Lafayette City Council To Discuss Buying Police Station

LAFAYETTE, CA — The Lafayette City Council will hold a special meeting Monday night to discuss buying the property on which its police station sits.

The city began leasing the property, located at 3471 Mt. Diablo Blvd., on Dec. 12, 2016.

Because the city planned to make significant improvements to the building, the city and the property owner negotiated an option by which the city could buy the site once the owner, Janice Nation, passed away.

According to a staff report, the city was given notice on Jan. 11 that Nation passed. According to the agreement, the city then had 30 days to buy the site for $1.66 million, with 120 days to close escrow.

City staff is recommending the council approve exercising the option "and close escrow on the property as quickly as possible." The council would also likely declare the transaction exempt from environmental review.

The staff report for Monday's meeting says the city has a "substantial interest in the property." It says it's an "excellent location" giving police quick access to most Lafayette neighborhoods. The city has already spent $1.9 million to upgrade the property for police services and there are "few other places within the city that could accommodate the police station, especially the number of vehicles that are required."

One of the options to be discussed Monday is financing the purchase, which the report says the city could do for 20 to 30 years at the same monthly rate, or less, than what it pays now.

The Lafayette City Council will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Monday. The meeting can be seen on Lafayette's YouTube channel. It can also be accessed via Zoom, at https://bit.ly/3wEx5qZ, passcode 816865.

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