Planning Board OKs Police Station Project Despite Debate on Timeline, Design Specifics

Burlington's Planning Board, by a 5-2 vote, approved the construction of a new police station at their June 25, 2025, meeting.

The new police station, most agree, is a long-overdue project within the town, as the current station sits inside the former Union School, built in 1897, which has many structural issues that wouldn't meet today's construction code.

Need notwithstanding, the project has not been without its hiccups. Planning Board member Barbara L'Heureux stated to the Select Board this spring that she was concerned with the apparent disconnect between the Police Station Building Committee's plans and the timeline necessary to secure the approvals needed from the Planning Board for construction to begin this fall as planned.

Kevin Witzell, representative of the architectural firm Kaestle Boos, who is leading the design of the new station, acknowledged the delays, and the Planning Board first opened the public hearing to discuss the project – which needed site plan approval and a special permit – on June 5.

The Building Committee adjusted some details based on feedback from the Planning Board after that June 5 meeting. Then on June 25, Town Counsel, Lisa Mead, took charge of presenting the updated plans to the Planning Board at a special Wednesday meeting.

Board members clashed on the timeline of approval and the level of detail the Board was requesting in the site plan, particularly in the Town Center, an area of town that is subject to more stringent regulations than others.

Member Joe Impemba questioned what he considered a quick timeline to approve, asking for more detailed plans, including more information about an emergency exit that is currently included in the design. "For 35 years I've worked on an overlay to protect the center of town," Impemba said, adding, "I'm at a loss to see why this is being rushed when it's not even close to being fully vetted."

Greg Ryan, who was elected to the Planning Board in April after serving on Town Meeting and the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee, emphasized the urgent need for a new police station, saying delaying a vote would cost the town time and money that could be used constructing a new facility. L'Heureux added that "I think it conforms with the rules, when I look at the criteria I'm supposed to be considering."

While other members agreed that more detail could be requested, in the end the majority opted to close the public hearing and vote on the project.

The special permit and site plan both received Planning Board approval with a vote of 5-2, with members Impemba and Toni Ann Natola voting no. The vote to endorse combining two lots – the one containing the current police station and the one containing the current sculpture park – passed along the same lines. The town plans to take the question of property lines between the two lots back to Town Meeting after it's determined how much of the Sculpture Park lot the police station will need.

Construction is expected to begin as early as this fall on the police station and last for about two years. In the meantime, the Police Department will be relocated to the former Vine Brook water treatment facility on Middlesex Turnpike.