The gist
City Council received a presentation on proposed bond projects to city facilities during its Dec. 9 meeting.
The proposed $700 million bond would include more than $306 million for public safety, municipal and library facilities, according to city documents. The remainder of the funding is designated for street improvements and park projects.
A $155.16 million proposed replacement of the city’s police headquarters is the largest single project on the bond. More than $50 million would also be allocated to a rebuilt police training center and renovations to the Fleet Services building.
Zooming in
The current Plano Police Department headquarters building, located at 909 14th St., was built in 1973 and the latest expansion to personnel space came in 2003, according to the staff presentation.
Police Chief Ed Drain said that the police department’s staffing has increased from 475 in 2003 to 618 currently. Staff projects that 477 total staff would be housed in the new building when completed, according to the presentation.
The new 9-acre HQ would be located at the northwest corner of West Park Blvd. and Alma Drive. The new building would consolidate personnel located in separate buildings, including the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center, which is currently located in the basement of Plano’s municipal center.
“Our biggest problem right now is we have too many separate locations,” Drain said. “The only reason that we have some of those folks in these spaces is because we don't have space to put them at the police headquarters.”
The staff presentation also stated that a new build would be more economical than renovations, and the current location does not allow for expansion.
The following police facilities would not relocate to the new building:
- The Raymond Robinson Justice Center, 900 E. 15th St.
- Joint-Use Facility Police Substation, 7501-A Independence Parkway
- Legacy West Police Substation, 7401 Windrose Ave.
- Legacy Town Center Police Substation, 7200 Bishop Road
- Northwest Police Substation, 4640 McDermott Road
- Emergency Operations Center, 4125 W. Parker Road
“We do not want to move away from training our own officers,” Drain said. “But we need space to be able to do that. And the new building will increase the quality of our training.”
Another detail
The proposed list of bond projects also includes $21 million for a new Fire Station 14, which would be located next to the new police headquarters at the corner of West Park Blvd. and Alma Drive.
The area could also feature Hall Park—a new city park which would also be included in the proposed 2025 bond.
Fire Chief Chris Biggerstaff said that emergency calls have increased by over 50% since 2014, and the new fire station would help address the volume of emergency calls coming to Plano’s two busiest stations.
“The two busiest stations are stations 1 and 2,” he said. “Station 14 would be directly in between our two busiest districts.”
Biggerstaff added that the new station would have been the sixth busiest station in 2022, as the proposed response area saw 2,473 calls. He also said that area is expected to see additional growth as the Collin Creek mixed-use development continues to develop.
Biggerstaff said that the new station would save two-to-four minutes of travel time for emergency vehicles in its response area.
Additionally, the proposal calls for funding for a renovation to Station 8, and a land acquisition to expand Station 3. The city would be acquiring land “a quarter-mile away,” from the current Station 3 from Plano ISD for the expansion, City Manager Mark Israelson said.
The city of Plano and PISD entered an agreement earlier this year which laid out the process for the city to purchase Armstrong Middle School, Davis Elementary School and Forman Elementary School—three of four PISD campuses set to close after the 2024-25 season—after the buildings are demolished. Armstrong, Forman and Plano Fire Station 3 are all located just south of Bob Woodruff Park.
What else
The second most expensive proposed project is the construction of a new Fleet Services facility, which would be allocated $54.33 million in bond funds.
Plano Director of Public Works Abby Owens said that the current facility does not have high enough ceilings to work on larger city vehicles. She added that there is currently not enough storage for the city’s vehicles.
A proposed expansion to the city’s Facility Maintenance Facility would cost $3.93 million and provide additional storage, office space, locker room space and pull-in bays, Facility Division Manager Paul Kunze said.
The list of proposed projects also includes $4.95 million for renovations at Schimelpfenig, Haggard and Parr Libraries, which are 43, 35 and 24 years old, respectively, Director of Libraries Libby Holtmann said.
What’s next
One final public hearing on the proposed bond is set for Jan. 13.
If called, voters will see the $700 million bond on the May 5, 2025 ballot.
