$12M renovation planned for Chicago City Hall

A $12 million renovation plan is in the works for Chicago’s century-old City Hall.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office on Thursday announced a plan to rehab the building and reorganize the city office space by the end of 2013.

Emanuel’s office says the plan will save the city $4 million each year, so the costs will be recouped in three years.

The city is currently leasing space in another building for several agencies, including the departments of Housing, Finance and Law. The plan includes consolidating those departments into city-owned offices to save the more than $4.4 million spent each year to lease the other space.

The mayor’s office says the renovations at City Hall will be designed to get the building certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program.