The campus will include a new police headquarters, 911 communications center, Fire Station and parking garage
Plano is moving forward with one of the largest infrastructure projects in city history after approving a $140 million maximum construction budget for its future Public Safety Campus.
Plano City Council unanimously approved the construction agreement during its May 26 meeting, officially launching the next phase of a project city leaders describe as a long-term investment in police, fire, and emergency response operations as Plano continues to grow.
The new campus will be built near the intersection of West Park Boulevard and Alma Drive and is designed to consolidate several public safety operations into a single centralized site.
A Major Overhaul Of Public Safety Infrastructure
The planned campus will include a new police headquarters, a 911 communications center, Fire Station No. 14, a central utility plant and a structured parking garage. According to city documents, the project is intended to replace aging facilities that no longer meet the operational demands of a city Plano’s size.
“The Plano Public Safety Campus is one of the most significant capital investments in the City’s history,” city documents state. “The project will consolidate essential public safety operations into a single, purpose-built campus.”
City officials say bringing departments together onto one campus is expected to improve coordination between police, fire, dispatch and emergency management teams while also strengthening operational resilience during emergencies.
The addition of Fire Station No. 14 is also intended to address growing response needs in Plano’s northwestern areas, where continued development has increased demand for emergency services.
A Two-Phase Plan
The project will move forward in two phases. The first phase focuses on pre-construction planning, including cost validation, procurement planning, scheduling and design coordination before a final guaranteed maximum price is established.
The second phase will include full construction of the campus itself under the approved not-to-exceed budget.
Construction Details
To oversee the project, the city selected Swinerton Builders through a Construction Manager at Risk delivery model, often referred to as CMAR.
The process differs from traditional public construction contracts because the construction manager joins the project early during planning and design phases before construction begins. Under the model, the contractor also commits to a guaranteed maximum price, assuming financial responsibility for staying within that limit.
Plano officials said the approach is especially useful for technically complex public safety projects where early collaboration can reduce delays, construction conflicts and cost overruns later in the process.
After opening proposals earlier this year, a committee made up of representatives from the city’s special projects division, police department, fire-rescue and facilities management evaluated firms before selecting Swinerton Builders.
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