New York Regional Police #1 District headquarters in Newmarket opens Jan. 10

Station also serves Aurora, Georgina, King, East Gwillimbury and parts of Stouffville and Vaughan

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 11, 2022
Lisa Queen

The new “state-of-the-art” York Regional Police #1 District headquarters, serving residents in northern York Region, will open in Newmarket Jan. 10, the police department has announced.

However, pandemic restrictions mean the community will have to wait to see it until an open house can be held in the future, Chief Jim MacSween said.

The new building, at 429 Harry Walker Pkwy. S, replaces the existing district headquarters at 240 Prospect St.

The Prospect building, which closes to the public as of Jan. 9, is being repurposed as an administration centre to house staff currently in other leased offices.

The new headquarters will serve a growing population of more than 200,000 residents in Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, King Township and small portions on the northern borders of Vaughan and Whitchurch-Stouffville.

The two-storey, 49,500-square-foot building on 2.86 acres will be home to almost 200 police officers and civilian staff.

It features public access and areas for community use, administrative and office areas for police use, booking areas, holding cells and interview rooms.

“We remain grateful to our police services board and York Regional council for their support in addressing growth in our region and recognizing our efforts to ensure our citizens feel safe and secure through excellence in policing,” MacSween said in a statement.

“We had been looking forward to hosting a grand opening event, with tours for members of the public and community engagement with #1 District members. However, COVID-19 restrictions have prevented that at this time. We hope to do so in the coming months.”

The new headquarters is designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards to minimize energy costs and greenhouse emissions, the police a statement said.

East Gwillimbury Mayor and chair of the police services board, Virginia Hackson, called the headquarters a significant project at a groundbreaking ceremony for the building in September 2020.

"A capital investment of this size is an investment into the safety and the security of our citizens and we are fortunate to have such committed and dedicated partners who have made this project possible,” she said.