New Police Station Opens In Bethesda

BETHESDA, MD — Montgomery County officials participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to commence the opening of the new 2nd District police station in Bethesda Monday afternoon.

Montgomery County partnered with Bethesda-based developer StonebridgeCarras to build the new station in Bethesda's Central Business District at 4823 Rugby Ave. The 2nd District station serves Bethesda, Potomac, Pike District/White Flint, Somerset, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Garrett Park and parts of Silver Spring.

The 28,000-square-foot station features four stories and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified. The station was built largely with private funding at minimal cost to the County, officials said.

The new station replaces the former 2nd District station at 7359 Wisconsin Ave., which was nearly 60 years old and "in dire need of major repairs," officials said.

“Our first Bethesda station opened 90 years ago in the basement of a County office building,” said Chief J. Thomas Manger. “Today, our 2nd District station serves 190,000 County residents and is, now, a state-of-the-art police station.”

The new police station is adjacent to County Garage #35 at Woodmont Ave. and Rugby Ave. A portion of the garage will be used for police vehicles and ancillary requirements, officials said.

“This public-private partnership allowed us to take a vacant lot, deliver a much-needed new police station and contribute to local economic growth,” Director of General Services (DGS) David E. Dise said. “I am proud of the key role DGS served in creating the public-private partnership, leveraging the value of the land in an exchange that provides this important public service facility.”

The old station will be part of a 500,000-square-foot redevelopment by StonebridgeCarras and its financial partner in the project, Buvermo Investments. The site will include an office building and hotel.

Photo via Montgomery County