Plan for Bigger, Better Police Complex OKd

With little fanfare and less objection, the Simi Valley City Council agreed Monday to allow construction of the new police headquarters near City Hall.

The council voted unanimously to approve a permit to build the 54,691-square-foot police complex on the corner of Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street at a cost of about $12.6 million.

Plans include a 200-seat public meeting room that will double as the department’s emergency operations center, 150% more space for detectives (from 40 to 100 square feet each), extra file storage space and a sky-lit lobby five times the size of the lobby in the current headquarters.

The plans approved Monday also include a 100-foot-tall radio and television antenna tower, underground parking for 99 cars and a surface parking lot with 324 more parking spaces.

“It’s been a long time coming, and I think the architect and city staff have done an excellent job,” said Councilman Paul Miller. “How soon are we going to start digging the dirt?”

City Manager Mike Sedell said that groundbreaking is set for Oct. 10, the anniversary of the city’s incorporation.

The headquarters would open in late 1997 or early 1998, replacing the 1970s-vintage headquarters on Cochran Street. The current police building was constructed originally to house city offices, but has also served as a courthouse.

Over the past 20 years, the Simi Valley Police Department has more than doubled in size, and the headquarters were severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake.