter of intent requires 60 days to further evaluate the building and property on how it will fit the city’s needs; that period would also provide an opportunity to gather more public input, she said.
Telus, a real-estate management company, is moving to Hudson, Wis., Elsner said.
City officials have spent years trying to determine what should be done with the current city hall, an octagonal building at 690 Quinnell Ave. that was built as a Baptist church in 1868. Structural problems include bowing exterior walls, a sagging roof frame and cracks in the basement walls.
A retaining wall is leaning and separating behind the Lakeland City Hall, which is deteriorating badly, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
There are also signs of mold and water infiltration in the basement, Elsner said, which is a problem. Plus there are serious accessibility issues and high levels of radon have been detected.
City staff had to move out of the building and into the city’s water department building because of all the issues, Elsner said.
The new building, which is 1,860 square feet, could definitely accommodate the city’s needs, Elsner said. “The office spaces are beautiful, but it will need some work to set up council chambers,” she said.
Lakeland officials have struggled with making plans for a new city hall ever since the city hall that was under construction was destroyed by an apparent act of arson in 2016. No one has been charged or convicted in the case.
The remains of what was to be Lakeland’s new city hall seen the morning of Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, after a fire late that Sunday destroyed the building. (Mary Divine / Pioneer Press)
The building burned on Nov. 13, 2016, just five days after then-Mayor Amy Williams, who supported building a new Lakeland City Hall, was defeated by then-council member Richard Glasgow, who opposed it.
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