Austin's new police, fire and EMS headquarters: renovation money goes to the council in November or December

Austin plans to move its police, fire and EMS headquarters into two office buildings it bought on South MoPac Expressway, and the council will be asked in November or December to pay for the renovation. Staff laid out the plan, and a broader review of every property the city owns, at the council's Audit and Finance Committee on Oct. 21.

The project touches several things residents care about: the condition of the buildings first responders work from, how the city borrows for real estate, and what happens to the downtown block that has housed the Austin Police Department.

The plan

According to the staff presentation, the joint headquarters will occupy 1501 and 1601 S. MoPac Expressway, known as One and Two Barton Skyway, in District 8. The slide shown to members listed:

• an acquisition cost of $106 million;
• about 400,000 square feet of office space, a wellness clinic, and EMS training and simulation space;
• construction documents 50% complete as of October;
• construction starting in February 2027, if the council approves funding.

A 2022 study of building a public safety campus on Rutherford Lane estimated $420 million, staff said. Final renovation costs were not ready. Staff said they expected pricing in about a week and a half and would brief council offices individually.

Staff described the current buildings bluntly. The police headquarters is failing. Fire has been headquartered at a building that is "literally shifting off its foundation", and EMS headquarters has its own problems, an official said.

How it was paid for, and the debate over it

A committee member praised the purchase and noted a recent article on the city's use of certificates of obligation, a kind of debt the council can issue without an election. The city "would never be able to buy real estate" at the right moment if it could not use them, the member said. Staff answered that the city follows state law and its own financial policies on that debt, and that "the real estate market does not wait for bond elections," a point they said they had made to legislative committees.

What our records add

Clearing out the tenants. The buildings came with private tenants. Since June 2025, the council has approved nine lease changes at Barton Skyway that set earlier end dates for tenants, all on consent and without a no vote. Several waived rent in exchange:

• $958,480 in rent and charges for a tenant at One Barton Skyway (April 2026);
• $873,214 and $261,701 for two tenants at 1501 S. MoPac (June 2025);
• $228,148 and $184,778 for two tenants at Two Barton Skyway (February and March 2026);
• $69,067 for another Two Barton Skyway tenant (February 2026).

That is about $2.6 million in waived rent across those six items. The slide says five private tenants remain.

Earlier money. In March 2025, the council approved up to $9.75 million for the city's Public Facilities Corporation to prepare the two buildings, part of a $43.2 million package that also covered 2400 Grove Blvd. and a public safety warehouse on McAngus Road. Staff told the committee that warehouse project is on hold over slab problems while the city works with its insurer.

Other moves. The former Tokyo Electron campus at 2400 Grove Blvd., in District 3, will house Austin Public Health, Austin Technology Services and a second emergency communications center, with construction funding also coming to the council in November or December. The University Park building on North I-35, bought for about $26 million in 2025, already holds police staff moved from the downtown command.

The bigger real estate review

Staff are analyzing every city-owned property and plan to bring a list of recommendations to the council in spring 2027. Vacating the downtown police headquarters "creates an opportunity" to redevelop that block, an official said. A city consultant estimated that moving from leased to owned space would save $300 million over 30 years.

What's next

Watch for renovation funding for the headquarters and 2400 Grove on council agendas in November or December. Neither is on the Nov. 5 draft agenda.