So, in addition to a new Justice Center someday, what would be a good location for a new, roughly 200,000-square-foot Cleveland police headquarters building? The city will have $5 million per year extra to perhaps float a bond, and will have $9 million from the sale of its current headquarters to pay upfront costs (land acquisition, design/engineering, contingencies, etc). $5 million per year could support a 15-year bond issue at current interest rates totaling about $60 million. Ironically, a 15- to 20-story building costs about that much. And a 200,000-square-foot building with floorplates of 20,000 to 25,000 sf each would be an 8-story to 10-story building, on top of a multi-level parking garage for employees and police vehicles, equipment storage and staging, etc. So could we see a new 15-story or so police headquarters built somewhere downtown?

 

Cleveland, Cuyahoga County move closer to jail consolidation

June 06, 2017 UPDATED 4 DAYS AGO

By JAY MILLER

 

With legislation passed Monday, June 5, by Cleveland City Council, the consolidation of the Cleveland and Cuyahoga County jails is moving a step closer, as is the move of Cleveland police headquarters.

 

On the steps of Cleveland City Hall on Tuesday, June 6, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson outlined the plan of consolidation of the jails. They also touched briefly on plans for relocating Cleveland police headquarters and, perhaps someday, leaving the Justice Center complex that has been home to the city and county jails, Cleveland police and city and county courts.

 

....Jackson said the city is surveying locations for a new police headquarters, which the city will sell to Cuyahoga County for $9.25 million.

 

Budish also noted that bringing the four buildings in the Justice Center complex under a single owner would make it easier, someday, to leave the 41-year-old complex.

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170606/NEWS/170609886/cleveland-cuyahoga-county-move-closer-to-jail-consolidation

And if the city really wants to save energy, that means floorplates of 25,000 sf or less. That means a more vertical than horizontal building, unless it's a rectangular floorplate.

 

BTW, a place where they could put it is the grassy strip at the corner of Huron and Ontario next to the existing parking garage. It's city-owned land, it has easy access to the interstates and public transit  (many of those working at CPD HQ are secretaries and data processors), and it has easy access to the sports venues, Public Square and Playhouse Square. But the shape of the land could mean floor plates of less than 20,000 sf, with a 12-story tower atop a multilevel garage.

Wasn't it already announced that they will be leasing space in 55 Public Square? Did that ordinance fail to pass before Council?

Huron and Ontario.    Isn't that the site of the former proposed Ferrari Tower.

Wasn't it already announced that they will be leasing space in 55 Public Square? Did that ordinance fail to pass before Council?

 

No, it passed. The mayor says the city is "surveying locations for a new police headquarters." So doesn't that mean that 55 Public Square is a temporary location? And if so, what's the hurry to move out of the Justice Center block? Why is it so time-critical to have that entire block under county ownership?

I think a good location would be on the parking lot at the corner of W Huron and Superior, where the Courthouse Plaza Tower was planned to be built. It's right next to the Federal Courthouse, and the tunnel connecting the Courthouse to Tower City could be extended to the new headquarters.

Ah, I didn't realize it was going to be temporary. Makes sense though as I imagine they would ideally like to have their own security features.

I found out more about what the city is doing, although it is still confusing. Suddenly, there is no mention of 55 Public Square. I'm just guessing, but it sounds like Optima, the owner of 55 Public Square, offered a deal to the city to relocate its police headquarters there. But the city probably couldn't accept it. For the city to legally consider private real estate as one of its facilities, it must be the result of a publicly solicited RFP. Then the city chooses the lowest, most responsible bid.

 

Then again, perhaps 55 Public Square just doesn't have enough space. The building had only 150,000 sf of available space two years ago: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150322/SUB1/303229988/loan-for-55-public-square-is-sold-for-12-million-loss

Also a separate entrance for police is required, not to mention the huge police vehicle/equipment/storage garage.

 

 

So I first found this....

