Topic

Fire Station & Property Moves

Last updated: July 21, 2026How claims are labeled

This isn't a single decision — it's three connected property moves, and $42 million has already been spent on two properties that aren't yet used for their stated purpose.

Current Status — the connected chain

Police may move to Civic Center Park

Fire Station 3 wants OCTA's current site

OCTA may move to a property the city already bought

Total confirmed public spending on this property shuffle so far: $42 million — and as of July 2026, neither purchased property is being used for its originally stated purpose. CONFIRMEDall prices/dates via city/agency purchase records[1]

Next milestone: the joint OCTA/city feasibility study is due to complete in November 2026 — the real decision point.

The properties: five sites, one interlocking puzzle

Property	Purchased	Price	Stated purpose	Status (July 2026)
1201 Dove Street	Nov 2022	$30.5M	Future police station	City has stated intent to sell; reported 84% leased to commercial tenants at time of purchase.
3848 Campus Drive	Aug 29, 2025	$11.5M	Possible future OCTA transit center	Purchased speculatively; OCTA has not agreed to relocate there.
870/868 Santa Barbara Dr.	1973 (city-owned)	—	Current shared Police/Fire HQ	Would be vacated if police move; no redevelopment proposal currently exists.
Civic Center Park (sculpture garden)	Existing city land	—	Public open space per 2007/2008 vote	Leading candidate for new police HQ; a drainage system underneath is an open engineering question.
1550 Avocado Ave. (OCTA hub)	Owned by OCTA	—	Active transit hub, ~35 years	Proposed new Fire Station 3 site, contingent on OCTA relocating.

1201 Dove Street

$30.5M

Purchased: Nov 2022
Purpose: Future police station
Status: City has stated intent to sell; reported 84% leased to commercial tenants at time of purchase.

3848 Campus Drive

$11.5M

Purchased: Aug 29, 2025
Purpose: Possible future OCTA transit center
Status: Purchased speculatively; OCTA has not agreed to relocate there.

870/868 Santa Barbara Dr.

—

Purchased: 1973 (city-owned)
Purpose: Current shared Police/Fire HQ
Status: Would be vacated if police move; no redevelopment proposal currently exists.

Civic Center Park (sculpture garden)

—

Purchased: Existing city land
Purpose: Public open space per 2007/2008 vote
Status: Leading candidate for new police HQ; a drainage system underneath is an open engineering question.

1550 Avocado Ave. (OCTA hub)

—

Purchased: Owned by OCTA
Purpose: Active transit hub, ~35 years
Status: Proposed new Fire Station 3 site, contingent on OCTA relocating.

All purchase prices and dates: CONFIRMEDvia city/agency purchase records[1]. 1201 Dove Street 84%-leased figure: REPORTEDStu News Newport, Nov 18, 2022[6].

The fire station timeline: a request to OCTA, then a study that decides everything

Jun 2025
The council voted 6-0 (Weigand absent) to ask OCTA about relocating Fire Station 3. The item had been placed on the routine consent calendar and was pulled out for public discussion by Councilmember Barto.
CONFIRMEDLegistar minutes
Aug 2025
OCTA responded that relocation would require federal compliance review and agreement from The Irvine Company, the original donor of the transit hub land.
CONFIRMEDOCTA's written letter
2025
Resident Jim Mosher's public statement
Jim Mosher stated publicly that the city offered above the Campus Drive property's appraised value, and that the area near MacArthur Blvd./Bonita Canyon Dr. — not the OCTA site — is the more genuinely underserved location for fire response times.
STATEDhis public comment, not independently verified
Feb 2026
A joint OCTA/city feasibility study began.
CONFIRMED
Jun 2026
OCTA's board approved a non-binding term sheet only, contingent on the study's results.
CONFIRMEDOCTA agenda item
Nov 2026 (expected)
The feasibility study is due to complete. This is the real decision point.

Sources for this timeline: the June 2025 council vote[2], OCTA's written response[3], Jim Mosher's public comment[4], and OCTA's June 2026 board action[5].

Notes & Sources

Numbered references for the claims above. Numbering restarts on each page.

[1]
City & agency purchase records
The purchase prices and dates for all five properties and the $42 million total spending figure.
newportbeach.legistar.com/
[2]
Newport Beach City Council — Legistar minutes
The June 2025 6-0 vote to ask OCTA about relocating Fire Station 3 after the item was pulled from the consent calendar.
newportbeach.legistar.com/
[3]
OCTA — written response letter
OCTA's statement that relocation would require federal compliance review and agreement from The Irvine Company.
octa.legistar.com/
[4]
Resident Jim Mosher — public comment
The statement that the city offered above appraised value for the Campus Drive property and that another area is more underserved for fire response.
No public URL available.
[5]
OCTA — board agenda item
The June 2026 approval of a non-binding term sheet only, contingent on the joint feasibility study.
octa.legistar.com/
[6]
Stu News Newport (archive) — "City Moves Forward With Purchase of $30.5 Million Property" (Nov 18, 2022)
The reported 84% commercial-tenant lease occupancy of 1201 Dove Street at the time of the City's purchase.
www.stunewsnewportarchives.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/14222-city-moves-forward-with-purchase-of-30-5-million-property-111822