Catonsville breaks ground on replacement of Baltimore County’s oldest police precinct, outlining timeline and costs

A new public safety complex planned for Walker Avenue

Baltimore County has moved forward with a replacement project for the Wilkens police precinct in Catonsville, a facility widely described in county planning documents and project materials as the county’s oldest precinct building. The project is centered on the existing police property at 901 Walker Avenue, where the precinct currently operates.

The county’s construction plan keeps police services open at the current precinct while a new building rises on the same site. County materials indicate the existing precinct will remain operational during construction, followed by demolition of the older structure after the replacement is completed.

What the county says is changing

Project descriptions for the replacement facility characterize it as a modernized, community-oriented precinct with updated space for public interactions and officer operations. County project summaries describe a two-story building of roughly 34,000 square feet and outline an all-electric design with energy-efficiency and sustainability components.

• Approximate size: about 34,000 square feet across two stories
• Public-facing spaces: a lobby and a community meeting room planned for roughly 40 seats
• Site elements: a memorial garden is included in the stated program
• Energy and sustainability: plans reference features such as rooftop solar panels, EV charging access, water-use reduction measures, and high-efficiency HVAC

Cost, schedule, and interim operations

Public project and budget references place the precinct replacement as a major capital investment, with a project cost described in the low tens of millions of dollars. County documents connected to interim operations also show planning for temporary relocation of some functions during the build.

A county council agenda package describing a lease for temporary operations indicates that the detective unit’s offices are located in a separate structure that would need to be cleared to enable construction. That document cites a planned groundbreaking in September 2025 and an estimated construction completion in August 2027, tied to a lease term extending through June 2027.

Separate, more recent public reporting around the project timeline has described schedule adjustments linked to environmental review, with a start date shifting and overall completion described as extending into 2028. The differing timelines reflect a project moving through multiple phases—design, procurement, review, and construction—where dates can change as approvals and contracting steps are finalized.

How the project fits into broader county facilities planning

The Wilkens replacement is part of a broader facilities modernization effort in Baltimore County that includes upgrades and replacement planning at other public safety sites. In the Catonsville area, the county has also advanced capital work on other emergency-service facilities, underscoring a multi-year infrastructure focus on aging buildings, operational needs, and modern building standards.

Residents can expect continued precinct operations at the existing Wilkens site during construction, followed by a transition to the new facility and demolition of the older building.

Further project updates are expected as the county finalizes construction milestones, including site logistics, traffic planning around Walker Avenue, and the sequencing of operational moves during the build.