 

On page #7 http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/ClevelandCityCouncil/media/CCCMedia/Documents/Safety-Committeeamend-4-26-17.pdf

 

Real Estate Commissioner James DeRosa prepared and distributed a Request for Proposals (RFP) to potential brokers on Monday, April 24, 2017 to assist in the identification of potential sites for the Division of Police and to assist with the development of the lease / purchase of a suitable site. Responses to the RFP are due no later than Monday, May 5, 2017.

 

However....

 

On page #15 http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/ClevelandCityCouncil/media/CCCMedia/Documents/Comm-Whole-6-5-17-Public-Safety.pdf

 

Real Estate Commissioner James DeRosa developed, posted and distributed a request for proposals on Thursday, May 25, 2017 to identify a new headquarters site for the Division of Police.

 

The RFP has to be responded to by June 23, 2017. In other words -- next week!

 

So here's the RFP for which I don't know how any existing facility is going to be able to satisfy the CPD's huge space needs (180,000 sf office, 115,000 sf police garage/storage, plus 500+ employee and public parking spaces) by the end of this year or March 2018 at the latest. An interim location is going to have to be provided...

 

http://portal.cleveland-oh.gov/sites/default/files/rfp-rfq/PublicSafetyRealEstateRFP.pdf

 

Police Headquarters Requirements

Required Characteristics:

 Approximately 180,000 contiguous square feet in one or multiple floors laid out

appropriately for headquarters office staff and law enforcement needs such as private

offices, public spaces, cubical workspaces, interview rooms, classrooms, exercise room,

conference rooms, locker rooms, etc.

 All lease/ownership options will be considered, including purchase, lease, new

construction, and/or new construction & lease back.

 Located in the City of Cleveland between Cuyahoga River to the E. 55th Street area and

Lake Erie to the I-490 area.

 Available for purchase/build-out/construction by August 1, 2017 and occupancy by

December 31, 2017 if possible or March 31, 2018 at latest or availability and financial

incentives for interim location.

 Secure parking for 400 passenger cars that is separated from public parking.

 Private elevators and secured stairwells if multiple floors in a shared building.

 Ability to separate staff from the public portions of the operations.

 Ability to install state-of-the-art technology capabilities including Wi-Fi and ability to

install video camera systems throughout with IT connections throughout the space and

externally to the City network. An efficient work environment should accommodate

ongoing technological innovation and allow for a technologically state-of-the-art work

place throughout the life of the facility.

 High quality built environment, achieving the programmatic requirements at the lowest

life-cycle cost consistent with required performance, reliability, quality, sustainability,

urban design, architectural, safety and utilization of best practices.

 A clean, healthy workplace environment, free of harmful contaminants and excessive

noise, with access to quality air, light and water. Provide workplace services, systems,

and components that allow occupants to adjust lighting, acoustic, and furnishing systems

to meet personal and group comfort levels.

 

Preferred:

 Location with convenient access to the Municipal and County Courts and the City of

Cleveland Emergency Operations Center in downtown Cleveland.

 A welcoming location to the public with sufficient public parking.

 If lease, minimum of 20 year term is preferred.

 Ability to connect into City’s fiber network.

 Backup generators or power hookups from both CPP and CEI.

 Roof access and ability to install antennas on roof.

 Service by Cleveland Thermal for chilled water and steam.

 Consider sustainability operational requirements and incorporate principles of

sustainability, net-zero energy, and life-cycle costing.

 Design that embraces the concepts of modularity and universal planning and that will

allow flexible floor plan arrangements that may be easily adapted with changing needs

over time. Workplace components must be easily adapted to organizational or work

process and functional changes and readily restructured with a minimum of time, effort,

and waste. Flexible design shall include building systems.

 

Division of Police

Off-Site Staff/Garage/Storage Requirements

 Minimum of 115,000 sq. ft.

 Located anywhere within the City of Cleveland with good highway access. The

Garage/Storage does NOT need to be adjacent to the Cleveland Police Headquarters.

