Item Number: 1
City Council / Board of Directors
Public Hearing(s)
Meeting of: October 20, 2026
Submitted By:
Alex Jauregui, City Planner
Subject:
Amendment to the Civic Center Community Sustainability Specific Plan to update Table
4.2 and other affected sections to allow government facilities as a conditional use in the Civic Mixed Land Use District, and Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit for a Police Station and a public park at the northwest corner of Seneca Road and Civic Drive, with Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration
Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council:
(1) Open and conduct a Public Hearing to receive public testimony; (2) Close the Public Hearing;
(3) Adopt the attached Mitigated Negative Declaration with a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the subject Specific Plan Amendment, Site Plan, and Conditional Use Permit;
(4) Introduce Ordinance No. 2472 for adoption and first reading by title only to amend the Civic Center Community Sustainability Plan to allow government facilities as a conditional use in the Civic Mixed Land Use District and update Table 4.2 and related sections;
(5) Waive a further reading in full of proposed Ordinance No. 2472; (6) Adopt Resolution No. 26-100 approving the Site Plan portion of Case No. PLAN25- 00012, subject to the attached conditions of approval; and (7) Adopt Resolution No. 26-101 approving the Conditional Use Permit portion of Case No. PLAN25-00012, subject to the attached conditions of approval.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action; however, any future determination by the City Council to proceed with construction of the subject facilities would result in the allocation and expenditure of City funds.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Approval of Ordinance No. 2472 to allow for an amendment to the Civic Center Community Sustainability Specific Plan (“Specific Plan”) will enable the City to further fulfill the following Goal outlined in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan:
• Goal B (Public Safety) – The proposed Specific Plan amendment would modify the Civic Mixed land use allowances to conditionally permit government facilities, expanding opportunities for the siting of public safety facilities. This change would help to serve the community’s growth and support the City’s vision of a growing and thriving community, consistent with the goals and priorities identified in the Strategic Plan.
Specifically, Strategy 4 of Goal B of the Strategic plan calls for the City to “Complete site feasibility, design, and financing for a new police station”, which will be addressed by the subject proposal.
Executive Summary:
As analyzed in the following discussion, the proposed changes to the Specific Plan include the following main components:
• An update to Table 4.2 of the Specific Plan to allow for government facilities as a conditional use within the Civic Mixed Land Use designation; and • An update to Plan Objective 4.3.3 to note government facilities may also be conditionally permitted without a residential component in the Civic Mixed Land Use District.
Additionally, the proposal includes utilizing the above noted amendments to the Specific Plan to allow for the establishment of a new government facility comprised of a 54,892 square foot police station and a 3.3-acre Civic Park on an approximately 9.18-acre site at the northwest corner of Civic Drive and Seneca Road.
The full text of the proposed changes to the Specific Plan (including existing and deleted text) are located in the attached Ordinance (Attachment A) and the project graphics for the proposed Police Station and Civic Park are provided in Attachment D. An accompanying analysis of the amendment proposal, Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit request are included in the following “Discussion” section of this report.
Background:
On September 9, 2026, the Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of Case No. PLAN25-00012 including the Specific Plan amendment, Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit by a vote of 4-0. The Planning Commission’s staff reports from August and September 2026, supporting exhibits, public comments, supporting studies, and associated meeting materials are available for public review through the City’s website under agenda meetings.
Over the past three years, City staff have advanced plans for a new Police Station and Civic Park to replace the existing undersized Police Headquarters and meet the City's long-term public safety needs. Following initial City Council direction in 2023, staff worked with a consultant to develop a proposal for a new 54,892-square-foot Police Station and
3.3-acre Civic Park on a 9.18-acre site within the Civic Center. The proposal includes a Specific Plan Amendment to allow government facilities as a conditional use within the Civic Mixed land use district of the Specific Plan, along with a Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit for project development. As proposed and conditioned, the project complies with the Victorville Development Code and the Civic Center Specific Plan.
Discussion:
Specific Plan Background
The Specific Plan, adopted by the City Council in 2016, encompasses 473 acres located in the central portion of the City. The purpose of the Specific Plan has been to revitalize the plan area in a sustainable manner through in-fill development, land use criteria, development standards and improved vehicular and pedestrian circulation. Being considered as a part of this proposal is an amendment to allow government facilities as a conditional use within the Civic Mixed land use district of the Specific Plan to accommodate the proposed public safety facility and community park as well as provide broader opportunities for public service uses within the specific plan area.
The Specific Plan envisioned government uses within the plan area by accommodating such uses in the Regional Resource and Government Center Land Use districts.
However, most parcels within these districts are already developed or are too small to accommodate the proposed project. To expand the available sites and meet the needs of the community, the proposal includes an amendment to the Civic Mixed District to conditionally permit government facilities.
Specific Plan Amendment Analysis
The proposed project and associated amendment are intended to address the city’s growing public safety needs in response to increased demand for police services. The existing Police Station, located at 14200 Amargosa Road, was constructed in 2001 and contains approximately 15,828 square feet of building area. At the time of its construction, the facility served a population of 67,854 residents and accommodated 57 sworn officers.
Since then, the City's population has increased to approximately 140,721 residents and the number of sworn officers has grown to 103. As a result, the existing facility no longer provides sufficient space to adequately support current staffing levels or operational needs.
In addition to building capacity constraints, the Police Department experiences a shortage of on-site parking. The existing facility provides 114 parking spaces, while approximately 150 spaces are needed to accommodate department personnel and official vehicles. The proposed Police Station would provide a modern facility designed to meet the Department's current operational requirements and accommodate future public safety needs.
