Roanoke City Council approves contract with firms designing new police and courts facility

Roanoke City Council voted on a final contract approval Aug. 9 for FGM Architects and GFF Architects to design the city’s new police and courts facility.

The new facility will be located on 5.5 acres at the southwest corner of Fairway Drive and Park Drive.

The new facility is needed because Roanoke has outgrown its existing space at 609 Dallas Drive, according to City Manager Scott Campbell.

The city negotiated a contract of $3.32 million with the chosen firms for architectural and design services, according to information provided with the meeting agenda. The total construction cost for the facility will be $39 million, according to the city.

Funding for this project will come from a half-cent sales tax dedicated to the city's new Crime Control and Prevention District, according to the city.

The facility will include about 36,000 square feet for the police main building, 3,200 square feet for the police support building, 8,600 square feet for courts program dedicated spaces and 10,600 square feet for a shooting range building, according to the city.

The project is expected to take about three years, officials said.