Space at the 52nd Precinct is busting out at the seams.

Sandwiched between both sides of Mosholu Parkway and Webster Avenue, the North Bronx stationhouse has become increasingly tight given the number of police officers assigned there. It’s also evident in the number of cars frequently seen parked along Mosholu Parkway North, drawing ire from residents.

The need for extra digs for one of the city’s busiest precincts has been batted around for years. But now Councilman Andrew Cohen, whose district covers the precinct, is attempting to convince NYPD Commissioner James O’Neil to purchase or at the very least lease a nearby property once home to a profitable carpet store.

Cohen, now in his sixth year as the local legislator, said he’ll keep putting pressure on One Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan to support the proposal in hopes of improving conditions at the Five-Two. O’Neill is certainly familiar with the stationhouse. He, coincidentally, was a member of the North Bronx precinct in the early part of his career.

The property at 3041 Webster Ave., once home to Sam’s Floor Carpeting, has stood vacant for more than a year after talks between the city and owner to convert the space to a controversial homeless shelter failed.

“I think that the diversion or the relocation sort of presented the opportunity. That site is at least empty so I think it’s really a time to make sure we don’t miss an opportunity to improve the precinct,” said Cohen.

The precinct’s main base was built in 1905, and inspired by neo-Italian Renaissance style. Originally doubling as a horse stable, its unique features—a red brick façade, a 21-foot clock tower adorning Webster Avenue, and round arched windows—earned it landmark status in 1973, protecting it from any exterior change.

As demand for more officers grew (budget estimates show 282 officers and personnel currently occupy the three-story precinct), space inside the precinct is something of a premium these days with officers using every inch of space. It’s also spilled out to Mosholu Parkway where cars belonging to police officers can be seen parked on sidewalks with a police placard usually spotted on the dashboard. Cohen, familiar with the practice and the daily complaints he receives via the Twitter account @placardabuse, hopes a “functional’ precinct will extend to creating more spots. It can also usher in even more officers.

“They’ve outgrown the building,” said Brenda Caldwell, president of the 52nd Precinct Community Council, who said the conversation for a roomier precinct goes back at least 15 years.

Cohen’s proposal has garnered support from the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA), which looks to circulate a petition in support of an annex. Sensing a need to put greater pressure on the NYPD, BMCA’s president, Barbara Stronczer, is also asking Council Members Ritchie Torres and Fernando Cabrera, whose districts overlap with the Five-Two’s borders for help.

“The precinct is definitely overcrowded. There’s no place to park cars other than that small lot; Sam’s Carpeting has an upstairs parking area. I am sure the many detective squads and operations, they could use another building,” said Stronczer at a recent BMCA meeting.