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Police command recommends old Ramada lot on Green Bay Road for new Waukegan police headquarters
Summary
After a year-long needs study, police staff recommended the leveled former Ramada site on Green Bay Road as the preferred location for a new two‑story police facility, citing lot size, central location, indoor vehicle parking and quick citywide response times; traffic and IDOT permitting were noted as constraints.
Waukegan police officials presented the results of a facilities study and a recommended site for a new police department: the leveled former Ramada property on Green Bay Road.
Commander Frank Lopez and the department told the Public Safety Committee that the consultant FGM Architects completed a space-needs study and recommended a two‑story building as the best design for the department’s size. FGM set a lot recommendation of roughly 5.3 acres for a 2‑story facility; the Ramada property is about 5.8 acres and provides room for indoor and secure parking and future expansion.
“This would be a two‑story police department,” Lopez said, adding the Ramada site allows indoor parking for municipal vehicles, outdoor visitor parking and secure personal‑vehicle parking for officers. He said the location is close to Green Bay and Washington streets and would yield three- to four‑mile response times across the city.
Committee members and staff discussed constraints. Lopez noted traffic on Green Bay Road is heavy and the city may need a traffic control device at the site entrance; any signal work would require Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) permitting. Several members asked about flooding and environmental risks on other candidate sites; staff reported some other lots were flood-prone or landlocked and would require substantial remediation.
Committee members strongly urged staff to quickly convey interest to the owner to avoid losing the site and to pursue early conversations with IDOT about access and traffic mitigation. There was no formal purchase action at the meeting; the session was informational — the city manager and staff said the site recommendation is preliminary and further due diligence, cost estimates and environmental review would precede any purchase decision.
