The headquarters project, expected to cost $90 million, is separate from a $21 million renovation initiative that will also upgrade all five of the city’s police district stations, many of which have long suffered from disrepair.
During a news conference last week, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb told reporters he expects the headquarters to be completed sometime in the third quarter of 2026. The headquarters will be at the former ArtCraft building on Superior Avenueand will encompass 250,000 square feet of renovations.
Construction on the district stations is expected to begin next month, with immediate attention on fixing boilers ahead of the winter cold.
Other top priorities include repairing leaky roofs, replacing outdated plumbing in locker rooms and upgrading heating and air conditioning systems — issues that Police Chief Dorothy Todd said have negatively impacted officer morale.
“These projects are about more than just the brick and mortar,” Todd said Thursday. “They’re about supporting the people who protect and serve every day and ensuring our facilities meet the needs of modern-day policing.”
While all five district stations will see improvements, the Third District — housed in a newer building on Chester Avenue — will receive a smaller portion of the funding.
Councilman Mike Polensek said the upgrades are essential to attracting new recruits to the Cleveland Division of Police.
“We cannot put them in substandard facilities,” he said, noting that fire stations are next in line for renovations due to their similarly poor conditions.
The city is funding the police station renovations through a non-traditional model that leverages energy savings. Leopardo Energy, the company overseeing the project, will install efficient lighting, insulation and other upgrades, while using an AI-powered procurement tool that streamlines supply ordering.
Rob Vollrath, president of Leopardo Energy, said the company guarantees the projected savings, and will reimburse the city if those savings fall short.
“The city is going to get the savings one way or the other,” Vollrath said. “However, we’ve never missed a guarantee, and we’re delivering on average 120% of our forecasted savings projections.”
The approach mirrors a similar deal struck last winter between Leopardo and the City of Cleveland Heights, which used the model to fund $25 million in municipal building upgrades.
Generative AI contributed to this report.
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