 Available for purchase/build-out/construction by August 1, 2017 and occupancy by

December 31, 2017.

 Secure facility.

 Outdoor employee and guest parking for approximately 80-100 cars.

 Office space of approximately 22,000 square feet

 Storage space of approximately 25,000 square feet 

 Indoor vehicle storage space of approximately 66,000 square feet

 

###

Why can't they just stay at the location they are at until they find a site and build

a new facility?

Why can't they just stay at the location they are at until they find a site and build

a new facility?

 

The county wants CPD out tomorrow. Not only does the county need to move some of its functions into the CPD HQ from other buildings it recently sold, it wants the entire Justice Center property under county ownership ASAP. No reason is given, but it sounds like the county wants to sell the current Justice Center property to an investor/developer as part of its deal to build a new Justice Center.

 

And just for fun, consider this.... The 180,000 sf CPD HQ, the 115,000 sf CPD garage/storage, and the roughly 240,000 sf of structured parking for 600 cars (employee/public parking) if put in a tower with average floor plates of 25,000 sf would be more than 21 stories tall. Just sayin'.... Hello, Weston?

 

EDIT: if these are to be more horizontally developed structures, then the ODOT-owned land just south of the Inner Belt, next to the newly extended East 9th Street, might be preferred by the city. But I don't know how the city intends to have, within the proposed timeline, an existing facility or facilities be the permanent location(s) and still meet all of the very specialized needs of a big-city police force.

So it appears that the county has quietly decided that they want a new justice center.

So we get a new Police Headquarters, New Justice Center and they sell the existing

complex to a private developer.  Is the current JC & Police HQ capable of being converted

to apartments? And what does a developer do with the 2 jail complexes?

Anybody with any ideas? 

The county selling the Justice Center to a private developer is just one of my speculations. Another possibility from having the entire site under county control is that the county can build a new Justice Center tower where the CPD HQ is, then demolish for or re-purpose the existing Justice Center tower as a modern county jail. Or it could be demolished for a parking structure. The block is big enough that the county can move pieces around on it like a Rubik's Cube.

They take a piece of publicly owned green space, build a new building on it, demolish the previous justice center, build the rest of a new justice center on it, and reserve some space for new green space and new development...

What's very interesting to me in the CPD HQ RFP (acronyms!) is that the city wants a "Location with convenient access to the Municipal and County Courts and the City of Cleveland Emergency Operations Center in downtown Cleveland." Sure, 55 Public Square meets that, but it doesn't meet other requirements and preferences. It may be OK as an interim location, but Weston's Warehouse District plans (notably Site B) could probably do the best job in satisfying the city's needs, if the city and county is willing to wait a little while longer. And Weston said it is flexible in adjusting its conceptual plan in meeting the needs of a prospective tenant....

 

I feel like private developments, like the Weston proposal, rarely have public entities as tenants. Don't cities usually like to own their buildings? I know the City of Cincinnati rents space in several buildings around city hall, but it would seem odd for an entire department, much less the PD, to lease its space.

 

I also fail to see why Cleveland Police would need a 21 story building. LAPD recently built a beautiful new HQ and its only 10 stories, for a city that is more than 10x bigger.

There were a bunch of nuggets regarding the new CDP headquarters as well as the Justice Center in this article: http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2017/06/cuyahoga_county_to_merge_operations.html

 

The County sounds committed to moving a lot of employees into the Justice Center so it doesn't seem like anything major will be happening there soon.

 

On the other hand it sounds like the City has no idea what the hell they are going to do.

I feel like private developments, like the Weston proposal, rarely have public entities as tenants. Don't cities usually like to own their buildings? I know the City of Cincinnati rents space in several buildings around city hall, but it would seem odd for an entire department, much less the PD, to lease its space.

 

Cuyahoga County leased its administration building from the private sector, and it was built for it by the private sector. However it is a lease-to-own arrangement. The CPD RFP says that if it leases its HQ, that it should at least be a 20-years lease.

