Following discussion at an August 16 session, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members unanimously endorsed bonding $14.8 million to convert an existing commercial building at 191 South Main Street (Route 25) into a new police headquarters.

That action was the first step in an expedited month-long process to move a bonding authorization question to the Election Day ballot for taxpayer consideration.

Provided the question is accepted by the Connecticut Secretary of the State, voters at the November 6 general election will be asked to support or reject the proposed municipal borrowing.

Voting to endorse the public spending were P&Z Chairman Don Mitchell, Corinne Cox, Barbara Manville, Robert Mulholland, and David Rosen.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal and Police Chief James Viadero attended the P&Z session to explain the project and answer P&Z members’ questions.

The need for a new police station has been discussed for many years, Mr Rosenthal said. The current police station at 3 Main Street has about 8,000 square feet of enclosed space, while the 45-member police department needs approximately 25,000 square feet of overall space, as is being proposed, Mr Rosenthal said.

The first selectman characterized the police’s current quarters as “antiquated.” The current police station had been a farm equipment dealership and was converted into a police station about 40 years ago.

Architectural firm Kaestle Boos Associates Inc of New Britain has evaluated the potential of several local sites for use as a new police station, Mr Rosenthal told P&Z members. The 191 South Main Street site, which holds a vacant office building formerly used by The Taunton Press, “works well in terms of cost,” Mr Rosenthal said, adding that it is located on a main roadway.

Ms Cox observed that traffic flow on South Main Street “is quite heavy,” in asking whether that would pose problems for police when they would need to exit the site to respond to an emergencies. “Can police get out when needed?,” she asked.

Chief Viadero responded that there would be no problems with exiting the site.

“There’s a long sight line,” George Benson, town planning director, said of the property’s presence on a long straightaway. The 2014 Town Plan of Conservation and Development, which was formulated by the P&Z, discusses the local need for a new police station, he added.

“This location is really almost the only location we could find,” Mr Benson said, adding that, “siting such a use is not simple.”

Creating a new police station at the town-owned Fairfield Hills property would add about $4 million to the price of the project due to the need to demolish Cochran House there to create a location for a police station, according to Mr Benson.

Using 191 South Main Street for a police station would be cost-effective, Mr Benson said.

An approximately 2,500-square-foot addition would be built at the former office building, he added.

Mr Rosenthal said that the town would renovate the existing structure and add a 2,500-square-foot expansion, which would contain prisoner holding cells and a sally port. A sally port is a specialized portal designed for the secure entry and exit of prisoners at a police station.

The building has a modern design with an open floor plan, which provides for flexibility of use, Mr Rosenthal commented.

“I think it’s needed, and I think it’s a good use,” Mr Mitchell said of the proposed new headquarters.

Under the $14.8 million spending proposal, the town would buy 191 South Main Street and the abutting 61 Pecks Lane, which contains a vacant house. The price of the properties would be $1.6 million, Mr Rosenthal said.

The cost of renovating the site for police station use would be $13.2 million, he added.

The 191 South Main Street property is 7.35 acres. It holds a 22,318-gross-square-foot single-story commercial structure. The 61 Pecks Lane property is 4.39 acres.

The P&Z recently revised the zoning regulations to allow municipal buildings as a permitted use in an M-1 (Industrial) zone, which is the zoning designation of both properties. The 191 South Main Street parcel is on the northern corner of South Main Street and Ethan Allen Road. The site is 2.7 miles south of the existing police station at 3 Main Street.

With the P&Z’s required action complete, the measure moved to the Boards of Selectmen and Finance. Those panels separately endorsed the proposal during August 20 and 21 meetings (see story on Page A1 of today’s print edition).

The Legislative Council is scheduled to take up the spending proposal at a special meeting set for 7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 29.