AUSTIN (KXAN) — CapMetro has taken a big step forward in setting up its new police department after the transit agency signed off on a lease for north Austin.

The organization plans to rent a 9,200-square-foot space on Cameron Road, just north of U.S. 183.

Dottie Watkins, CapMetro’s interim president and CEO, says the building will need to meet state requirements before officers can move in.

The police department will be home to officers. However, it is not a jail.

“We will not be having a holding facility,” Watkins said. “If we have an individual that needs to be in longer-term custody of law enforcement, we will partner with a local entity to provide those services and transport that individual there.”

The space is temporary until the agency finds a permanent spot. However, the department is getting a 7.5-year lease that will cost more than $3 million.

It will spend about another $1.5 million to renovate the space.