Council advances schematic-design phase for new police station and civic plaza; cost estimate climbs to about $99 million

The Victorville City Council voted May 20, 2025, to authorize LPA Inc. to proceed with phase 2 (schematic design) of a proposed new police station and adjacent civic plaza. The motion passed 4–0 with Mayor Pro Tem Herriman absent.

City staff and LPA designers presented a refined single-story design sited at the northwest corner of Civic Drive and Seneca. The proposed police building is roughly 44,000 gross square feet and would include a public entry lobby, a community room that opens to the plaza, administrative and investigative areas, and fitness/wellness spaces for officers. The conceptual civic plaza would include an amenity building with public restrooms and a potential retail booth, a splash pad, a large flexible community green, an elevated stage/grandstand, pickleball courts, and a relocated historic sheriff’s building.

LPA and city staff said the project’s estimated total all-in cost, based on a March 19, 2025 estimate for the current design and site, is $98,699,006.67. That compares with an earlier 2023 estimate of roughly $79 million when the project concept was sized differently on another site. City staff attributed the increase primarily to site changes, escalation between 2023 and 2025, and costs associated with a larger civic-park scope and required CEQA work.

The council approved moving to schematic design (approximately 15 percent drawings), which will further define engineering, mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems, cost estimates and the CEQA process already underway. Staff emphasized that the council’s action authorizes design progression only; no construction contract award or appropriation was approved tonight.

Key project details presented to the council:
- Site: northwest corner of Civic Drive and Seneca (undeveloped lot selected over an alternate City Hall–adjacent site).
- Police building program: ~44,000 gross sq ft, single-story solution, included public-facing community room and officer wellness facilities.
- Civic amenities: splash pad, grandstand stage with elevated seating, large community green, pickleball courts, amenity building with restrooms, pedestrian plaza and potential food-truck/overflow parking access along the south edge.
- Cost estimate (March 19, 2025): ~$98.7 million (building: ~$81M all-in; civic park: ~$17M all-in).
- Timeline: CEQA technical analyses and public review are in process; staff projected public review and planning commission hearings in the fall with further environmental milestones through November 2025.

Council members raised questions about parking for large events (staff said courthouse parking could be used under an interagency understanding), shade-tree maturity (designers said the budget will prioritize larger specimen trees where feasible), and whether the project could be expanded in the future (staff said the site allows westward expansion and the program is sized to accommodate growth into the 2040s). Council members praised the design’s public-facing aspects and emphasized the need to finalize funding strategies before construction. Staff noted Measure P reserves have accumulated approximately $4 million to date and that other funding sources (e.g., development impact fees, grants) will be explored.

With schematic design authorized, the next steps are to complete 15-percent drawings, update cost estimates, continue CEQA, and prepare construction documents and a solicitation package when funding is identified.