State and local dignitaries were in Williamsburg to ceremonially sign a beam going into the city’s new police station.
The 43,000-square- foot building will be adjacent to the Williamsburg Municipal Building on Lafayette Street. Construction is expected to wrap in the fall of 2025.
“This facility will serve our community for 40 years, maybe even more, so it really is a proud day for us,” said Police Chief Sean Dunn.
Williamsburg police have been housed in their current station building on Armistead Avenue since the late 1970s. That building is slated to be demolished once the new building is done.
“It is very dated,” Dunn said. “It really is a very tired building that is way too small of a footprint for the police department.”
The department had to make do over the years, doing things like turning locker rooms into a station break room. Dunn said he’s excited Williamsburg police will be moving to a building that meets the needs of a 21st century police force.
“Police officers are now expected to be community ambassadors, interacting with residents [and] tourists to create a positive experience,” he said. “This police station will be an embodiment of that vision and an operational headquarters that will allow our officers to meet those expectations.”
The new building will include dedicated reporting rooms for victims of crimes, an officer fitness room and a community meeting room that can seat 70 people.
In addition to the former chiefs of police, retired officers and elected officials from the state and city signed the beam. Mayor Doug Pons said the new Lafayette Street station “reflects the community’s immense pride in its officers and better supports the community policing model that we have long embraced.”
Citizen Advisory Committee Chair Malika Blume also left her mark on the beam. She said the new building, and its 70-seat meeting room, help to provide “opportunities for the police department to invite the community to participate in various initiatives.”
The new station is one of multiple downtown Williamsburg projects. The city unveiled a new fire station on Boundary Street in 2023. The search for a contractor to build a new library started this year, and could include the footprint of the current police station building.
“These projects will allow us to elevate the level of service we provide our residents and visitors,” Pons said.
A study into Williamsburg police’s space needs began in 2017. After purchasing the site for the new station at the end of 2021, the city entered into an agreement with Henderson Inc. to construct the building in 2023.
