Newport Beach Police Headquarters Assessment
Committee Presentation Regarding
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NEWPORT BEACH POLICE FACILITY REPLACEMENT
City Council Planning Session Item No. 2
March 10, 2026
2 Recent Undertakings
• On November 4, 2025, City Council created the Newport Beach Police Headquarters Assessment Committee (Blom, Weber, Barto) to evaluate potential sites and assess the feasibility, cost and design options for a new Police Headquarters
• Contracted with Griffin Structures Inc. to provide rough site constructability and costing information to assist with site reviews • Committee has been considering/reviewing several sites including:
➢ Current Location – Santa Barbara
➢ Proposed 1201 Dove Street Location
➢ In around the Civic Center Area
➢ Lower Portion of Civic Center Park
3 Limitations of the Existing Police Facility
at 870 Santa Barbara Drive
• Site Property/Building
‐ 4 Acres. Zoned for Public Facilities w/Residential Overlay. 300’ height limit ‐ Police Building ~ 49,284sf 2-story concrete tilt-up building, constructed in 1973 ‐ Shares site w/Fire Station No.3 ~ 13,500sf concrete building, constructed in 1971 • Aging Infrastructure and Operational Limitations
Facility Condition
‐ 2021 Facilities Condition Assessment rated the building “Fair” ‐ A 50+ year old facility operating 24/7 for critical public safety functions Increasing System Failures
‐ Growing maintenance needs and costs
‐ Recent issues include sewer backups, electrical/fire concerns, and generator switchgear failure
Major Structural & Infrastructure Concerns
‐ Aging structure requiring increasing repairs
‐ Many systems outdated or beyond intended service life ‐ Building has very limited natural light, only 20% of space has natural light ‐ Does not meet current building or seismic standards
3 Technology & Digital Evidence Demands
- Building not designed for modern policing technology
- Limited capacity for data storage, servers, and secure networks - Need for upgraded electrical infrastructure to support increasing technology demands
- Increasing needs for body-worn camera, video, and digital evidence storage - Retrofitting aging infrastructure is costly and inefficient Operational Constraints
- Space limitations impacting department operations
- Insufficient parking and operational support areas
- Facility layout not designed for modern policing needs Key Question: Should the City continue investing in major system upgrades in a building at the end of its useful life?
Limitations of the Existing Police Facility (cont.)
Key Factors for Evaluating Police Headquarters Sites
Evaluation Criteria
• Operational Continuity
Ability to maintain uninterrupted police services during construction • Central Location
Proximity to civic services, geographic center of the city, and appropriate civic presence
• Fiscal Responsibility
Total cost to taxpayers including land acquisition and construction • Constructability
Physical feasibility of constructing the facility on the site • Long-Term Functionality
Facility capable of supporting modern policing needs for decades • Land Availability
Preference for city-owned land when feasible
6 Potential New Police Facility at Current Site
Three Potential Construction Approaches
Important Note: Before any police rebuild could begin, Fire Station #3 must first be relocated to a new off-site location, which would take approximately 3+ years once a site is secured
Option One - Renovate Existing Building + Expansion
• Full seismic retrofit of existing structure
• Add ~25,000 sq ft expansion
• Build 2-story parking structure (250 stalls)
Option Two - New 2-Story Police Facility
• Demolish existing station
• Construct new 75,000 sq ft building
• Build 2-story parking structure (250 stalls)
Option Three - New 3-Story Police Facility
• Construct new 75,000 sq ft building
• Build 2-story parking structure (160 stalls)
• Add 125 surface parking spaces
All options require multi-year construction and significant operational disruption 7 Potential New Police Facility at Current Site
Option One
1) Construct temporary limited Police Trailer Complex on former FS#3 area 2) Complete rehabilitation of existing Police Structure and add 25,000sf to existing structure
3) Construct 250 Stall Parking Structure on former FS#3 and Parking Lot area Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 ➢ Major Disruption to the Police Operations during construction. Temporary Trailer Facilities will not accommodate all functions
➢ Requires Secure Off-Site Parking Facility w/employee shuttle ➢ Estimated Timeline: ~ 3 years (Fire Station relocation) + ~ 3–4 years (Police facility construction) = ~ 6–7 years total
8 Potential New Police Facility at Current Site
Option Two
1) Build a new 2-Story 75,000sf PD Building on former Fire Station & Parking Lot area while maintaining current PD Building in operation 2) Build a new 250 Stall Parking Structure on former Police Building area.
Phase 1 Phase 2 ➢ Highly Disruptive of Police Operations during construction ➢ Requires Secure Off-Site Parking Facility w/employee shuttle ➢ Estimated Timeline: ~ 3 years (Fire Station relocation) + ~ 3 years (Police facility construction) = ~6 years total
9 Potential New Police Facility at Current Site
Option Three
1) Build temporary Parking Lot on former FS#3 site
2) Construct a new 160 Stall Parking Structure on former Parking Lot 3) Construct a new 3-Story 75,000sf PD Building on former FS#3 area 4) Construct new 125 Stall Parking Lot & Supplemental Building on former Police Building area
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4
➢ High/Moderate Disruption to the Police Operations during construction ➢ Some Secure Off-Site Parking needed w/employee shuttle ➢ Estimated Timeline: ~ 3 years (Fire Station relocation) + ~ 3–4 years (Police facility construction) = ~ 6–7 years total
10 Potential New Police Facility at Current Site
Evaluation Factor Option 1 — Renovation / Expansion Option 2 — 2-Story Facility Option 3 — 3-Story Facility Project Approach Full building gut and seismic upgrade Ground up new facility Ground up new facility with lower cost support building
Operational Disruption Extremely disruptive to ongoing operations Highly disruptive during construction Highly disruptive during construction Temporary Facilities Temporary facilities required N/A N/A Parking During Construction Offsite parking required w/ shuttle Offsite parking required w/ shuttle Small amount of offsite parking required Potential Service Impacts
Need to temporarily outsource dispatch, jailing,
firing range, fleet maintenance and fueling,
evidence functions, other
No major outsourcing anticipated No major outsourcing anticipated Building Presence Existing building retained Building set back from primary frontage Building set back from primary frontage Site Constraints Existing footprint limits flexibility Tight site constraints limit flexibility Tight site constraints limit flexibility Construction Staging/Equipment
& Worker Parking Highly limited Highly limited Highly limited Schedule / Phasing ~3-4+ years; once fire is moved off-site ~3+ years; once fire is moved off-site ~3-4+ years; once fire is moved off-site Estimated Project Cost
(Design and Construction) $152M $161M $168M
Cost Exclusions
The costs above exclude applicable outsourced services, off-site parking expenses, shuttle operations, andother related ancillary costs. Preliminary estimates are within $5M-20M. In addition, these figures reflect capital expenditures only and do not account for intangible impacts such as operational disruption.
