Report Prepared by: John M. Bramble, City Manager
Title
SUBJECT: Re-evaluation of the Future Police Building Site
REPORT IN BRIEF
The City Council has indicated an interest in re-evaluating the site that was selected as the City’s future Police Headquarters Building.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion providing the City Manager with direction regarding the future Police Headquarters Building.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
A. Indicating that the staff should utilize the site selection criteria to obtain other suitable sites for the Police HQ Building Site for City Council consideration; or,
B. Indicate that the Mansionette property is an appropriate location for the future Police HQ Building Site; or,
C. Indicate that the Mansionette site is not the optimal property site and request proposals for an exchange of property that meets all the site criteria for a proposed Police HQ Building site; or,
D. Defer to a future Council Study Session.
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
The City Council at their 2014 Council Policy Planning Session approved an action item that requested a re-evaluation of the Mansionette and Yosemite Site as to its appropriateness as the site for the future Police Headquarters Building.
DISCUSSION
The City Council requested that the City Manager and City Attorney review the steps that would be needed in the event the City Council made the decision that the Mansionette and Yosemite Avenue site does not meet the Council’s policy criteria that as the optimum site for a Police HQ Building site for the City.
The City Attorney prepared an outline of the steps that would be necessary to follow in the event the City Council made the decision that a new site for the Police Station should be pursued. Outlined below are the seven steps that would be required if the City Council made the decision that the present site would be more appropriate for private development and a new site search be conducted utilizing the site criteria established in 2008 to select a future Police Building site.
Outlined below are the seven steps that would be required to sell the Mansionette property once the City Council provides direction on the present site:
1. The City conducts a formal process to select a new location for the Police Building utilizing the site criteria previously established.
2. The City options or enters escrow to acquire a new location for Police Headquarters and has the necessary funds to acquire the site.
3. The City Council amends the General Plan to remove the Headquarters site from the Mansionette and Yosemite site.
4. The Planning Commission makes a finding of consistency with the General Plan. Council then can declare the present site as surplus.
5. City Council makes the necessary legal findings to sell the present police station site.
6. City provides notice of the proposed sale to specified public entities.
a. The entities have 60 days to inform the City of their interest in acquiring the property. If a public entity indicates interest then there is a 90 day negotiation period.
b. The City conducts an appraisal of the property.
c. If there is no agreement with the public entity for the use of the property, then the property then can be placed on the open market for sale or a request for bid process would be conducted for the sale of the property.
7. The City Council approves a sale and acquires the new location for a police headquarters.
In the event the City Council selects the process of requesting an exchange of the property the steps outlined above are very similar to the declaring the property open for sale.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The City purchased the Yosemite and Mansionette 5.16 acre site in March 2010 for a total of $1,112,388 (included closing and escrow costs). The property was purchased for $4.85 per square foot, 7.78% over the appraisal of $4.50. The initial approval was to purchase 4.55 acres; however, after negotiating with the property owner the final land purchase was 5.16 acres to align the property to the Sandpiper right-of-way. The funding came from the Public Facility Financing Plan fees that are paid by new development for the purpose of building infrastructure that new growth imposes upon the community.
The site analysis was conducted by a 9 person team consisting of the Police Department, Development Services planning and engineering staff, City Manager’s Office, Economic Development staff and City Attorney office staff.
The site analysis was narrowed to three sites after a City Council study session with the City Council selecting the Yosemite and Mansionette site based on its central location for the future growth of the City and how it ranked against the other three sites the City Council reviewed.
COUNCIL CONSIDERATIONS
Site Re-evaluation:
The staffing for the re-evaluation of sites will include the Chief of Police, City Manager, City Attorney, the Engineering Department Architect and the Economic Development Director. It will be necessary for the time expended by the Engineering Department to be funded either from the PFFP Funds or a contribution from the General Fund in an amount of approximately $8,000 to conduct the site evaluation process.
Request for Proposals (Exchange of Property):
The staffing for preparation of the Request for Proposals for a possible exchange of properties would require the Chief of Police, City Manager, City Attorney, Engineering Department Architect, Finance Officer and Director of Development Services for the oversight and administration of the Request for Proposal process. It is estimated that the time for the Engineering Department to conduct this process is very similar to the above cost estimate
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
The City has approximately $4.0 million in Public Facility Financing Fees for the police headquarters site. The sale of the property at Yosemite and Mansionette would be a part of the total funding for the design and construction of a new Police Headquarters as would the sale of the property at 22nd and M Streets.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Site Selection Process Criteria
2. List of Sites previously evaluated