The Minneapolis First Precinct police station will soon move into a portion of the Century Plaza building, more than doubling the space of its current location.
The move was approved in a 8-5 vote by the City Council on Thursday morning.
The downtown precinct is currently at 19 N. 4th St. City officials say the site's 15,000 square feet of space is too small and lacks parking.
The new location near the Minneapolis Convention Center will have more than 35,000 square feet of space and provide access to 180 parking spots. The building at 1101 3rd Av. S. is the former Miller Vocational High School and will be divided up for development. The plan is for construction to begin by the end of 2023.
The total project cost will be about $19 million, according to city documents.
Council Members Elliott Payne, Robin Wonsley, Jeremiah Ellison, Jason Chavez and Aisha Chughtai voted against the relocation. Payne said police relations with the public should take priority. Council Members Michael Rainville, LaTrisha Vetaw, Jamal Osman, Lisa Goodman, Andrea Jenkins, Emily Koski, Andrew Johnson and Linea Palmisano voted for the move. Goodman said the problems with the current location need to be addressed.
