Glenarden reviews conceptual police station design; council asked to authorize detailed design and RFP drafting

Consultants from Charles P. Johnson & Associates presented a conceptual design for a new Glenarden Police Department building and asked the Glenarden City Council whether to authorize staff to begin the detailed design and draft an RFP for construction.

The presentation, given by Kim Truong of Charles P. Johnson and Associates and joined by program manager Robin Barnhart and architect Mohammed Shamim, summarized a site-selection process that favored a nearly 3-acre parcel across from the existing City Hall. "The site is quite large," Truong said, noting it had few environmental restrictions, no floodplain or streams, and no existing buildings to demolish. She said the second site considered — a smaller parcel adjacent to businesses and a church — presented steeper slopes, stream buffers, potential critical habitat and more permitting constraints from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (SHA).

Consultants presented a building program of roughly 10,000 gross square feet and a two-story facility with a 6,500-square-foot footprint. The plan includes secured officer parking, an officers' bullpen and roll-call room, locker rooms, a public-facing lobby with a fingerprinting and questioning room, a multi-purpose room that could be used for department or community events, and a green roof area. The concept drawing shows about 53 parking spaces (the consultants said the minimum requirement at the proposed square footage is roughly 30), four EV charging spots and two ADA spaces.

"We sat down with the chief of police and discussed and identified all of the space that they would need," Robin Barnhart said, summarizing the departmental program. Architect Mohammed Shamim said the atrium — an open area from the lobby to the second floor — is intended to give visual connection and oversight between floors: "...you can see the big space. It's look like a big space, and also you can see the... functions ... they can, visibility and also the, the monitoring the activities downstairs."

Council members focused questions on the green roof and stormwater strategy, the atrium, potential future expansion, and cost control. Truong and Barnhart said the green roof was shown as a conceptual stormwater-management option and as potential future amenity; they emphasized the site-level stormwater strategy would be finalized during detailed design (30 percent, 60 percent and 100 percent stages) and permitting. "The green roof can help really offset a lot of that," a consultant said, but also cautioned that Maryland stormwater rules require exploration of smaller bioretention options in parking islands and other measures before relying on a single large pond.

City staff introduced Sean Nichols as the new director of public works and said Nichols brings experience managing large capital projects. City administration characterized the council's decision point as "go/no-go" for moving to the detailed design phase and drafting procurement documents. Brian (staff member identified in the presentation) told council that the next step would be a council direction to administration to draft a resolution and an RFP to begin detailed design and permitting; that resolution would be returned to council (administration suggested October or the first November meeting as possible return dates).

Several council members said they support moving the project forward in principle but asked for a follow-up work session to refine cost estimates and scope before committing significant funding. Councilman Herring urged that the financial plan and funding sources be clarified before any RFP is issued. No formal binding vote or ordinance was recorded during the discussion; staff asked for direction to prepare documents to bring back to council for formal action.

Why it matters: the proposed site is adjacent to City Hall and would move the police department into a purpose-built facility sized for modest growth. The council's direction to advance to detailed design would initiate permit drawings, cost estimating and eventual bidding, with financial commitments and public hearings expected in later phases.

Ending: Staff said it will return with a resolution and a draft RFP option for council review and possible vote at an upcoming regular meeting; councilmembers asked that detailed cost estimates, stormwater options and funding sources be part of the materials returned for formal consideration.