If you’ve driven past city hall or the library in recent days, you’ve likely seen construction crews milling around the old Maricopa police station headquarters on Civic Center Plaza.

It’s part of a $2.9 million remodeling project to repurpose the space as “a centralized, one-stop shop for Development Services and Economic Development,” according to city spokesperson Monica Williams.

“As the city continues to grow, these teams have outgrown their current space at city hall. Relocating them to this facility not only accommodates that growth, but also brings both teams into a more integrated environment,” she told InMaricopa today.

The city directory shows 31 employees in development services and four in the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Focusing on staff growth

Williams said the project includes some redesigning to better “accommodate office space and public-facing services.”

A preliminary floor plan shows 16 offices, along with four open office spaces to accommodate another 52 workers. There are also conference rooms, storage and breakrooms. 

So far, the city has spent $209,435 on design and pre-construction services. Construction costs for the remainder of this fiscal year will run $880,000 and nearly $1.89 million in the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, Williams said.

Looking for a permanent home — again

In 2023, the city flirted with the idea of converting the old police station into an arts center that could serve as a permanent home for the city’s performing and visual artists. However, they backed out in 2025, stating it would be too costly.

At the time, the city budgeted $1.2 million for design and remodeling into an arts center. However, the actual cost worked its way to $3.3 million, a roughly $300,000 difference from the current project.

It was a disappointment for members of the arts community, which has waited years to find a permanent home. In fact, they’re having to do so once again.

Laura Olivieri, co-director of the Maricopa Music Circle and chair of the city’s Cultural Affairs and Arts Advisory Committee, said the city’s performing and visual artists found a temporary home with the University of Arizona’s Maricopa Agricultural Center. However, a recent change in policies is forcing them to suddenly search for a new space.

“We had come to lean quite heavily on the location … but we found out mid-March that we no longer had a venue,” she said.

Their next performance is slated for May 2 and this time in Maricopa Library and Cultural Center’s Redwood Room.

While it’s not particularly ideal, they’re making it work. But Olivieri said it once again puts artists between a rock and hard place

“Without an arts center and the university, artists now have nowhere to go. We’ll be OK this spring, but now we have to figure out what to do for our winter performances,” she said.