CLEVELAND — The next phase of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's plan for a new police headquarters building in the city was announced during Monday night's city council meeting.
The Bibb Administration has asked for the council's authorization to purchase the site of the historic ArtCraft building on Superior Avenue, which will be turned into the new Cleveland Division of Police headquarters.
According to the legislation, the cost of the project "shall not exceed $90 million." The $90 million price tag includes the cost of the property, new equipment and furniture, the developer’s fee, and all costs related to the design and construction of the facility. Ownership of the building would transfer to the city of Cleveland once the renovation is complete.
Bibb announced in November that his administration had chosen the ArtCraft building as the preferred site of the police headquarters out of the six proposals considered. The city says that the 250,000-square-foot ArtCraft building will be able to be transformed into a "world-class home" for the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP), while saving an estimated $40 million compared to the all-in cost for the originally proposed Opportunity Corridor site.
The city also says that the selection of the ArtCraft site will result in a faster delivery time, bringing CDP into the new headquarters in early 2025 -- 18 to 24 months before the Opportunity Corridor site.
According to Cleveland City Council, the proposed legislation will now go to the directors of Capital Projects, Public Safety, Public Works, City Planning Commission, Finance, and Law. It will then move to the council committees on Municipal Services and Properties, Safety, Development Planning and Sustainability, and Finance Diversity Equity and Inclusion before going to a full vote of the council.
3News' Ben Axelrod contributed to this story.