CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — Cedar Springs City Hall will soon be under new ownership.
The city council approved a purchase agreement in February, accepting an offer from Red Oak Management to sell the current city hall buildings for $325,000.
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Red Oak Management, a property management company with its corporate office on Beech Street, has about 15 corporate employees and says it has outgrown its current space.
"In the last two years, this front area has really filled up, as you can see," said Sam Spadafore, president of Red Oak Management.
Spadafore says it was important for the company to stay in the Cedar Springs area.
"It was very important that we stayed in the Cedar Springs area. The team here has a tie to it, very loyal to it. A lot of history here in the area," Spadafore said.
When the search for a larger location began, the city hall buildings caught their attention.
"It's a cool building, everybody likes it. Everybody drives by it all the time, or we walk by it in the summer, and so, it was just a really natural fit from where we're at today," Spadafore said.
Cedar Springs City Manager Darla Falcon says the sale comes at a critical time for the city's finances.
"Recently, we've had some unexpected expenses in the city, and our general fund could really use a little cushion on the bottom there, the fund balance," Falcon said. "It is definitely coming in at a good time."
Falcon also emphasized the importance of keeping the building from sitting vacant on Main Street.
"I think it was very important that we found a buyer. This building is going to go back on the tax rolls. That's a plus for the city," she said.
Falcon added that the sale is also a win for economic growth in the community.
"Anytime you can bring a smaller business into a larger footprint, it means you know, positives for their business, positives for the city," Falcon said.
Spadafore echoed that sentiment, saying the timing of the deal worked out well.
"The timing was really awesome," he said.
Cedar Springs' new city hall, located on Muskegon Street, is expected to be completed by the end of April. If everything goes as planned, the sale of the current city hall is expected to close in May.
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