Council moves forward as MAPS team readies Palomar (Family Justice Center) plans for bidding; some fit‑outs held as alternates

MAPS staff presented final plans and specifications for the Family Justice Center — known as Palomar — and council moved to include the item on the consent docket so the project can be advertised for bid.

David Todd, MAPS program manager, and the project architect walked council through a three‑story, ~72,000‑square‑foot building planned for Midtown. The design places public client services on the ground floor (including forensic medical exam space, a client store, a children’s sanctuary and a community cafe), partner and Palomar offices on the second floor, and a large community/therapy space on the third floor. The design teams emphasized client privacy by locating private client spaces around an internal courtyard and providing natural light in client areas.

Project budget figures presented to council showed an original project budget of $26 million and a revised total project budget of $28 million after staff proposed returning $2 million of previously allocated MAPS investment funds to the capital program for Palomar construction. Todd said the $2 million move is a cash‑flow management step that would keep $2 million in the Palomar investment fund effectively pledged against the project during construction; city staff clarified this is an internal cash‑flow adjustment, not a new borrowing.

The architect described a set of alternates that are excluded from the base bid to keep the advertised contract within the revised budget. Notable alternates include: a third‑floor final fit‑out (the “white box” fit‑out, estimated about $2.3 million), a full cafe kitchen fit‑out on the ground floor, play equipment, security enhancements, furniture and technical equipment. The list of alternates totals roughly $5.35 million; the project team said there is a contingency (disclosed in the presentation at roughly $2.3 million) that staff hope to preserve and may use to fund alternates if bids come in below estimates.

Council members asked about day‑to‑day capacity and restroom provision, and the architect and MAPS staff said restroom coverage meets code and that the building plan includes multiple restroom locations, restrooms in forensic medical suites and additional restrooms on upper floors. Council members pressed for clarity on how and when alternates such as the cafe and third‑floor fit‑out would be funded. Todd said the city will evaluate available MAPS excess collections and interest at project closeout and that staff expect to request allocations at that time if additional money is available across the MAPS program.

With those caveats the council included the final plans on the consent docket so staff can proceed to advertise the project for bid; staff said bids are anticipated in March and will return to council for final award.