 

I also fail to see why Cleveland Police would need a 21 story building. LAPD recently built a beautiful new HQ and its only 10 stories, for a city that is more than 10x bigger.

 

Don't know anything about the LAPD HQ. Is their police vehicle/equipment garage/storage in the same tower shaft as the offices? Is the employee and public parking? What is the average floorplate  size?

 

I'm not saying that CPD would arrange its HQ in this way and thereby need a 21-story tower. They can arrange things any way they want. I'm portraying it in this way to show the the scale of the uses in CPD's RFP, because I'd love to see a 21-story tower, and that there's a spatial need to justify one. Now all they have to do is name me commissioner of real estate AND chief of police and we'll get that 21-story tower!

City accepted building submissions today for relocation of their Police/Safety from Justice Center to another location, preferably downtown business district.  180k sf.  This will be making major waves here soon enough. 

That's right! I forgot today was the deadline day for responding to the city's RFP. Any rumors on what some of the proposals involve?

The city is open to any & all options apparently but realistically, I don't think they have the time to do a new building, even if a lot was available somewhere that worked.  That leaves renovation of existing buildings - it's going to be tough to find a building that 1) has the space available  2) can accomodate all the requirements for lobby/security/parking etc.  There will some aggressive moves made though by a handful of players to lure this deal to their property.  City looking to sign a 20 yr deal.

 

I believe the RFP is up on the City website if anyone wants to view it.  Lays out all the requirements 

http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/node/10854

It's been two weeks since the RFP deadline. Any news, hints, winks, rumors or rumblings?

It's been two weeks since the RFP deadline. Any news, hints, winks, rumors or rumblings?

 

Hopefully they announce a selection for the real estate services partner/tenant rep firm.  After that, a real evaluation of the building options will begin.

Does anyone have any insider information on this at all? I'm wondering if any of Weston's Warehouse District lots are in play. They own all of that property, right? They're clearly having trouble securing financing for their proposed project, and I'm sure a tenant like the Justice Center would be a reliable source of income that any developer would seek out. Why don't they just adjust their proposed development, with an office tower for the justice center offices? That would also help them finance the remainder of the project later on.

The police headquarters and the Justice Center (old and new) are separate issues. No doubt, they are related, as the RFP for the new police HQ specifically lists proximity to the Justice Center as a plus -- but not a requirement.

 

I know it's a longshot, but if Weston lands the police HQ, it could absolutely aid in the financing for the rest of the superblock, especially the parking structure(s). I'm not saying it would make it all happen, but it would definitely remove some significant costs that would otherwise be necessary to finance in making more of the superblock happen.

The police headquarters and the Justice Center (old and new) are separate issues. No doubt, they are related, as the RFP for the new police HQ specifically lists proximity to the Justice Center as a plus -- but not a requirement.

 

I know it's a longshot, but if Weston lands the police HQ, it could absolutely aid in the financing for the rest of the superblock, especially the parking structure(s). I'm not saying it would make it all happen, but it would definitely remove some significant costs that would otherwise be necessary to finance in making more of the superblock happen.

 

I honestly think the eastern half of that site would make a great site for both.  It puts our courts and police slightly closer to our rail and transit hubs.  Maybe they could pull off the expensive bus tunnel under Public Square to come full circle on multiple projects.

I saw on the design-review database that the Cuyahoga County Archives is seeking approvals for signage at its new location at East 40th and Perkins. And it, along with this article from a couple of weeks ago (http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2017/07/cuyahoga_county_council_agrees_to_take_over_cleveland_jail_operations.html), made me wonder....

 

The reason why the the city and CPD is in a big rush to move out of its current location at the corner of West 3rd and St. Clair is because the county, which is buying the CPD HQ, needs to move some offices out of the Marion Building it sold to Weston and into a new location by Oct. 31. County offices include the Public Defender and Adult Probation which probably need to be next to the courts/jails buildings. But are there others offices that could move to another site, such as the new archives site or maybe the old county courthouse at Ontario/Lakeside, at least temporarily? Or could the county offices stay in the 100,000-square-foot Marion Building for a year or two and not screw up Weston's plans for that building?

