Old GM Site Proposed for LAPD, Fire Complex

Los Angeles city officials unveiled a proposal Monday to build a $10-million public safety complex for police and fire services on five acres of the former General Motors property in Panorama City, a step toward revival of what had become a lingering sign of decay.

The new safety complex would be built by private developers and leased to the city under the plan, said Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who represents the neighborhood.

The complex is proposed for a neighborhood near Van Nuys Boulevard and Blythe Street, long troubled by gangs and crime. In addition to the police and fire stations, it would house a community center.

The deal, which would cost the city $250,000 a year in rent for 30 years, must be approved by the City Council.

Alarcon said the complex “is part of the effort to clean up not only Blythe Street, but the entire Van Nuys corridor.”

The station, which Alarcon predicted could be open in two years, is expected to relieve overcrowding at the Van Nuys police station, home to more than 1,000 officers. Crowded conditions at the Van Nuys station garage delay officers trying to leave the structure.

Under the proposal, nearly 200 officers from the Valley traffic division would move from the Van Nuys police station. Eventually, the GM site could also house a second Valley Bureau command, if Chief Bernard C. Parks decides to split the San Fernando Valley into regional divisions.

Parks joined Alarcon at a news conference outside the Valley Bureau headquarters for the announcement, saying the new station would be a great benefit to the LAPD.

Under the plan, the fire station would help serve the area covered by Station 81 in the northeast Valley, which fire officials say has one of the Valley’s highest workloads.

Alarcon said private developers Robert Voit and Dan Selleck, who are building a $100-million retail and manufacturing complex at the GM site, have agreed to secure financing for the police and fire stations.