Civic Campus on Madison Avenue
Project Type:
City Facilities Project
Project Status:
Planning & Design
Location:
City Hall
501 SW Madison Ave.
Corvallis,
OR
See map: Google Maps
This project will improve the collection of municipal buildings at 5th Street & Madison Avenue. Together these buildings are known as the Civic Campus and contain many core functions for the City, such as City Hall, Municipal Court, and financial services. The current process will evaluate preliminary plans for a new Civic Campus to house city administrative offices, customer service areas, City Council Chambers, Municipal Court facilities, and public meeting spaces downtown. This effort also includes evaluation of a proposed new Police Station to be located adjacent to the Civic Campus.
Planning & Background
This project is part of the long-range Citywide Facilities Strategy that was developed in 2021. The existing City Hall building (a converted church that also served as a dormitory decades ago) is poorly configured for modern public service delivery and community engagement. This project also offers a key opportunity to invest in the historic Madison Avenue Corridor in downtown Corvallis, which has been envisioned for decades as a physical connection between the riverfront, the downtown district, and Oregon State University to the west.
Photos below show some of the functional challenges related to the ad hoc floor plan and aging infrastructure in the current City Hall.
Status Updates
October 2024
The Civic Campus Community Engagement Task Force delivered its final report and recommendations to the City Council at the October 21, 2024 meeting. The final report is available to explore on the City website. Recommendations from the Task Force report will be considered by the Council alongside other aspects of technical feasibility, financial viability, and environmental compatibility as they approach a decision on the Civic Campus proposal and other projects in the citywide facilities project.
May 2024
The City of Corvallis Civic Campus Community Engagement Task Force has launched a survey designed to gather input and public opinion about the Civic Campus concept in downtown Corvallis. The survey will be open through the summer, with results being compiled and delivered to the City Council in the fall.
April 2024
The Civic Campus Commmunity Engagemement Task Force is developing an engagement plan to gather feedback from the community about the Civic Campus concept. Meetings are open to the public; more details can be found on the City website calendar. After their public engagement effort concludes later this summer, the Task Force will issue a final report with recommendations to the City Council on how to proceed with the Civic Campus project.
January 2024
The Council created the Civic Campus Community Engagement Task Force to gather community input around the Civic Campus concept, including the question of renovating the existing City Hall structure or building a new, purpose-built Civic Campus building. Members were appointed to represent a broad cross section of community stakeholders, including:
- Accessibility
- Downtown Businesses
- Public Safety
- Sustainability
- Historic Recognition
- Neighborhood Connections
- Resiliency
- And more!
The Task Force is charged with developing a community engagement plan over the summer of 2024. Upcoming events and opportunities for engagement will be posted to the City's online calendar.
October 2023
At the October 19, 2023 Council Work Session, the project's architect presented two conceptual options for realizing the Civic Campus concept: a new administrative building located adjacent to the existing City Hall building that the City has occupied for 70 years, and a concept that would remove the old City Hall building and replace it with a purpose-built Civic Campus building. Click here to view the video from the October 19, 2023 Council Work Session.
