The Washington County Board of Commissioners, along with partners from the City of Woodbury, gathered April 25 to break ground on the new Central Service and License Center in Woodbury.
The new facility is located at 1261 Woodlane Drive, next to the Woodbury Village shopping center. The Central Service and License Center will replace the current service center at 2150 Radio Drive and offer expanded services to better meet the needs of residents in the central part of the county.
Washington County Commissioner Stan Karwoski, District 2, welcomed the group to the groundbreaking, expressing his appreciation for the support and cooperation for the project from city leaders, architect firm Alliance, Kraus-Anderson Construction Company, and the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District.
Planning for the new service center began after the county identified a need to replace the existing Woodbury Service Center in its 2018-2019 strategic facility plan.
“The key takeaways were that we needed to provide expanded services and more accessibility," said Commissioner Stan Karwoski, District 2. “The facility we’re building will meet the current and future needs of the residents in the area and the region.”
Washington County Commissioner Michelle Clasen, District 5, noted how as a resident of Woodbury she has witnessed firsthand the population growth of the central and southern portions of the county in the last decade.
“We are growing, Woodbury, and we are feeling the challenge and the change,” said Clasen. “I believe our new service center will improve our county government services and outreach to the community and continue to make my home, the city of Woodbury, the best place to live in Washington County.”
In addition to the license center and workforce development services offered at the current facility, the Central Service and License Center will offer homelessness intervention program services, a public health clinic, veteran services, elections, and Community Corrections.
The location will provide easier access to transportation and transit options for underserved communities. The eastern terminus of the Metro Transit Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit, opening in March 2025, and the Woodlane Drive Station Park and Ride are situated across the street from the service and license center.
The Central Service and License Center demonstrates the county’s continued commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability. The facility will be the first county building to have rooftop solar panels installed. The building also incorporates sustainable design elements in its building materials, stormwater runoff, and indoor air handling and lighting systems. The facility will also have the infrastructure for installing EV charging stations in the future.
Construction on the $30.5 million project will begin this summer with a target completion in the summer of 2025. The project is being funded through county bonds and capital investment funds.
