Delaware’s Legislative Building Committee moved ahead with plans to build a parking garage and renovations to Legislative Hall.
Construction on the three-story, 345-space parking garage with spaces reserved for legislators is set to start in March. It’s expected to cost the state $23 million
The committee also voted to take plans to renovate and expand Leg Hall off the back burner. Lawmakers paused the nearly $100 million project last year because of budget concerns.
But the General Assembly' s Legislative Council met last month and asked the building committee to pick the effort up again. Phil Conte with StudioJAED, the project's principal in charge, said the cost estimates align with high level estimates made back in 2022.
"I am very proud of this document," he said. "Because several years later, we are still tracking in alignment with this."
Leg Hall was constructed in the early 1900s. Its last major renovations were in the 1990s.
Its expansion plan includes four new spaces for public hearings, additional private space for staff and a 73% increase in spaces for operations and infrastructure.
Delaware created the building committee with a House Joint Resolutions in 2021.
The new parking garage near Legislative Hall will come first and work on the structure will start this spring. It's set to be finished in December 2026.
Conte said this puts plans on a tight schedule, so that construction is minimally invasive to lawmaker's legislative session, which wraps at the end of June. He said significant construction starts in July.
"The design team can absorb about a two month delay," he said. "Anything beyond that, you're moving this whole thing (back) a year."
The Legislative Hall would start after that is completed with a completion date in 2030.
Conte added updates to legislative hall include additions to the entrance and security, which he worked with Capitol Police on. But since then, Capitol Police have brought on new leadership. And he suggested touching base with the new chief to make sure the updates are still appropriate.
