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Council weighs three options for a new police headquarters, staff favors due diligence on 1200 Jadwin
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Summary
Council heard options for replacing the aging police station: two new-build sites (former City Hall and Queensgate) and a purchase/rehab of the 1200 Jadwin building. Staff estimates $45M cash available and shortfalls ranging from about $4M (Jadwin) to $16M–$50M depending on site and add-ons.
Richland City Council members spent a substantial portion of the workshop evaluating three options to replace the city’s undersized police headquarters and discussed funding scenarios, operational needs and site trade-offs.
The options and why they matter: Staff presented two new-build options—the former City Hall site and a Queensgate site—and one acquisition/rehab option, the 1200 Jadwin building. Programmatic space planning by Rice Fergus Miller produced an approximate target program of 52,750 square feet to address modern policing needs; the existing station is about 19,000 square feet and cannot be expanded effectively.
Costs and funding: Staff’s cost estimates show a base project cost of about $61 million (former City Hall), $63 million (Queensgate) and $49 million (1200 Jadwin). The city projects roughly $45 million in cashable sources (land-sale proceeds, cash reserves and conservative revenue assumptions). That leaves an estimated shortfall of about $16 million for the City Hall option (base), about $32 million if parking and basement add-ons are included, and roughly $4 million for the Jadwin acquisition and renovation scenario, subject to contingencies and due diligence.
Council reaction and priorities: Several council members favored pursuing the 1200 Jadwin building because it is the least expensive option, provides expansion capacity and could be negotiated via an option agreement to allow due diligence. Others raised downtown-redevelopment priorities and the civic-campus concept as reasons to avoid using the former City Hall site for the police station. Queensgate drew mixed comments: it sits near transport corridors and the city shops but has visibility and access trade-offs.
Risks and next steps: Staff cautioned that the Jadwin building carries renovation and code risks (seismic upgrades, unknown conditions) and that contingencies are higher for renovation than new construction. The suggested next steps are to consider an option agreement to perform due diligence on Jadwin, refine a preferred funding strategy (land-sales, reserves, possible ballot measures) and, if a ballot measure is required, meet statutory submittal deadlines (August for a November ballot). No formal council approval was sought at the workshop.
