Two 1960s’ era buildings in Peterborough, Ont. are getting makeovers that will improve police services and operations, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
One is the downtown police headquarters at 500 Water St.Peterborough Police Station Additions & RenovationsStatusUnder ConstructionValue$91.9MLocation500 Water St, Peterborough ONSectorPublic – CityTypeFire / Police · Renovation · AdditionData as of June 30, 2026View Project Page → that opened in 1968 and has served as a police station since.
It has been maintained over its lifespan by the City of Peterborough. In 2023, the city purchased a building on a 13.3-acre site at 1421 Lansdowne St. W. in the west end for $15.5 million to serve as a second police facility.
It was home to a Pentecostal church and had been built in 1964 as a medical sutures manufacturing facility. Over the decades, it’s had several owners with a variety of uses that resulted in varied maintenance.
The purchase of the Lansdowne Street building, and renovations at both buildings, were necessary due to several factors. These include the police service outgrowing its Water Street headquarters, the updating of the Community and Policing Act, 2019, with new requirements, and Ontario Building Code (OBC) requirements that had to be addressed, including safety and accessibility issues.
In 2023, the police station on Water Street was so overcrowded some officers had to work in hallways and police notebooks needed to be kept in a rooftop storage location, said Chief Stu Betts at a town hall meeting.
That same year, the parking garage flooded due to storms.
The project budget is $91.9 million, a $25.4 million increase from the original $66.5 million estimate, due to OBC expanded space requirements, parking upgrades and energy efficiency measures.
Through a Federation of Canadian Municipalities grant for the Community Buildings Retrofit Feasibility Study, city staff completed studies on several city buildings, including both police buildings, to determine the energy conservation measures best suited to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and identify energy efficiency pathways.
Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd. of Kingston were selected to handle the buildings’ renovation design and contract administration. A competition was held to award the construction management services contract, with Matheson Constructors Inc. hired for the project, according to Brendan Wedley, director, strategic communications and service Peterborough.
Work started on the north half of the Lansdowne building in late 2025, to renovate the building to accommodate administration, training facilities, classrooms, meeting rooms, storage, IT infrastructure, interviews rooms and more. The Pentecostal church will continue to use part of the building and that section will not be renovated or changed at this time.
Waterproofing, interior demolition and abatement have been completed, according to Wedley. Work is progressing on the interior layout and construction of two small additions. Exterior improvements will include asphalt resurfacing, a new roadway, minor additional parking and sidewalks.
The Lansdowne project is designed to achieve an 80 per cent greenhouse gas reduction. To increase thermal performance and air tightness of the building envelope, new continuous, exterior insulation and cladding are being applied on the building façade, new exterior insulation and roofing systems are being added, along with new, high-performance windows, says Wedley.
Those efficiency upgrades will allow for a reduction in the size of new mechanical systems, with the aim to include some electrification, thus reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
New LED lighting fixtures, low-flow plumbing fixtures, building automation systems and increased natural light are all being included to reduce greenhouse gases, water use and power consumption.
“Once work on 1421 Lansdowne St. W. is complete, the focus will shift to the 500 Water St. station,” says Wedley.
The first step will be demolition of the existing parking structure, followed by exterior works including construction of a new parking structure and an addition on the east of the building, along with interior renovations to the existing building. The goal is to achieve a 50 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to align with city climate mandates.
The Water Street station’s mechanical systems, roof and windows have recently been upgraded. New insulation and cladding will be added to the façade to improve the building’s thermal performance and air-tightness. The new structure will have continuous exterior insulation and new mechanical systems, providing for greater electrification. LED lighting will be included throughout existing and new sections.
According to the Peterborough Police Service website, the building at 500 Water St. will maintain its downtown operational police presence throughout all phases of construction and many frontline investigative services will remain there over the long-term. However, they may be temporarily relocated during certain phases of construction.
Work is expected to be completed in 2028.
