Edhat Staff
Update by John Palminteri of KEYT
Funding is coming in and the search is on for a site to build the new Santa Barbara Police Station.
Plans over the years to replace the aging building on East Figueroa Street have fallen apart. The department moved in back in 1959. The staff was more than half the size it has today.
Currently there are four possible locations for the new station and all are city owned sites. Other suggestions are still welcomed according to project manager Brian Hess.
The four sites are:
- the current police headquarters on East Figueroa
- the commuter lot on Castillo Street.
- the Commuter lot on Cota Street
- the “L” shaped lot on De la Vina and Victoria streets where the Louise Lowry Davis building and lawn bowling are located
Designing the site comes at a time when building costs are going up. Currently the budget is $80-million. A new site could be chosen and announced by January and then start into the review system.
Read more on KEYT.com
Source: City of Santa Barbara
On August 14, the Santa Barbara City Council approved the next phase of the new Police Station project. Phase 2 – Site Selection will entail considering all City-owned properties as potential candidates to accommodate a new Police Station and parking structure. These sites ideally will be located in the Downtown area and not in the flood zone.
As part of this next phase, the City would like to consider any viable site locations, including private property. Property owners who would like to discuss the possibility of their property being the location of the new Police Station are asked to contact the Project Manager as listed below. Properties should be in the Downtown area of Santa Barbara, not in the flood zone, and at least half a city block.
The site selection process is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
This work is made possible by Measure C funds.
They have tried to make the current location better several times no go…Plus it’s too small..I’d rather have cops then parking.
The city and the SBPD should renovate the current station. With the extra money saved by not building a new ego driven monument, build four smaller substations and still have money left over. For example an eastside, westside, northside and mesa substations. The decentralized approach would lower crime and response times.
It’s long overdue — a larger building for our police.