Construction begins on the badly needed new Santa Barbara Police Station
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The long overdue Santa Barbara Police headquarters project is underway.
The project on the corner of Cota St. at Santa Barbara St. is the result of many frustrating years for the city to try to solve its problem of having a decades old police station that was called too small and also unsafe for the personnel inside. It was built in 1959.
ProWest Constructors is the developer of the new building. The company is based in California and has done work in the Santa Barbara area at Cottage Hospital and UC Santa Barbara.
The project is expected to be done in the Spring of 2027. The department says there will be no interruption in police services along the way.
The new three-story, 65,000 square foot building designed to consolidate the entire police force, which currently operates from four separate locations. The dispatch center alone is two blocks away instead in the Figueroa Street basement where it had been located.
At an afternoon ground breaking ceremony, Mayor Randy Rowse says, "this is going to be $96-million and the biggest project we've ever done the most significant thing we've ever done."
The location was picked after a review of multiple other locations and community input.
Santa Barbara City Administrator Kelly McAdoo says, "a lot of our police department call volumes are focused in the downtown so this space is well suited and it's close to city hall so it keeps us all well connected." It's also walking distance to the Superior Court and the District Attorney's office.
In a statement on the project the city said, “The new Station will greatly enhance our ability to serve the community by bringing our entire team under one roof and providing modern, essential resources that meet current safety and accessibility standards,” Chief of Police Kelly Gordon said. “We ensured that the space, technology, and training facilities are tailored to meet the demands of modern policing and reinforce our commitment to meaningful community engagement. This station is a testament to our dedication to public safety, and we are grateful for the support of our residents in making this project a reality.”
The project is funded in part by a voter approved 1 percent tax specifically for these types of improvements,. The police station was a top priority when this went to the ballot as Measure C in November of 2017 and passed by a majority of the voters.
"Everyone knows that the community is invested in them,(police personnel)" said Chief Gordon. "So we are looking forward to this."
