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After thinking it might not happen, city officials gained permission to use the old post office in downtown Rockville as the new police headquarters.

The City Council on Monday approved an agreement that would transfer ownership from the General Services Administration to the city.

The federal government will transfer ownership of the building at no charge because it will be used for homeland security and public safety.

City staff will proceed with the next phases of design for the renovation and addition to the building and City Manager Scott Ullery said he hopes construction to begin as soon as next summer.

The project would cost $7.9 million. About $6.4 million are appropriated in the city's Capital Improvements Program budget for design and construction. Approximately $1.5 million of it is unfunded federal appropriations the city is requesting for construction and renovation of the building and police technology upgrades.

The approximately 11,500-square-foot historic post office will be renovated for police use while retaining the historic nature of the building, specifically the exterior facades facing South Washington Street and West Montgomery Avenue and the lobby.

Renovations will also include using the second story of the building and constructing a new 9,300-square-foot one-story building with a basement on the southwest corner of the lot.

City planner Jeff Winstel said the Historic District Commission, which gave the preliminary plans a courtesy review last week, approved the size, massing and scale of the proposed plans.

Once designs are completed, they will be reviewed by the Maryland Historic Trust and the city's Historic District Commission, Ullery said.

Rockville City Police Chief Terrance N. Treschuk said Tuesday that he is excited the process is under way.

"I'm happy we're going to be able to bring the police department in one central location … and still right in the heart of Town Center, where the police department belongs," Treschuk said.

The move would free up space in what city officials have said is an already crowded City Hall.

"I'm very excited about this," Ullery told The Gazette Monday. "It's been three years."

In 2005, city officials notified the GSA of its interest in acquiring the post office for a police station.

The city ran into some road blocks in the last year when the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless applied to lease the building to house social services for the homeless. The group's application would have trumped the city's request, as federal law would give priority to the homeless group. The group withdrew its application last fall.

This spring, the city was hoping for state funding for the renovations, but legislators said bond bill rules state that police stations cannot be funded and are a responsibility of local jurisdictions.

A transfer ceremony with the GSA, federal and state government officials will be held in late October, city staff said Monday.