11Possible New Police Facility at 1201 Dove Street
Potential New Police Facility at 1201 Dove Street
Site Property
‐ 3.59 Acres with existing 6 Story steel framed Office Building ‐ Zoned for Professional & Business Office Suites with a Residential Opportunity Overlay - up to 179 Units
12 Potential New Police Facility at 1201 Dove Street
Ad Hoc Committee Observations:
• City-owned property with existing 6-story
office building (3.59 acres)
• Income-producing City asset
– $2,299,913 gross revenue
– $1,190,414 net annual income
• Location is outside the Civic Center campus
and less central to civic services, increasing
response times
• Existing building would require demolition to
construct a police facility
• Estimated construction cost:
~$150M (including demolition)
• Property could alternatively be sold to help
fund a new police headquarters
13 Potential New Police Facility Closer to Civic Center Ad Hoc Committee Observations:
• Locations offer strong proximity to Civic Center and other civic services • All potential sites are privately owned, requiring property acquisition • Land acquisition costs are a significant deterrent
• Estimated design and construction cost for a new police facility:
~ $153M (land acquisition not included)
14 Sample Rough Layout for a possible site in Newport Center Area Design/Construction Cost Estimate ~ $153,000,000 (excludes land acquisition cost) Potential New Police Facility Closer to Civic Center
Potential New Police Facility Closer to Civic Center
.76 ac
$25M
1.0 ac
$20M
1.0 ac
$20M
.75 ac
$15M
Combine 4 Possible Parcels = 3.6 Acres
Total Appraised Land Value - $80M - $90M
16 Potential New Police Facility at Civic Center Park
Ad Hoc Committee Considerations
• Location at NE corner of Avocado Ave. &
Civic Center Drive
• Proximity to City Hall and civic services
• City-owned property – no land acquisition
cost
• Integrates public safety within the City’s
civic campus
• Site grading and preparation required
• Estimated design and construction cost:
~ $162M (excluding mitigation costs)
17 Lower Park
6.27 ac
Upper Park
3.18 ac
Current Total Park: 9.45 Acres
Future Total Park: 5.95 Acre
Potential New Police Facility at Civic Center Park
3.5 Acres for
PD Facility
Reimagined Park &
Sculpture Garden
18 Potential New Police Facility at Civic Center Park
7 Police Facility Site Comparison
Evaluation Factor Current Site
(Santa Barbara)
Dove Street Private Land Near
Civic Center
Civic Center
Campus
Land Acquisition Cost None None $80M–$90M None
Construction Cost Option 1: $152M
Option 2: $161M
Option 3: $168M
~$150M ~$153M ~$162M
Potential Temporary
Service Costs
Add $5M–$20M
(each option)
Not anticipated Not anticipated Not anticipated
Estimated Total Project
Cost (Construction +
Temporary Services)
Opt 1: $157M–$172M
Opt 2: $166M–$181M
Opt 3: $173M–$188M
~$150M ~$233M–$243M ~$162M
Ability to Maintain Police
Operations During
Construction
Significant challenges –
temporary facilities likely
required
Feasible Feasible Feasible
Project Timeline ~6–7 yrs total ~3–4 yrs ~3–4 yrs ~3–4 yrs Central Civic Location Near Civic Center Airport Area
(NOT central to civic services
and city center)
Near Civic Center Civic Center Campus
Key Considerations Fire Station #3 relocation
required; limited staging;
continuity of operations
challenges
Income-producing asset
($2.3M gross / $1.19M net
annually); Airport Area
location with reduced civic
visibility and separation from
the civic campus, increased
response times
Significant land
acquisition cost
required
City-owned site within
the Civic Center campus
providing a central and
visible municipal
presence; site grading
and mitigation required
20 Moving Forward
• With additional information provided tonight, undertake further Council and public discussion regarding site selection for a new Police Facility • Provide the Council Ad Hoc Committee direction to:
1) Continue to review/evaluate potential sites and timing for siting the new Police Facility; or
2) Continue further evaluation of a new Police Facility in Civic Center Park including:
‐ selection and hiring of a Consultant Team to undertake the Design Development, Preparation of Final Concept Design and EIR ‐ solicit further input from community and Arts Commission for incorporating art and park space into the overall Civic Center campus, then return to Council for review and approval; or
3) Pursue other direction as provided
Siting / Construction of a New Police Facility
YOUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
PROTECTING AND PROVIDING QUALITY
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS AND SERVICES
21 Questions and
Comments