SCOTT STILES, Garden Grove city manager (Orange County Tribune photos by Jim Tortolano).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

The proposed relocation of Garden Grove’s police headquarters could have a big impact on the entire Civic Center area.

At an open house event Wednesday in the Community Meeting Center, city officials outlined the need and possibilities for the change and took questions from members of the public.

“We’re ready for something better and new and different and we want to start the process of working with the community about what that might look like, where it could go and all that sort of stuff,” said City Manager Scott Stiles.

Police Chief Tom DaRe spoke on the need to gather staff and resources in one building, likely multi-story with a smaller “footprint” than the existing two-story facility on Acacia Parkway, just east of Euclid Street.  The desired size would be about 100,000 square feet.

He ticked off the reasons he wanted a new headquarters including crowding, non-compliance with ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) and seismic standards.
“If that building starts to shake,” he said, “I’m running out the door.”

PROPOSED location of a new public safety building at Euclid Street and Acacia Parkway (click on to enlarge).

The most likely location for a new facility would be at the corner of Euclid and Acacia. That would include the southern portion of the Civic Center Park – known for its ponds, brooks and water fowl –and a parking lot for City Hall, which is located directly across the street.

Removing the police offices from the present location and demolishing the building would open up space there for other uses, including – potentially – other park amenities or even retail space.

The public input on issues of existing parkland, public safety facilities, future Civic Center amenities and mobility and traffic circulation is being sought by the city.

A virtual meeting will be held on Thursday, June 9 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. For more information or to register for the virtual meeting, go to https://ggcity.org/civic-center .