photo by: Hoefer Wysocki

This rendering shows the new Lawrence Police Department headquarters in northwest Lawrence.

The City of Lawrence will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its $18.5 million police headquarters on Monday.

The headquarters will be 55,000 square feet and will house various police operations during its first phase, including patrol, information services, records and evidence storage. The building will include unfinished space that the city plans to complete in future phases.

“It’s exciting to see this project get underway,” Mayor Lisa Larsen said in a news release. “Having a new, contemporary facility suited to the needs of our community and the police department is vital for our future.”

The headquarters will be located on 29 acres of undeveloped land owned by the city, and the city plans to use the remaining open space for a park. The city hired the architecture firm Hoefer Wysocki and Turner Construction for the design and construction of the building. As part of a focus on sustainability, the building’s design and mechanical systems are energy efficient.

“This groundbreaking represents the culmination of a lot of good work, and it marks the next step for the Lawrence Police Department and our service to the community,” Police Chief Gregory Burns Jr. said in the release.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the site of the new headquarters, 5100 Overland Drive. Parking will be available on the north side of Overland Drive as well as in the west lot of the nearby Walmart.