Aerial shot of the proposed site of the new consolidated public safety headquarters (City of Austin)
AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin City Council has approved plans for a consolidated headquarters for Austin's public safety agencies.
The new headquarters will be 386,000 square feet and house Austin police, Austin fire and ATCEMS in Southwest Austin.
On Thursday, Oct. 25, Council approved the purchase of the facility, which will cost $107.6 million and be funded through Certificates of Obligation, or COs. These certificates are similar to general obligation bonds, but do not require voter authorization, according to the Travis County Financial Transparency Portal.
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In addition to the purchase price, the city plans to spend about $3 million on renovations and $9 million in design services. City staff are expected to report back to Council with the total renovation costs once the design phase is complete.
The city says that the new facility will allow APD, AFD and ATCEMS staff and leadership to communicate and coordinate more effectively, as public safety facilities are currently spread across the city. The city also notes that the facilities are decades old and need extensive and costly improvements:
- APD’s downtown headquarters building was built in 1970. Problems include wastewater breaks and leaks, non-functioning bathrooms, insufficient parking, and failing mechanical systems. The building is also largely inaccessible and unwelcoming to the public due to its outdated design.
- AFD’s headquarters on Ed Bluestein Blvd. was built in 1960 and is insufficient for its current use, which also includes some Austin-Travis County EMS operations. The facility has a faulty foundation, cracked walls and ceilings, significant ADA challenges, and is in a difficult-to-access location.
- EMS is headquartered in the RBJ Building on Waller Street and shares space with some Austin Public Health operations. The building is a former nursing home that was built in 1970 and is experiencing mechanical system failures, needs new fire protection and sanitary waste systems and is on a highly constrained site with insufficient parking.
The new headquarters will be located at 1501 and 1601 S. Mopac Expressway, between the Barton Creek Square Mall and Zilker Park and across Mopac from Intel's Austin facility.