The DAC building.

DEARBORN — The industrial-looking offices of the Dearborn Administrative Center (DAC) appear as efficient as an assembly line. City employees work in an open space, where representatives of different departments stand behind a u-shaped front desk to assist residents. In the middle of the main lobby, a concierge desk directs residents to the right destination. 

The city moved its headquarters from the iconic City Hall, at Michigan Avenue and Schafer Road, to the DAC on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The new center is located at 16901 Michigan Ave., a block west of the Centennial Library and across the street from Ford World Headquarters.

“Getting a birth certificate, registering to vote, applying for a building permit or certificate of occupancy, paying taxes and water bills, or filing a Homestead Property Tax Credit are among the services provided within a few steps of the main door of the DAC,” the city states on its website.

Along with numerous administrative departments, the mayor’s office, city council chambers and the City of Dearborn TV moved to the new building. 

The move was prompted by the sale of City Hall to Artspace, a non-profit organization that helps artists find affordable living and work places, Artspace will invest $17 million in the old building to convert it into apartments for artists.

The city bought the new center, the former home of Automatic Data Processing, for $3.2 million in 2012. Dearborn sold City Hall for about $1.65 million, but officials say the move will save around $400,000 a year in operational costs and encourage investments in downtown east Dearborn.

The previous city council, whose term expired in January, approved the sale of the historic building. Only then-Council President Tom Tafeslski opposed the move, on the grounds that it might cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Councilman Mike Sareini described relocating the city’s center of operation as a “good move.

“I think it will improve the efficiency of city government and make residents’ access to the departments easier,” he said. 

He added that the DAC will create synergy between city employees, as they work together in one open space.

As for the projected savings from the move, the councilman said “time will tell.”

Dearborn Director of Public Information Mary Laundroche told The Arab American News that residents have been frequenting the new center in high volume “out of necessity” to file flood damage claims.

“It has been great,” she said. “When you come in, you see everything at the front counter. That reduces the confusion. At City Hall, there were 14 doors and customers did not know where to go.”

Laundroche said the city posted signs and photographs at City Hall directing residents to the DAC.

The DAC became the official name of the city’s headquarters, as the old building will retain “city hall” in its name, even after Artspace remodels it. 

“The mayor was smart enough to know that people will always refer to the historic building as City Hall,” said Laundroche. “We changed the name to the Dearborn Administrative Center to avoid confusion.”

The City Hall, built in 1922 with a wide staircase and white columns, is a symbol of Dearborn’s rich history. Laundroche described the building as a national landmark and said Artspace cannot alter its facade. 

“Artspace has to preserve the exterior look of the building,” she said. 

According to Laundroche, the interior of the new center is designed to celebrate Dearborn’s history. The curved silver countertops are supposed to resemble car bumpers, as a homage to Henry Ford and the city’s industrial heritage. 

Laundroche said 20,000 square ft., of the 85,000-square-ft building is still unoccupied, and the city is allocating the space for another governmental agency.