Building a Better Tigard
"Building a Better Tigard" is a campaign to build a safe, modern combined facility for our Police and Public Works departments. This new facility will ensure our first responders can continue providing critical services to the community after a natural disaster, improve everyday operational efficiency, and reduce long-term costs. This important project is expected to be a potential ballot measure in May 2026.
A safe, modern facility will be designed to withstand a major earthquake or natural disaster, ensuring our first responders can continue delivering essential services to our community when they’re needed the most.
Our current facilities are too small, costing over $420,000 per year for extra storage and office space. In 2023, we spent $500,000 on maintenance, a cost that will keep rising as buildings deteriorate.
Built in the 1980s when our population was one-third of its current size, police facilities are now overcrowded, housing nearly 100 employees and creating significant privacy and security challenges.
Combining nine current substandard work sites into one facility will make our work more efficient, saving time and money. We are prioritizing community safety, recruitment privacy, and the environment with a secure, updated facility.
In 2024 the city purchased a 9.5-acre property at 13225 SW Wall Street as a proposed location for a centralized facility for both the Police Department and Public Works.
Project Focus
Building a safe, modern facility: designed to withstand a major earthquake or natural disaster, ensuring our first responders can continue delivering essential services to our community when they’re needed the most.
Investing wisely now: in a facility will save on long-term costs in the future.
Combining nine current substandard work sites into one facility: will make our work more efficient, saving time and money.
Building facilities that grow with Tigard: supporting our community's needs today and tomorrow.
Prioritizing community safety, recruitment, privacy: and the environment with a secure, updated facility.
Project History
Over the past decade, the City of Tigard has been working on plans to update or replace its aging public buildings. A study in 2017 looked at the city’s facility needs and possible upgrades, and a 2012 report highlighted the urgent need to replace the Police Department building. In 2016, the city assessed all its buildings to understand when major repairs or replacements would be needed.
Drone Footage of the Building Site
Council presentation: https://youtu.be/gv9zS6f5wp0
Current City Buildings and Their Condition
- City Hall, Police Department, and Permit Center (built in the 1980s, about 36,600 sq. ft.) provide public services like permitting, court, billing, and police. A separate modular unit behind City Hall also houses police staff.
- Public Works Building (also from the 1980s, about 20,770 sq. ft.) supports public utilities, parks, fleet management, and administration. Some Public Works operations also run from a leased space nearby.
- The city's population has grown significantly since these buildings were built, and they are now too small to meet current needs.
A 2016 report found that City Hall and the Police Department were in poor condition, requiring about $3.68 million in repairs over 10 years. Public Works was in better shape but still needed $3.13 million in repairs. The estimated cost for all facility repairs has now grown to $18.27 million due to rising construction costs.
Seismic Risks and Safety Concerns
The city must ensure its buildings can function after a major earthquake.
- A 2020 study found that the Public Works building is not properly reinforced and could pose a serious risk to occupants in an earthquake. Fixing this would cost $1.5 to $2 million, and additional upgrades to ensure immediate usability could exceed $2 million.
- A 2013 study found that the Police Department building does not meet modern earthquake safety standards, meaning it could be severely damaged in a quake and would not function as an essential facility.
- A 2016 seismic assessment indicated that City Hall and the Police Department might be unusable for days or weeks after an earthquake, while the Permit Center could be uninhabitable for months. This would make it very difficult for the city to help residents in a disaster.
The city has known since 2006 that Public Works needed more space. A study at the time recommended a consolidated facility on an 8-acre site, but no such space was available. Instead, Public Works was relocated to a temporary facility on Burnham Street.
In 2009, a study found that the Police Department was extremely overcrowded and lacked space for staff, storage, and security. A 2013 assessment confirmed these issues, noting the department was operating out of only half the space it needed to function efficiently.
Future Plans
As Tigard continues to grow, its facilities must also expand to support public services. In 2024, the city purchased an undeveloped 9.5-acre property at 13225 SW Wall St., which could be the future site of new city buildings. This site offers a chance to build modern, safe, and well-sized facilities for city operations.
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