Roswell's police and fire departments now share a 127,000-square-foot campus on Holcomb Bridge Road, the first time both agencies have operated under one roof in the city's history.

The city paid $8 million for the former Summit Office Buildings at 1080 Holcomb Bridge Road, plus roughly $600,000 in closing costs. Renovations ran $5.7 million. All told, the project cost about $14.3 million. City staff told the council that building a comparable facility from scratch would have cost roughly $54 million, not including land. The city marked the completed campus with a ribbon cutting on June 24.

The money came from a $52 million public safety bond that Roswell voters approved in November 2022 with 73 percent support. That bond covers more than the headquarters. It also funds an E-911 center, fire station work and a traffic signal preemption system. In March 2026, the council approved a separate $13.4 million financing plan through the Roswell Public Facilities Authority that included $1.35 million for headquarters infrastructure not in the original bond scope.

Nearly 400 employees from both departments now report to the 8.7-acre campus near the Georgia 400 and Holcomb Bridge Road interchange. The location puts command staff closer to the geographic center of Roswell's roughly 20-square-mile response area than the old downtown site did.

Why the old site didn't work

The former police headquarters at 39 Hill St. opened in 1991, when Roswell had 88 officers and a population just under 50,000. By the time the department moved, it had more than 160 employees and the city had passed 90,000 residents. Fire administration on Hembree Road had resorted to converting closets into office space, according to city staff.

Police public information officer Tim Lupo told CBS Atlanta that staff previously had to drive across the city to coordinate with fire personnel during major incidents. At the June 24 ribbon cutting, Fire Chief Pabel Troche said the change now means "walking across the hallway." Police Chief James Conroy told WSB-TV that communication between the departments is "much smoother and easier."

What the campus includes

The two-building campus features a three-bay secure sally port garage, a dedicated Criminal Investigations Division bay, climate-controlled evidence storage, a vehicle processing bay, a motor barn for the police fleet, crime lab space, fitness and training facilities and community space for programs like the Citizens' Police Academy.

Police records, permits, alarm registration and walk-in services are available at 1080 Holcomb Bridge Road, Building 100, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

How the move unlocked Hillrose Market

Vacating 39 Hill St. cleared the way for Hillrose Market, a 7-acre mixed-use development across from City Hall. The council unanimously approved the project on Oct. 14, 2025. Atlanta-based Atlantic Companies broke ground in early March 2026 after closing on financing through SouthState Bank and a revenue bond from the Roswell Downtown Development Authority, Urbanize Atlanta reported.

The project includes a six-building retail village with 75,000 square feet, 143 apartments, 16 for-sale brownstones, 510 parking spaces and adaptive reuse of the former police headquarters building. An economic analysis by KB Advisory Group projected 549 construction jobs, 273 permanent jobs and $55.6 million in added tax digest within a quarter mile, according to the city.

Then-Mayor Kurt Wilson said at the Oct. 14, 2025, council meeting, when the project won approval, "This is what intentional economic development looks like … We took a property that once housed our police headquarters and turned it into a high-value, job-creating asset that serves the people of Roswell for decades to come."

Mayor Mary Robichaux said in a statement in March 2026, when construction began, that the project "will be truly transformational for downtown Roswell, and I'm thankful for the work of previous administrations to bring us to this point."

What's still ahead

The city has not published before-and-after response time data tied to the new headquarters. Lupo told CBS Atlanta the department hopes to add a physical real-time crime center at the campus, though no budget or timeline has been set.

Hillrose Market buildings are expected to start opening in November 2027. Residents can track bond spending at RoswellGov.com/BondDashboard.