Pittsburgh City Council members have given preliminary approval for plans to be drafted for a new public safety training facility in the city's Lincoln-Lemington Belmar neighborhood.

Those opposed to the facility fear it could lead to the militarization of the local police force, while leaving behind the needs of other public safety agencies like fire and EMS.

Council members who voted to explore an assessment of the proposal say nothing is set in stone. 

"The assessment that we're here discussing today would provide the blueprint and the scope of possible options for construction phasing by assessing things like the viability of reusing some of the existing buildings, or what utilities do and don't exist on the site and that will then inform all of the considerations," said Pittsburgh deputy mayor Jake Pawlak. 

The proposed center in Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar would be built at the former VA Hospital on Highland Drive, and it's an idea that dates back to 2018 during former Mayor Bill Peduto's administration. The city purchased the property in 2021 for $1, but it has to be used for public safety or emergency management. 

That plan has to be completed by next June, or the city could be forced to return the property or purchase it at market rate. 

The goal is to merge public safety functions that are scattered throughout the city and consolidate them into one center. 

Police are located on the North Side, fire operations are in the Strip District, EMS is located in Shadyside, and animal control is downtown. 

A public safety spokesperson said right now they have a mandate to improve the training facilities, as the current ones are outdated. She added they are not in appropriate condition when it comes to training what she described as "modern first responders."