A Sneak Peek into Georgetown’s New City Hall

By Karen Owens, Publisher

On Friday at noon, the former bank branch on North Fraser Street that has served as City Hall for nearly a decade will close its doors. City staff and movers will begin relocating operations to the new City Hall in the West End neighborhood, opening for business at the new location next Monday at 8:30 am—marking an exciting new chapter for the Georgetown community.

I attended the groundbreaking ceremony on October 2, 2025, alongside then-Mayor Carol Jayroe, members of the City Council, city staff, and construction partners LCK, Coastal Structures, and Graham Leigh Architects. Together, they shoveled ceremonial dirt to commemorate this major milestone. As I noted on Facebook at the time, this development was “poised to further revitalize the area and equip municipal employees with the requisite space and resources to efficiently serve and support the community.”

Having recently toured the new facilities, I can report that they are tasteful, functional, safe, and modest. The updated campus provides employees with the tools they need while giving citizens a municipal center they can be proud to visit for decades to come.

How It Started

According to City Administrator Scott Whittier, sinkholes near the foundation of the previous City Hall (off US 17 near Prince and Front Streets) were discovered in 2016, rendering the building unsafe. The city leased several properties to house staff while former Administrator Dr. Sandra Yudice and City Council searched for a permanent solution.

When Liberty Steel put its former headquarters block on South Hazard Street up for sale, the city identified it as an ideal single-level site for accessibility and expansion.

“We were able to utilize the existing foundation and roof to conduct a full-scale renovation,” explained City Engineer Orlando Arteaga. “This included new walls, flooring, electrical, lighting, HVAC, windows, and plumbing across the 12,000-square-foot City Hall and the 3,000-square-foot council chambers.” 

Key Upgrades and Features

• Main Building: Features a secure reception area, streamlined customer service counters for permits and business licenses, dedicated storage for city plans, updated IT infrastructure, and a drive-through window for tax and utility payments. Convenient conference rooms now host meetings that previously required meeting off-site.
• Staff Workspaces: Modernized with ergonomic layouts, shared work zones, and private offices—a stark contrast to previous cramped conditions.
• Council Chambers: Fully renovated with seating for 90 people, dedicated executive session room space, updated restrooms, ample on-site parking, and a new roof and wiring.

“It used to hurt my heart to see our dedicated employees working in cramped conditions,” said former Mayor Carol Jayroe. “This new City Hall is a legacy project that will impact our city for decades.”

Current Mayor Jay Doyle echoed that enthusiasm, noting the benefit of having a dedicated office space in City Hall for the first time: “It’s great to be here after months of working remotely. I can just walk down the hall to consult with staff instead of getting in my car.”

I could feel the sense of excitement and pride as he quickly began showing me diagrams about some transportation-related projects he’s been working on to improve connectivity throughout Georgetown. It’s amazing how a new environment can impact one’s creativity and drive. I hope all the city employees will be as energized.

A Parallel Success: The New Highmarket Street Municipal Complex

Running alongside the City Hall renovation was another massive project for the city: establishing a unified, upgraded facility for Public Works, Electric Utilities, and Waste Management. These essential divisions have relocated into their own dedicated space at the former Georgetown Auto Sales dealership on Highmarket Street. The commercial property underwent a comprehensive retrofit—including updated HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems—to bring it fully up to code for meeting space and modern operations. The campus now features a newly constructed covered vehicle shelter, though the storage area for utility and heavy equipment in the back “still needs a little TLC,” Arteaga noted. Managing two large-scale municipal construction projects at once was no small feat, but Arteaga praised Charleston-based project managers LCK for keeping the City Hall development on schedule as his team managed the municipal complex.

City Hall by the Numbers 

• $3.5 Million: Insurance proceeds from the original demolished town hall.
• $1.4 Million: Purchase price for the Liberty Steel headquarters block.
• $300,000: Spent on environmental assessments, demolition, and early project management.
• $5.8 Million: Final winning renovation bid, funded in part by a $4 million municipal bond.
• $100,000+: Annual savings from eliminating external building leases.

Chief Engineer Arteaga emphasized that project managers LCK kept both simultaneous builds on track while prioritizing local economic impact. “We used local companies from Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Georgetown County through open procurement. We remained completely focused on being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” he added.

What’s Next

A few finishing details will be completed over the coming weeks, and the Council Chambers are expected to host their first official meeting in September.

The city will host a public grand opening ceremony on September 22. Further details will be announced soon, and we look forward to celebrating this catalyst for the West End and the broader Georgetown community.