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Mayor Cherelle Parker and other stakeholders participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the North Central Public Safety complex Tuesday, Sept. 2. <\/p>\n
JACK TOMCZUK<\/p>\n
Mayor Cherelle Parker<\/a> and other city leaders broke ground Tuesday on the North Central Public Safety complex, moving forward a contested, years-long effort to build a new police station on Diamond Street.<\/p>\n The $40 million facility will incorporate a new home for the 22nd Police District and a Police Athletic League center that includes a full-size gym, classrooms and community space across more than 30,000 square feet. It\u2019s a first-of-its-kind arrangement in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impact this will have on this community and these young people is going to be absolutely amazing,\u201d said Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, adding that he grew up going to a PAL center.\n<\/p>\n Parker\u2019s team is aiming to open the building, which will be between 21st and Van Pelt streets, in the summer of 2027. PAL will occupy the eastern portion of the facility, and the PPD will operate out of the west wing.<\/p>\n On adjacent parcels of land, city contractors are building a fueling station for municipal vehicles; parking lots for the public and officers; and pedestrian plazas. The lots previously sat vacant for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen this facility opens, it\u2019s going to stand as a symbol of what we can achieve when we invest holistically in the people in our neighborhoods,\u201d Parker told a crowd at Tuesday\u2019s ceremony.<\/p>\n City officials said the complex will be the first new neighborhood police station constructed from the ground up since the combined 24th\/25th district headquarters opened on Whitaker Avenue more than two decades ago.<\/p>\n The 22nd District covers a chunk of North Philadelphia<\/a> bounded by Poplar Street, Lehigh Avenue, 10th Street and the Schuylkill River, which Bethel referred to as \u201cone of the toughest neighborhoods in America.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe deserve new things in North Philadelphia,\u201d 5th District City Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr. said. \u201cWe deserve to have these buildings.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Former Council President Darrell Clarke, Young\u2019s predecessor, recalled a years-old promise to replace the current 22nd District station, at 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue, after touring the facility. A city assessment found it to be among the most dilapidated PPD buildings, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were some challenges,\u201d Clarke added. \u201cWhen George Floyd hit, we had to put this thing on the back burner. People weren\u2019t talking about police in a positive way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Concerns remain, at least among some neighbors. Judith Robinson, a longtime advocate and North Philadelphia resident, said she does not believe the complex belongs in the Diamond Street Historic District, a collection of significant churches and homes dating to the 1800s.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s truly unfortunate that we didn\u2019t have a proper vetting of this,\u201d she told Metro<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not about the police station. It\u2019s about the process.\u201d<\/p>\n Robinson, who prefers housing be built on the land, approached Parker ahead of the groundbreaking in the hopes of convincing the mayor to change the plan.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC_0013.jpeg\")
A rendering shows the design for the future North Central Public Safety building during a groundbreaking Tuesday, Sept. 2.JACK TOMCZUK<\/p>\n
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Mayor Cherelle Parker speaks at the groundbreaking for the North Central Public Safety building Tuesday, Sept. 2.JACK TOMCZUK\n<\/p>\n