Planning commission recommends Mountain Bay police, municipal court site plan at 3600 Community Center Drive

The Weston Planning Commission on May 11 voted to recommend approval of a site plan for a new Mountain Bay Metropolitan Police Department and municipal court building proposed at 3600 Community Center Drive.

Jennifer, planning staff, told commissioners the project (site plan project #2026-0116) meets the B2 district zoning requirements and that outstanding technical items had been addressed or noted for follow-up, including an updated photometrics plan and a clarification about the garbage enclosure. "It meets all setbacks, all building aesthetics," she said, and noted staff's arborist had reviewed the minimal landscaping plan.

Police Chief Jeremy explained several design constraints that shaped the building orientation. Because a 36-inch gas pipeline runs under the parking area, project designers rotated and shifted the building to utilize a flatter pad and reduce the need for fill. Jeremy said the pipeline "is 36 inches under, we can build up on top of it, but they just can't dig onto the pipeline" and that the gas company will have someone on site during construction crossings.

The chief also described a proposed alternate storage shed for evidence overflow. He said the shed would be unheated, alarm-capable and secured, and that evidence currently stored at the older municipal facility would be consolidated once the new building is available. "Some of the stuff is in the outside buildings that's there. We're trying to make sure we have enough room for all the stuff that we acquire over the years," Jeremy said.

Commissioners asked technical questions about grading, drainage and future expansion. An engineer explained the rotated building sits on a higher, flatter portion of the site so the parking-over-pipeline approach minimizes additional grading: "By kind of pushing the building north and rotating it, they're utilizing more of a flat spot on top of the hill there for the building pad," the engineer said.

A commissioner moved to recommend approval of the site plan, architectural elevations and exterior building design for the Mountain Bay Metropolitan Police Department and municipal court, subject to staff conditions and outstanding technical requirements; the mover later modified the motion to include the full set of listed conditions. The commission approved the recommendation by voice vote and will forward the site-plan recommendation to the Board of Trustees for final action.

The commission recorded technical items for follow-up, including confirmation of the garbage enclosure dimensions relative to the generator pad and the finalized landscaping documentation. No final construction contract or bid prices were presented at the meeting; commissioners noted the project will go to bid and costs will determine final timing.

Next procedural step: the commission's recommendation will be placed before the Board of Trustees as the board considers final approval and contract award.