Austin city officials have decided to relocate their offices to existing office space rather than constructing new buildings. The move will involve consolidating the city’s fire, police, and emergency medical services personnel at a newly established public safety campus in Southwest Austin. This campus will be located at One and Two Barton Skyway, specifically at 1501 and 1601 S. MoPac.
According to city staff members, purchasing and renovating these offices – which were originally built in 1999 and 2000 – is a much more cost-effective option compared to building an entirely new public safety facility from scratch.
The two four-story buildings will offer a total of 391,000 square feet of office space as well as parking garages and other amenities.
This project is estimated to cost $120.5 million for the acquisition of the properties along with design work and retrofitting expenses. The funding for this venture will come from certificates of obligation rather than taxpayer money directly. It should be noted that this new headquarters building is intended solely for administrative purposes; it won’t serve as an actual fire station or police precinct but instead provide support functions for those departments.
City staff anticipates that renovations on these properties could begin within six months after closing on them with no set completion date yet determined.
