MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council continues to move forward with plans to relocate the Minneapolis Police Department's downtown First Precinct police station to the old Century Plaza site, a move that is expected to happen early next year.
On Monday, a council committee approved a minor amendment to the city's purchase agreement that keeps the overall cost around $19 million. The city's property services director, Barbara O'Brien, told council members the First Precinct move remains on track for the first quarter of 2025.
"We chose to do a minor redesign so that we could be sure, that when we deliver Precinct 1, that we are meeting all of the expectations for the future," O'Brien said. "Ensuring that when we open the doors for Precinct 1, that we are above and beyond what needs to happen moving forward for MPD."
First Precinct officers currently work out of a building in the Warehouse District on Fourth Street, near I-394 and not far from Target Field.
The one-mile move south to Century Plaza, across from the Convention Center, would put officers closer to I-94 and I-35W.
Ward Four Council Member Latrisha Vetaw said First Precinct officers have "outgrown the space" on Fourth Street and need more room for parking and storage. She said the move to Century Plaza will also put First Precinct officers in a better position to assist the Third and Fifth Precincts on 911 calls. (Last year, the council considered also combining the Third Precinct into the Century Plaza building, but reversed course and decided to move forward with only the First Precinct.)
"The current one (on Fourth Street) just feels hidden, too. It's just kind of in between everything," Vetaw said. "I do think people in Minneapolis are familiar with Century Plaza. That building has been around for awhile."
Construction work on Century Plaza has already started.
Pending full council approval, the police station will be part of a larger redevelopment project that also includes a hotel -- "the safest hotel in Minneapolis," Vetaw joked.
"It's just a really good opportunity for our department to get in there and be part of that," Vetaw said.
According to council documents, city staff has requested extending the completion deadline from Jan. 1, 2025 to March 1, 2025. The full city council will take another vote on the First Precinct early next month.
Vetaw said she's also looking forward to seeing what happens with the Fourth Street site, once MPD moves out.
"I'd love to hear people's ideas. Downtown, we have a lot of buildings looking for opportunities, and that's in a great location where restaurants and bars and things are," she said. "I'm excited to see what comes there. This new location for the First Precinct is definitely necessary."