Land Swap Deal for New Police Station Advances

CAPE MAY – The city’s plans for a new police headquarters moved closer to reality when the State House Commission on March 24 unanimously endorsed a proposed land swap that will provide a central location for the new building while moving 6.607 acres of the Sewell Tract under the protection of the state’s Green Acres Program.

“This is a major victory for the environment and for the long-term safety of our community,” Mayor Zach Mullock said.

Police now have quarters in City Hall and at a substation in West Cape May.

In 2017 the city appointed an advisory committee, chaired by ex-Mayor Jerry Gaffney, to look into the need for new homes for the public safety departments.

After many months and hundreds of hours of deliberation, the committee recommended a combined public safety complex on a site adjacent to the Franklin Street School, which is now a branch of the county library system.

A town hall meeting in March 2020 saw more than 20 members of the public take to the podium to argue either for a combined public safety building, a plan pushed by then-Mayor Clarence Lear, or for separate fire and police facilities at what they claimed would be a lower cost than the combined facility, a proposal favored by a faction on the council that included Mullock.

A referendum held that November saw the triumph of the two-separate-facilities plan. It also saw Mullock defeat Lear for the mayor’s chair.

The city moved first on a new fire station. The ribbon was cut on the new facility on Franklin Street in November 2023.

There are still steps to be taken with regard to the police station, such as getting approval from the state Historic Preservation Office, but the biggest hurdle was the approval of the land swap.

The city hopes final state approvals will be in hand in the next couple of months. If so, bids could be requested this summer, and construction started before the end of the year.

The site for the new facility, at the corner of St John’s and Lafayette streets, is well-positioned to allow police quick response throughout Cape Island.

The Cape May police do more than serve their historic city. They also cover the neighboring communities of West Cape May and Cape May Point through shared service agreements.

“The new police station will not only enhance our public safety infrastructure but will also serve as a cornerstone of the community’s future,” Mullock said.

Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.