GRTC has narrowed down its permanent transfer station sites in Richmond

• Transfer stations allow for faster service, less traffic congestion and a comfortable place for riders to wait.

The big picture: The final two sites, whittled down from an initial list of 18, are the former Public Safety Building property at 500 N. 10th St., and an adjacent former parking lot where GRTC opened its new temporary transfer station last year.

• Both are city-owned.
• GRTC's lease on the temporary station runs out in 2027, but they have options to extend the leases, spokesperson Henry Bendon tells Axios.

Included in the plans for both sites are ground floor retail with apartments above, plus an option to make the buildings "high-rises" with office space and possibly a hotel.

The latest: Attendees at a public meeting unveiling the plans last week "showed strong support for" the high-rise option on the Public Safety Building site, Bendon says.

• "I would imagine that will be incorporated in the final product next month."

What's next: The report due out next month will include recommendations from the consulting team and a financial analysis of the project.

• The timeline for the station's completion and opening is five to eight years.