A BIRD’S EYE view of the planned Civic Center Revitalization project (City of Garden Grove).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

An historic step towards transforming the central area of the city was taken Tuesday night when the Garden Grove City Council approved an agreement of the design and construction of the Civic Center Revitalization Project.

The agreement with Edgemoor Garden Grove Partners LLC will mean a new police headquarters building, an attached parking garage and a new park in the Civic Center.

The vote was 6-0 in favor with Councilmember John O’Neill absent.

According to city staff, the project will cost an estimated $152 million. The project is generally located in the area bounded by Euclid Street on the west, Stanford Avenue on the north, Acacia Parkway on the south and 7th Street on the east.

“The police building will be a landmark in our community of safety and security,” said Police Chief Amir El-Farra.

A multi-story parking garage will be built at the corner of Euclid and Acacia, connected to the new 103,000-square foot police building. The existing park – which includes ponds and small waterfalls – will be removed and a new 2.7-acre park created in the northeast corner of the new civic center.

All the council members spoke in support of the project, but three – Joe DoVinh, George Brietigam and Kim Nguyen-Penalosa – also suggested that some sort of “water feature” could be added to the project.

Also Tuesday night, the Community Spotlight honored Joe Hammer for being honored as the Cypress College Americana Citizen of theYear for Garden Grove.

The next meeting of the council is set for Tuesday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m.