"It's been in the plans for a long time to replace the water tower, 2030, 2031," Golden Valley Public Works Director Tim Kieffer told CCX Media in August. "So, we're just taking this opportunity to see if we want to relocate that."
CCX describes it as the structure that "dominates the civic campus at the heart of downtown Golden Valley," and it is now more than 60 years old. The city is redrawing everything around it on the 14-acre block at 7800 Golden Valley Rd: City Hall, police and fire, the Public Works yard, and possibly a new library. Of all those pieces, the tower is the only one with a fixed replacement date. Where the new one stands will decide how the rest of the campus gets arranged.
Seven Million Dollars Against a Paint Job
The numbers explain why replacement won the argument. Kieffer told CCX that repainting the current tower is estimated at $2 million to $2.2 million and a new tower at about $7 million. That puts the repaint at close to a third of the cost of a new structure, and it would still leave the city with a tower that is more than 60 years old. "Over the lifespan of the tower, it'll actually pay for itself with lower maintenance costs," Kieffer said of a new one.
Once a new tower is on the table, its location is open too. Kieffer said one advantage would be moving the tower, and the water transmission line that runs into and out of it, closer to Rhode Island Avenue. That spot would be better for safety and for maintenance. "Then other buildings on the redesigned civic campus could be oriented around that," as CCX summarized his point.
That is the core of the plan. The tower comes with a pipe connection, a footprint, and a sightline, and the buildings get placed around those.
The Public Asked to Keep the Landmark
The city has already heard from residents on this. "The public engagement we have had says, you know, the water tower is a focal point for downtown, so we want to keep that," Kieffer told CCX, "and maybe still have that and keep that water tower that draws people to the civic campus."
The engagement was large for a suburban planning exercise. The city reports that more than 800 community members came to an open house this summer or met city staff at the Golden Valley Farmer's Market to weigh in on four concept scenarios. The Sun Post covered the June concepts and reported that Deputy Community Development Director Chloe McGuire and Council Member Maurice Harris were at the open house. The article also gave a section to the project's financial questions. The question now is how to keep the tower as a focal point while possibly moving it.
Four Ways to Arrange the Block
The four concepts, prepared as part of the master plan led by Perkins&Will, differ mainly in which buildings share a roof and where the open space goes. The concept document is posted on Building Forward, the city's project site.
| Concept | City Hall | Police and Fire | Library | Gathering space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, The Connector | Shares SE-corner building with police and fire | With City Hall, SE corner | Across a covered plaza, SW corner | Event lawn, plaza and play or splash space to the north, connected to Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ through a natural amphitheater |
| 2, The Porch | Shares SE-corner building with police and fire | With City Hall, SE corner | NE, by the creek, north of structured parking | Event lawn, amphitheater and plaza in the SW |
| 3, The Gateway | SE corner, joined to the library by one roof | Shared building, NE corner | SW corner | Outdoor gathering space mid-block |
| 4, The Civic Beacon | Shares SW-corner building with the library | Shared building, NE corner | With City Hall, SW corner | Central gathering space |
Two details show up in all four. Every concept includes private development on part of the block. Its spot moves between the northeast corner, mid-block, the southeast corner, and a parcel combined with the parking. Every concept also includes a new library. The library is still listed as "consideration of a new Hennepin County Library location, in coordination with Hennepin County," so it is not a commitment yet. The Scenario 1 and 2 materials say the current Golden Valley Library could stay open while a new building goes up.
Concepts 1 and 2 also face the campus toward Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek. Concept 1 runs a play area down to the water through an amphitheater, and Concept 2 puts the library beside the creek. Separately, the city and the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission began on-site restoration this past summer on the creek stretch from Regent Avenue N to Golden Valley Road. That work will stabilize streambanks, reduce erosion and improve water quality.
The concept summaries don't say where the tower would stand in each layout. The location decision Kieffer described is the variable that will settle that.
Nothing Moves Until Public Works Does
From the street, the campus will look much the same for years, because the sequence starts somewhere else. Public Works has to leave the block first. The city now owns 6100 Olson Memorial Hwy and acquired the neighboring 6110 Olson Memorial Hwy on August 1, 2026. Together the two sites cover just over 15 acres for a new Public Works facility. The order from there:
- By the end of 2026: The Perkins&Will master plan is due, and Kieffer said the city hopes to narrow the four concepts to one and decide where the new tower goes.
- Late fall or early winter 2026: City Council action is expected on construction-manager and design contracts for the Public Works campus.
- Late 2026 or early 2027: A separate request for proposals for schematic design of the Civic Center Campus goes out.
- 2029: The city's target for finishing the new Public Works facility, after which the existing Public Works buildings on the civic campus are decommissioned.
- By 2031: The city's hoped-for completion of Civic Center Campus construction, which starts only after Public Works has fully moved off-site.
That 2031 completion target lines up with the 2030 to 2031 window Kieffer gave for replacing the tower. The tower and the campus are on the same schedule, which is why they are being decided together.
Funding is clearest for public safety. The 1.25% local sales tax that voters approved on November 7, 2023 pays for the police and fire facilities. The city says funding for the other campus pieces will become clearer as the master plan is finished. The master-planning work costs $430,217. Hennepin County covers 20% of that, leaving the city's share at $344,174. Cost estimates for individual buildings will come later. The city also hasn't decided whether any existing campus buildings can be reused.
The first demolition planned under Building Forward is off the civic block. The fire department is merging Stations 2 and 3 into a new East Fire Station at 1875 Lilac Dr N, near Highway 100 and Duluth Street. Soil testing is underway to plan building demolition this fall, and the station is expected to be finished in spring 2028.
The Block Is Still Busy This Fall
Meanwhile, the campus and its neighbors are hosting their usual fall schedule:
- Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25: The Friends of the Golden Valley Library book sale and bag sale, in the library meeting room at 830 Winnetka Ave N.
- Saturday, October 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Halloween Trunk or Treat in the City Hall parking lot, with decorated trunks, the Teddy Bear Band, and a new-toy drive for PRISM.
- October 31, November 7, November 13 and November 14: Free, monitored leaf drop-off at Brookview Park.
The city's Building Forward page shows no City Council actions scheduled for the campus and no upcoming engagement events listed. That page says to check back for upcoming meetings, and the project's own site is buildingforwardgv.org.
Civic projects like this one decide what a block will look like for the next 60 years, and I follow them closely for that reason. If you own a home near downtown Golden Valley and want to know how a plan like this fits into your home's value, Claire Louise Johnston can walk through it with you. You can start with an instant home valuation.
