Westchester Chosen for Police Academy : Training: City Council votes to buy empty Hewlett-Packard facility for $13 million, saving $50 million over once-favored Sylmar site.

The Los Angeles City Council put a near-certain end to plans for a police academy in Sylmar on Tuesday when it voted instead to purchase an empty electronics plant in Westchester for the new training facility.

In a closed-door meeting, the council agreed to pay $13 million for the 13.8-acre former Hewlett-Packard facility near the San Diego Freeway and Manchester Boulevard. Hewlett-Packard negotiators have accepted the offer.

City and police officials say the deal is going to save the city about $50 million because the building already has amenities, such as classroom space and a large cafeteria, that can be used for police training with few modifications.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, whose district includes the site. “It should be a big win for everyone.”

The decision to forgo construction of the academy in Sylmar, on county land east of Olive View Medical Center, was also greeted with smiles by equestrians who had feared that a Sylmar academy would diminish use of nearby horse trails.

“That’s wonderful news,” said Kris Minzey, president of the Sylmar chapter of Equestrian Trails, a statewide horse-riding group. “I’m sitting here with a grin from ear to ear.”

The Sylmar site had been selected as the most suitable location after a lengthy environmental review. Several public hearings were held and modifications were made to the academy plans to address noise and traffic concerns raised by nearby residents.

Police officials had said the Sylmar site was particularly well-located because it would be near a planned LAPD firearms and high-speed-driving training center in Granada Hills.

But that was before the Hewlett-Packard building was available.

Because that building can be converted with few modifications, police officials said the deal can shorten by three years the time needed to open a new academy.

Previous plans called for building two separate facilities--a new 911 communications center and a training facility--while the existing Hewlett-Packard building could combine the two, saving about $50 million for the city, police officials said.

The agreement to buy the property is contingent on the outcome of an environmental study, but Galanter said she is confident that the study will show the site to be ideal.

The deal was also approved Tuesday by the city’s Board of Police Commissioners. Board President Gary Greenebaum called the purchase “a wonderful opportunity for us to get this facility at a great price.”

According to city officials, the opportunity might have been lost had it not been for Mayor Richard Riordan, who called for a team of private attorneys and developers to negotiate the purchase of the site for the city after Galanter and the LAPD brought the potential deal to his attention.

Deputy Mayor Bill Violante said Riordan intervened when he heard that a private firm was about to buy the Hewlett-Packard land. The mayor brought in the attorneys to negotiate for the city because he feared that the property would be sold before the city had a chance to make an offer, Violante said.

“Timing was of the essence,” he said.

Anthony S. Bouza, an attorney for Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gamble & Mallory of Los Angeles, said the mayor’s office called him a week ago and asked that he prepare the legal documents to bid for and purchase the land. And, he said, he was asked to do it for free.

Bouza said he was flattered to be called by the mayor’s office and accepted the job.

“It’s not often the mayor calls and asks for your help,” he said.

Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this story.