At the direction of the City Council, City staff initiated land acquisition, consultant and design services, and environmental review for the development of a new Police Station and Community Park at the proposed project site. The site is designated Civic Mixed Use (CMU) under the Civic Center Specific Plan. The CMU designation is intended to accommodate a mix of civic, commercial, and residential uses; however, the Specific Plan currently requires residential development as a component of mixed-use projects within the district.
The proposed project consists of a new Police Station and Community Park and does not include a residential component. In addition, government and public facility uses are not currently identified as either permitted or conditionally permitted uses within the Civic Mixed-Use District. Therefore, approval of a Specific Plan Amendment is required to facilitate the proposed development.
The proposed amendment would modify the Specific Plan to allow government and public facility uses within the Civic Mixed-Use District and establish an exception to the residential-use requirement for such uses. The amendment is limited to government and public facility development and would not alter the development standards or permitted uses applicable to other properties within the Specific Plan area.
The proposed amendment has been evaluated and determined to be consistent with the City's long-term public facility needs while maintaining the overall intent of the Civic Center Specific Plan. The proposed Police Station and Community Park would provide an important civic use within the Civic Center, complement surrounding public facilities, serve as a recreational amenity for future housing development in the Civic Mixed-Use District, and support continued development of the area as a community focal point.
Police Station and Civic Park Analysis
The proposed project would construct a new approximately 54,892-square-foot, singlestory police station centrally located on the site. The facility would support public services, law enforcement operations, administration, investigations, employee wellness, evidence storage, and staff collaboration. Key features would include a public lobby and service area, secure suspect processing facilities with holding cells and interview rooms, offices and detective workspaces, a fitness and wellness center, evidence and equipment storage, a briefing room, Real Time Crime Center, break room, K9 kennels, and support for police drone operations.
South of the police station, the project would establish a 3.3-acre civic park designed to provide a variety of recreational, cultural, and community gathering opportunities. The park would include a central community green, social lawn, community plaza, covered stage, pickleball courts, playground, splash pad, and the Victorville Heritage Arts and Culture Walk. The relocated historic Sheriff's Station would also serve as a cultural landmark. The park would feature pedestrian pathways, drought-tolerant landscaping, public restrooms, drinking fountains, bicycle racks, Wi-Fi, and security cameras to support public use and safety.
Site access would be provided through three driveways serving police operations, visitors, and emergency services. Police vehicles and authorized personnel would use a secure fleet entrance on Civic Drive, while public visitors would access a separate driveway leading to visitor parking near the station's public entrance. Vehicles would exit through a shared driveway along the western side of the park to Seneca Road. The project also complies with applicable parking requirements, providing 330 spaces for the police station and 51 spaces for the park.
Landscaping throughout the project would comply with the Victorville Municipal Code and Specific Plan, incorporating ornamental trees, shrubs, turf areas, pedestrian landscaping, and stormwater planters. Architecturally, the police station and park buildings would share a cohesive modern design, using complementary colors, materials, varied rooflines, wallplane changes, canopies, glass, metal panels, and masonry. These design elements would reduce the visual mass of the buildings, create visual interest, and maintain consistency with the Specific Plan's architectural vision.
The proposed police station would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing essential public safety services to the City of Victorville. At full occupancy, the facility would accommodate approximately 168 staff members. Office personnel would typically work standard business hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while patrol officers would work 12-hour shifts with changeovers at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The police station would house the full complement of police services, including the Investigative/Internal Operations Division, Field Operations Division, and Community Support Services Division.
Required Findings
In accordance with Section 16-3.02.050 of the Victorville Municipal Code (VMC), the Planning Commission found that the subject proposal:
(1) Is consistent with the objectives, policies, general land uses and programs specified in the General Plan and any applicable specific plan;
(2) Is compatible with the uses authorized in, and the regulations prescribed for, the land use district in which the real property is located; (3) Is in conformity with public convenience, general welfare and good land use practice; (4) Will not be detrimental to the health, safety and general welfare; and (5) Will not adversely affect the orderly development of property.
Inasmuch as the above findings are required by the VMC, the Planning Commission made the noted findings based upon consistency with the applicable components of the General Plan (e.g. Land Use Element), compliance with the development standards outlined in the underlying Civic Center Community Sustainability Specific Plan, Title 16 of the Development Code and the conditions of approval.
Therefore, at the recommendation of the Planning Commission in accordance with Section 16-3.02.050 of the VMC, the subject Conditional Use Permit is presented for approval by the City Council, which requires the adoption of Resolution No. 26-101 pursuant to Section 16-3.02.050 of the VMC.
Environmental Assessment
A Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) and Initial Study were prepared for the project pursuant to Section 15074 of the California Environmental Quality Act and sent to the State Clearinghouse for the required 30-day review ending on July 6, 2026. At the closure of the review period, only one comment letter was received, from the Morongo Band of Mission Indians requesting minor adjustments to the project’s mitigation measures. The Final Initial Study and MND (Attachment E) includes the Tribal letter and responses to their requests. The proposed mitigation measures within the MND bring the project’s environmental impacts to a level of less than significant. All supporting environmental documents, including the Initial Study and supporting special studies, are available for public review at the Planning Department counter. Digital copies are available for review through CEQAnet at the following link:
https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2026060261
Staff remains available for any questions or concerns.
Prepared By:
Travis Clark, Senior Planner
Attachments: A. City Council Ordinance No. 2472 (Specific Plan Amendment) B. Site Plan Resolution No. 26-100
C. Conditional Use Permit Resolution No. 26-101
D. Project Site Plan Graphics, Land Use Map and Aerial
E. Final Initial Study, Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
F. Planning Commission Meeting Executive Summary & Minutes