 

There simply aren't enough available contiguous space in existing buildings (except 925 Euclid) to house the 180,000-square-foot CPD HQ offices, let alone the both the CPD HQ, vehicle servicing/staging/storage and employee/public parking that, when combined, appear to total about 540,000 sf. Consolidating these into the same facility would require new construction -- and Weston's Superblock has the space available next to the existing jails/courts for it. And, ironically, Weston is the only one that can buy everyone some time to allow for a new construction option to be considered -- if it extends the county's lease at the Marion Building.

 

So, how about it Weston? Can you make this happen??

Some more interesting info from the article I referenced above....

 

At 1276 W. 3rd St., the Marion Building houses offices and the county's probation lab, where drug-testing occurs. The proposal being considered by County Council gives the county the option to lease the Marion Building from Weston for at least three years, at a monthly rent of $83,990.05 including some utilities and maintenance costs.

 

The seven-story brick building is roughly 100,000 square feet, but the county is not using all of the space. Constructed in 1913, the building is eligible for tax credits for historic preservation.

 

"It's completely underutilized," said Bonnie Teeuwen, the county's public works director. "The Weston group has a proposal to start rehab, and they want to start from the top and work their way down. ... We're working with them to consolidate our people to the lower part of the building so that they can start construction on the upper floors."

Colliers International to aid city's search for new Cleveland Police headquarters

July 28, 2017

By STAN BULLARD   

and JAY MILLER

 

Russell Rogers, a Colliers International commercial broker, admits to fielding more calls and emails than usual after a team he heads landed a plum brokerage assignment in mid-July to help the city of Cleveland find a new location for the Cleveland Police headquarters.

 

...Rogers said the city will entertain leasing, subleasing or buying buildings as well as construction options. The city's specifications for the sites said it will use a scoring method to evaluate the sites. For example, sites close to the Justice Center, for example, can receive as many as 10 points to up their score.

 

An examination of office options available in or near downtown Cleveland on CoStar, the online real estate data source, shows a dozen properties could accommodate the headquarters in terms of available or proposed space.

 

Citywide, 24 existing or proposed buildings could meet the storage requirement, according to CoStar.

 

Rogers said he is excited about the opportunity because such a decision is so important to city operations.

 

In a written statement, Brian Hurtuk, managing director and principal of Colliers Cleveland, said the assignment fits one of its core values, to be engaged in the community.

 

"We believe that this project," Hurtuk said, "will be another catalyst for additional development in Cleveland."

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170728/NEWS/170729800/colliers-international-to-aid-citys-search-for-new-cleveland-police

Two years? Isn't that about how long it would take to design and build a new police headquarters? Hmmm.....

 

Cleveland police headquarters to stay in Justice Center for at least two years under deal with Cuyahoga County

Updated on September 26, 2017 at 3:26 PM

By Karen Farkas, cleveland.com kfarkasCleveland[/member].com

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland's police headquarters will remain in the downtown Justice Center for at least two years under a revised agreement to sell the building to Cuyahoga County.

 

County Council is expected to approve several resolutions to finalize the deal on Tuesday.

 

According to the revised agreement, the county will buy the police headquarters for $9.25 million and the title of the building will be transferred on Oct. 2, 2018. Until then the county will pay the city $1 to lease three floors of the building and half the parking spaces in the underground garage.

 

The county, which is beginning budget discussions and expects to impose cuts, will have a year to pay for the building from its general fund and reserves.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2017/09/cleveland_police_headquarters_to_stay_in_justice_center_for_at_least_two_years_under_deal_with_cuyah.html

 

That is what I thought when I saw this article

My contribution....

 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017

Downtown Cleveland's next big building may surprise

 

Among three or four residential towers and a new skyscraper for a Fortune 500 headquarters, the next big building to rise in downtown Cleveland may surprise many. It grew out of a learning process by city officials that downtown didn't have more than 500,000 square feet of office and garage space ready-made for the needs of its police department. And a single real estate company holds the key to making a new building happen.

