New public-safety building approved for south of city hall

The Maricopa Planning & Zoning commission on Monday unanimously approved site and landscape plans as well as elevations for a new public-safety facility in the City Center, just south of the existing Police Department and east of the library.

A date for start of construction is not yet final.

The $25.4 million facility will sit on about three acres north and east of the northeastern corner of West Bowlin and North White and Parker roads.

The 32,000-square-foot building originally was to be across town, adjacent to the Pinal County complex at Garvey Road and Wilson Avenue.

A city news release said that as the city expands away from John Wayne Parkway, the new location would place officers in a more central location for response to emergencies.

The city added that it incurred no additional costs by moving the facility. The original building design will be used.

Deputy City Manager Benjamin Bitter pointed out that the move was made with economic forces in mind.

“As has been well documented in the news, rising construction costs have altered or even halted many construction projects across the country,” Bitter said. “In fact, ADOT recently released information that says that construction costs have increased over 31% in the last year, and 189% since 2016. Those market forces also impacted this project and caused us to look at all viable options before moving to construction.”

Bitter added that as design plans were being finalized, projected cost of the building was continuing to rise.

“Proceeding would have meant either an increased cost to taxpayers or scaling back the design,” Bitter said. “City Council and staff were determined to avoid both of those options and rose to the challenge of finding another way to bring value to the project – including scouting a new location that could minimize some of the project costs.”

The previous site was being prepared for development, and that work has now prepared it for sale. No project-specific work was completed there. The property still meets the city’s organizational goal of being a catalyst for redevelopment in the Heritage District, while providing the city with revenue that can help offset project cost increases that have been realized due to market forces.

The new police building will be four times the size of the existing police facility and will contain a 9-1-1 call center, accommodating the city’s needs for years to come.

“We estimate the new building will meet the needs of Maricopa residents until the city reaches a population of between 150,000-200,000 people,” the city release said.

City staff emphasized that funding for the $25 million project comes from a combination of its general fund, land-sale proceeds and police impact fees and that no new taxes or debt were created to fund the project.