Google Street View photo of the Fresno Police Department with the Mariposa Building across the plaza.

UPDATE: The Fresno City Council approved a 21-year lease agreement Thursday afternoon to relocate the Fresno Police Department headquarters to 2314 Mariposa St. in Downtown Fresno — right across the street.

Fresno City Council members noted the poor working conditions of the current police department, citing infrastructure issues, including HVAC, power systems and asbestos concerns.

“The fact that there’s asbestos in that building doesn’t sit right with me. That is a fact that’s not made up,” said Council President Mike Karbassi. “The reports show that we can treat our law enforcement better, and if we can’t, shame on us. I think we’re about to correct that today, and we’re doing it in a very fiscally responsible way.”

While voting yes, Council Vice President Miguel Arias noted that several other Fresno buildings, used by the community, are in similar or even worse conditions than the police headquarters.

“We have several community centers in the city that are the same age as the police headquarters, same asbestos conditions,” Arias said. “We’ve asked those community centers to wait 20 to 30 years for there to be enough Measure P dollars to renovate them.”

Arias said that while improvements to police headquarters are needed, other city-owned community facilities need the same level of support.

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PREVIOUS VERSION — The Fresno City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on a 21-year lease agreement to relocate the Fresno Police Department headquarters to 2314 Mariposa St. in Downtown Fresno. 

The current location for the police department is 2323 Mariposa St. The proposed location is a stone’s throw away on Mariposa St.

The so-called “Mariposa Building” has undergone extensive renovation over the past three years. The 1940s-era, three-story building has two levels below ground. When River Park Properties III purchased the Mariposa Building in 2017 for $2.2 million from The Craig and Cynthia Davis Family Trust, according to a deed filed with the Fresno County Assessor’s Office.

The lease agreement is with River Park Properties III, owned by Fresno development firm Lance & Kashian & Co. 

Documents show River Park Properties III would lease 63,035 square feet.

The first year of the lease would be rent-free. It would be followed by annual payments of $1.29 million for years two through six. After that, rent would increase 10% every fifth year, for a total of $29.8 million over the 21 years, in addition to operating costs.

River Park III also owns the Rowell Building on 2100 Tulare St, which is home to the Fresno County District Attorney’s office. After initially pulling out of the deal in 2018 due to financing hiccups, they agreed on a new lease that cost the county $17.3 million over 10 years, over $2 million more than in the original agreement.