 

Early in spring 2017, the city agreed to sell to Cuyahoga County its police HQ and garage (for police and visitor's vehicles) at 1300 Ontario St. for $9.25 million. The county wanted to move departments (adult probation, corrections planning, substance abuse and other programs) from the Marion Building, 1276 W. 3rd St., to a vacated police HQ by Oct. 31. The reason is the county sold the Marion Building to Weston Inc. The 1913-built, seven-story, 100,000-square-foot building is ideal for conversion to housing using historic tax credits.

 

The county had hoped to move out of the Marion Building by Oct. 31 when its lease with Weston expires. So it pushed the city to find a new home for its police HQ and garage. The city issued a request for proposals last spring, hoping that owners of downtown buildings would jump at the chance to land a huge tenant like the Cleveland Police Department. But none could meet the city's requirements, including:

 

MORE:

http://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2017/10/downtown-clevelands-next-big-building.html?m=1

Sources tell @RobertVHiggs that former Plain Dealer building in downtown #CLE - now home to Cleveland(dot)com - is still one option for city's new police HQ. https://t.co/rM2kh4CBxO

so not much news in almost 3 months on this deal?  Funny how fast this relocation was moving and now seems to have slowed to a crawl

Just found out today the new police headquarters is  going in Plain Dealer building on Superior. I was really rooting for the hail mary Weston warehouse district tower option.

Just found out today the new police headquarters is  going in Plain Dealer building on Superior. I was really rooting for the hail mary Weston warehouse district tower option.

 

Me too. But the PD building makes too much sense.

Yes it does.

I wonder if the courts could go into 55? Forget how much room they need.

As of 2015, the 430,000-square-foot 55 Public Square had about 150,000 sf available. I suspect it's less than that now. But even if it's not, the existing courts tower measures 722,500 sf, not including the full ground-floor atrium, two 11-story jail blocks, and 432,500 sf of underground parking.

Former Plain Dealer office building in downtown #CLE will become new city police HQ, through deal orchestrated by private intermediary group that includes developer Fred Geis: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/06/downtown_plain_dealer_building.html#incart_breaking via @RobertVHiggs

I was just about to post this. 

 

Geis has his hands in everything. 

Of course he does.  We have developers on the planning board here!  Corruption is woven into the fabric of the community. 

And who owns the Western Reserve building into which Advance Communications will move? Geis.

With all these sweet deals the city keeps handing to Geis, could they at least move their headquarters into Cleveland?

^ Hemingway Development is in Midtown. 

City of Cleveland just put out a press release confirming it's buying the @clevelanddotcom building at 1801 Superior for the police HQ. Says there were 24 other proposed sites. https://t.co/hdns5FuYIv

Channel 3 Story. https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/cleveland-division-of-police-slated-to-relocate-to-former-plain-dealer-headquarters/95-561374128

not sure why the news is reporting that it's a $60 million purchase....  it's a turnkey lease deal.  Unless they get the facility at the end of year 15...

So why didn't the city just buy the building outright instead of bringing in Geis as the middleman? I thought the bond issue approved by council earmarked a large sum for the move.

So why didn't the city just buy the building outright instead of bringing in Geis as the middleman? I thought the bond issue approved by council earmarked a large sum for the move.

They don’t want to own the building. Many governments and governmental agencies are getting out of the real estate business, they are finding it more economical to rent the building from someone like a Geis as opposed to owning it themselves

So why didn't the city just buy the building outright instead of bringing in Geis as the middleman? I thought the bond issue approved by council earmarked a large sum for the move.

 

Even if they had the money to do it themselves, the City would still be burdened by their own baloney procurement processes for hiring architects, contractors, furniture, technology, etc....  no way.  Doing what they did was the only way to get the deal done

Was this up for bid besides Geis?