California City Council to Dig Deeper Into Proposal for Police Headquarters

NEWPORT BEACH, California -- The Newport Beach City Council is allocating more resources to explore whether a new police headquarters and parking structure should be built at the Civic Center Park, a popular, 6-acre public green space that now includes a sculpture garden, including an often-photographed rabbit piece.

An ad hoc committee of Councilmembers Sara Weber, Noah Blom and Michelle Barto has been looking at where to move the police headquarters. Now located on Santa Barbara Drive, the 1970s-era building has become difficult to use, and department personnel are dealing with frequent disruptions and disrepair, such as a recent electrical fire and sewage backups, officials said.

While it would not be impossible to refurbish the old building, the plan would entail varying degrees of complexity, said Dave Webb, the city’s director of Public Works.

“Building on-site is challenging, especially with police stations,” he said, adding that the personnel would have to leave the facility while construction is done and work somewhere else. “What do you do with the jail? The shooting range? And evidence has to be secured; where does that go?”

In 2022, the city purchased a commercial building on Dove Street near John Wayne Airport for $30.5 million with the intent of relocating its headquarters there. But council members agreed, and Police Chief Dave Miner echoed the idea, that placing the headquarters in a more central location, such as near or in the Civic Center, would be better for response times and overall police operations, including staffing and daily briefing meetings.

“I have concerns about maintaining operational readiness if we’re operating out of a construction zone for three-plus years at our site,” Miner said. “It would create significant disruption.”

This led the council to agree that using some of the 6-acre lower portion of the Civic Center Park might make the most sense.

“I think the best place is Newport Center,” said Councilmember Erik Weigand. “We need to study whether the Civic Center even works, but it is the best option at the moment because we own the land. If we can find something in Newport Center that is affordable, I’d be happy to support that. We cannot build on Santa Barbara, nor do I support moving all the way out to the airport.”

The discussion comes amid planning for the greater Newport Center area, which includes Fashion Island, other commercial buildings and restaurants and the Civic Center. Recently, the council approved a plan to demolish the Regal Edwards Big Newport theater, creating space for twin 22-story residential condos and penthouses. Other housing projects are under development.

The city is also in discussion with the Orange County Transportation Authority on moving its transit hub in Newport Center to another location in the city, possibly near the airport, to make way for the relocation of the fire station, now also next to the police station on Santa Barbara Drive. A further update on that is expected in November, Webb said.

With the council’s recent direction, Webb said, city staff and the ad hoc committee will continue further review of the Civic Center Park as a possible site for the police headquarters.

“Is this site feasible?” he said. “This has been block diagrammed at a very high level. We need to go to the next step of hiring an architectural team to come up with more defined concepts.”

That will include considering its size. How can the footprint of the building and a three-level parking structure to house about 300 cars be minimized? Can buildings be closer together, or could they go a little higher? The consultants will also review the environmental and biological assessment of the area, he said. What are potential issues, and how could they be resolved?

“Right now, we just don’t have enough answers,” Webb said.

The cost of the project has been conservatively estimated at $162 million, but Webb said that includes the “worst case scenario.”

“As we sharpen our pencils, we should be able to bring that cost down a bit,” he said. “You have to get into the details of the operation, square footage, the parking structure, exactly how big the parking structure and building are.”

A three-story parking structure, Webb said, would take up the least amount of space, especially if one level is underground. That structure would need to house not only police vehicles but the personal autos of department personnel.

The city will now issue a request for architectural firms to be considered to work alongside another consultant hired in January, who is more focused on construction. Staff will review applicants, then ask for proposals from the top three firms. Webb said the selection and request to hire the architectural firm should be returned to the council within the next three months.

Meanwhile, he said, the public should recognize that the council has not given any definitive direction to build the station in Civic Center Park. The review will also include other possible sites in the Newport Center area, he added.

At the March 10 planning session, which included the broader overview of the ad hoc committee’s findings, dozens of community members spoke against relocating the police station to the park, expressing their disappointment in what could happen to the outdoor area that many said they use regularly.

Among the concerns were the many sculptures in the park.

Webb said that, while it’s early in the assessments, it is likely the sculptures, including the beloved large rabbit, could find a new home in the 3-plus acres of the upper part of the park near the dog park. The area also has green space and a picturesque walking trail.

“If you take a third of it, it will totally minimize the feeling we have today,” said former Newport Beach Mayor Don Webb. “I suggest looking across the street.”

Resident Nancy Skinner agreed the police deserve a new headquarters, but “we have to keep it out of the park,” she said.

Another resident, Emily Mark, told the council she lives across the street and, as a volunteer at the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, she’s released wildlife at the park.

“Once you start with construction, the animals will leave,” she said. “It’s such an asset to the community. This is just like the old saying, ‘pave paradise and put up a parking lot’. It just breaks my heart.”

Councilmember Sara Weber said she felt as though a lot of rumors are giving the public angst over what will happen.

“I love the bunnies,” she said. “Putting it at the Civic Center Park doesn’t eliminate the park of the open space. I’m a little confused about how all this narrative has spiraled so far out of control. In many ways, it builds the original vision.

“I’d love to see our city study the Civic Center site,” Weber added about efforts moving forward. “The location provides the police department with a central location and utilizes land the city already owns. It will allow the current headquarters to operate with no interruption until a new facility is built.”

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