VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — City leaders in Virginia Beach say they expect renovations at Building 2 of the Municipal Center — the location of the May 31, 2019 mass shooting — are expected to be done by spring 2022.
Virginia Beach City Council gave their unofficial approval to move forward with the renovations for Building 2 Tuesday afternoon at their meeting. The project was originally expected to be completed by summer 2021 but was slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic.
City Council still needs to vote on releasing the funds for the work. $30 million to complete the renovation work was delayed by council during budget season in May. At the time, council put the funding into a reserve. It can’t be released unless council approves it.
In addition to Building 2, the entire $133-million Municipal Center project, which includes renovations for buildings 1, 2 and 11 and construction of a new City Hall, is expected to be complete by 2024.
The overall plan calls for Virginia Beach Police Department headquarters to move into a remodeled Building 2, while all departments in Building 2 will be moved to the current police space in Building 11 and Building 1, which is the current City Hall. Everyone in the current City Hall will move to a new building, which will be behind Building 1.
The renovations would help unify employees of departments that have been separated and scattered throughout the city following the shooting, which left 12 people and the gunman dead.
The plan relocates employees who worked in Building 2 at the time of the mass shooting.
Mayor Bobby Dyer previously asked for the General Assembly to allocate $10 million for the renovation project during the special legislative session that started Aug. 18. The mayor’s request was included in the budget sent to the governor’s desk but he has yet to sign it.