The Newport Beach City Council approved the purchase of a $30.5 million property on Nov. 15, with plans to turn it into a new police headquarters.
The 83,000-square-foot, six-story building is in the city’s airport area at 1201 Dove Street, which is about three miles north of the department’s current headquarters.
But the city’s police force won’t move in for another decade.
The city plans to lease out the new property for 10 to 15 years until it is ready for re-construction, city spokesman John Pope told The Epoch Times via email.
The estimated leasing revenue prior to construction would be between $15 million to $25 million, Pope said.
The council voted Tuesday 4–1—with Mayor Kevin Muldoon dissenting—approving the purchase. Muldoon said he voted no because the commercial real estate market may drastically change soon.
“I actually think this is the best location given the proximity of both sides of the bay,” he said at the meeting. “I just think we’re in for a large correction in the commercial real estate market.”
The current police headquarters is around 50,000 square feet and already near maximum capacity, according to a city staff report.
The report said that within the next 10 years, the police department will require a building of at least 73,000 square feet in order to keep up with the department’s growth.
Pope, the city’s spokesman, said purchasing a new property would provide cost-saving benefits, as well.
If the city were to rebuild on its existing property, the costs of moving police operations to a temporary facility would make it more expensive, Pope said.
“There would be better continuity of operations if the police department can move into a new facility that has been designed to fit the current needs,” he said.
Besides, the headquarters building in use now is about 50 years old and does not meet current seismic standards, he added.
