North Little Rock city government will hold on to an option to buy property, about a half-acre, near the city's planned Justice Building to use for expanded parking, if necessary, once the new police and courts site is completed by possibly late next year.
Construction of the $30 million police and courts building is to start in November or December at the site of the razed, former National Guard Armory at 2600 Poplar St.
Offices in the North Little Rock School District Administration Building, 2700 Poplar St., will move after the Justice Building is completed, and that property also will become part of the police and courts complex.
Police Chief Mike Davis said Wednesday that the new police and courts headquarters will have another parking lot and street parking available, but the city wants the option for additional parking if it becomes needed.
"We've got that option to look at it, if we can use it," Davis said. "The school administration building [offices] may still be there when we move in. If that happens, we'll definitely need the extra space."
The City Council agreed Monday evening to approve a consideration of $10,000 for the option-to-purchase agreement for the 0.6-acre property at 2721 Poplar St. The purchase price will be $290,000, if the city utilizes its option within the next two years, the legislation said. The Nancy Cochran Tippit Trust and the George Edward Cochran Trust would be the sellers.
"We're not quite sure what all we're going to be able to do and where all we'll be able to park," Mayor Joe Smith said. "That piece of property would be very valuable to us if, in a year, a year and a half from now, we go 'We don't have enough parking.' And we probably won't know the answer to that for another year.
"For a $10,000 option, it was very well worth our money to have that in our pocket, if we needed more parking," Smith said. "They agreed to sell it for the appraised value and hold it for us for the 10 grand."
The city acquired the properties last year in a land swap and a $500,000 payment to the National Guard. The school district also owned the armory property, which it had leased to the Arkansas Army National Guard. In the property exchange, the school district received the city's current police and courts building, 200 W. Pershing Blvd., police administration headquarters, 2525 Main St., and a parking lot, all near North Little Rock High School.
A new police and courts building was part of a 1% sales tax increase voters approved in a special city election in August 2017. Funds for the new building will come from revenue from one-half of the sales tax, a five-year capital improvements portion, plus a $10.875 million bond issue the City Council approved Monday.
The capital-improvements tax also will fund new and renovated fire stations and streets and drainage improvements citywide. The other one-half of the sales tax is permanent and is to be used for city operations.
Metro on 08/29/2019