Linn County plans Westdale stay through Feb. 2012

Linn County will lease Westdale Mall office space through at least early 2012 under an agreement supervisors reviewed this morning.

Work on three projects to replace or renovate flood-damaged office is already in the early stages, but supervisors expect some county offices to stay at Linn County West, the county's name for its Westdale space, at least a year beyond the current lease. So Britt Hutchins, the county's purchasing director, met with representatives of City Gate LP, Westdale's California-based owner, to negotiate an extension of the current lease, which runs out next February.

The results calls for the county to pay $3.35 per square foot per year for Linn County West's 114,156 square feet, for a monthly payment of $31,952. City Gate currently charges the county $2.33 per square foot, but even the proposed new rate is a relative bargain.

”They had the option of going to fair market value” for the rate, which would be about $9 a square foot, Hutchins said. “For them going up a dollar a square foot is very advantagous to us.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimburses the county for the cost of housing flood-displaced offices.

The proposed lease extension will be on the agenda for Wednesday's formal session, held at 10 a.m. in the temporary boardroom.