The existing 16,388 square foot police station is located at 1042 Walnut St. on the edge of downtown SLO within the following boundaries:

• 101 to the north
• Walnut Street to the south
• Santa Rosa Street to the east
• Osos Street to the west

The 52-year-old station was identified for replacement in the City’s Facilities Master Plan in 1998 and in Police Department Master Plan in 2003, due to the facility’s deteriorating condition, limited workspaces, and lack of security and privacy for community members.

The City also recognized that the current Emergency Operations Center (EOC), a shared space whose primary function is hosting trainings for the SLO Fire Department, was inadequate in design, space and technology to meet the needs of a fully functional EOC.

In 2017, the City prepared a feasibility study, evaluating several potential sites for the new public safety center. The team determined that the current police station location (1042 Walnut St.) was best given its proximity to the freeway, cost effectiveness, central location, and response rates.

And in 2021, the City partnered with RRM on the development of a space needs assessment that identified space needs for current operations and future needs. This assessment concluded that roughly 41,000 square feet would be sufficient to address space requirements to meet the department and community’s current and future public safety needs for the next 30 years including potential space for community use.  This information was presented to City Council November 2021 in a study session on the project. 

_{Last updated on 5/16/2023.}

City staff is exploring alternatives to meet the project needs and goals, while reducing impacts overall. In late 2022, the 10,000-square-foot property across the street from the existing police station (1106-1120 Walnut St.) became available for purchase. A multiple-department team at the City conducted an inspection of the property to determine its current condition and determine whether the potential space could address some SLO community’s public safety needs and meet the state and federal requirements for an” essential services facility.”

Not only will this property potentially help address the City’s office space needs, but it will also   potentially meet the Police Department’s short-term needs, including serving as a temporary police station while the existing facility is demolished and the new Public Safety Center is under construction. At this time, staff is recommending the purchase of the property to City Council at their May 16, 2023, meeting. The agenda for the meeting and staff report is posted at www.slocity.org/agendas.

Following approval of the purchase of the building, City staff would begin work in the next few years to conduct a new usage study and revise the existing space planning assessments and site feasibility studies to determine whether the acquisition of the new property would better address the department’s long-term needs. This would likely result in a second City Council study session to evaluate and compare new options, including the previously developed site option.

This is the first phase of many in the planning process and the City will be asking for the community’s input long before breaking ground on construction. Community members are encouraged to stay involved throughout this project by engaging with the following:

E-notifications: To receive notifications via email, subscribe at www.slocity.org/Subscribe.

Website: To receive current information or previous studies, please visit our project webpage.

Email: For questions or inquiries, please email safetycenter@slocity.org.

Phone: For questions or inquiries related to the project, please call the project hotline at 805-594-8190.

Nov. 2, 2021: Public Study Session at City Council.

1. City Council Update Nov. 2021
2. City Council Agenda Correspondence Nov. 2021
3. City Council Agenda Report Nov. 2021 - Public Safety Center Program and Design Update.pdf
4. A - City Facilities Master Plan 1988.pdf
5. B - Police Facilities Master Plan 2003.pdf
6. C - Seismic Evaluation.pdf
7. D - Space Needs Assessment.pdf
8. E - City Gate Staffing Review.pdf
9. F - Alternative Site Selection Exhibit.pdf