San Juan Capistrano has officially unveiled its new City Council chambers after more than a year of renovations.
The council chambers, located inside the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, got a 1,000-square-foot expansion as well as accessibility upgrades, enhanced audio-visual features and renovations to the restrooms and conference room.
The update, said Mayor Sergio Farias, will “accommodate larger audience participation and benefit the many community groups who utilize the facility.”
In all, the project cost more than $2.7 million, said Assistant City Manager Matisse Reischl.
After approval from the City Council, construction began on the new chambers in May 2023. During this time, the City Council held meetings in the Nydegger Building.
“I am thrilled about our new chambers,” Councilmember Howard Hart said. “The people of San Juan Capistrano finally have attractive council chambers befitting our status as a beautiful, first-class city. And we were able to make it happen at a price tag that makes sense for our residents.”
Additionally, since early 2023, construction has been in the works on a new City Hall paired with a 50-unit supportive housing complex. This project is located at 32400 Paseo Adelanto, just over 1 mile away from the newly-redone council chambers.
Recently, the city manager said in a May 23 update, is that the exterior of the buildings has received their stucco color coat.
This project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, City Manager Ben Siegel said, and once it is ready, the city is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the community.
The two-story, 16,000-square-foot new City Hall building will include meeting rooms, offices and other common areas for staffers.
The three-story, 50-unit housing complex will include a mix of affordable units priced for people making a percentage of the area’s median income, and people who qualify for housing vouchers could pay even lower rents. Veterans will also get priority on 10 of the apartments.
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In total, the project is expected to cost roughly $47 million: $36.7 for the housing and another $10.2 million for the City Hall.
“Both of these projects complement our ongoing investment in our city,” Farias said. “Whether it’s the rehabilitation of roads, the creation of new parks or the flourishing of local businesses, these elevated gathering places exemplify our vision for a thriving community.”
The affordable housing and City Hall combo project was introduced to city officials in 2016 and approved in late 2022. Then, Farias said the idea to rezone San Juan Capistrano’s City Hall for high-density residential housing was at first “wacky” but has “turned out to be visionary.”
The City Council will meet next in the new chambers, 25925 Camino Del Avion, on June 18 at 5 p.m.
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