Fire Station No. 8 to be Rebuilt at Current Location

Published on July 19, 2016

Updated 07-20-2016, 12:58pm, to incude voting details

  • County Board approves new fire station at same location

  • Decision follows task force recommendation

  • Construction to begin Spring, 2019

  • Interim station will maintain service during construction


The Arlington County Board approved the building of a new Fire Station No. 8 at its current location, 4845 Lee Highway. The decision was made as part of the Board's deliberations on the 2017-2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) adoption. The current station does not meet current standards or space needs, and was identified in the prior CIP for replacement.

The Fire Station No. 8 Task Force met and deliberated over five months in 2016 before recommending that the new station be rebuilt on the same site.

"This was not an easy decision," said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey. "I want to thank the task force for the really thoughtful work they did, and for helping the Board work through all the issues. In the end, the Board agreed with the community that the best solution is to keep the fire station where it now stands. Now we need to move forward with planning our new station."

The County Board voted 4-1 (with Garvey voting no) to rebuild at the current location.

In making their decision, County Board Members took into consideration many inputs from the community, including its Task Force.

Next steps


Project planning for the new station will begin in early calendar year 2017.  Because the station will be rebuilt on its current site, it will operate out of an interim station for approximately two years while the new station is being constructed; an interim station location has yet to be determined. Fire and EMS (Emergency Medical Services) operations will move to the interim station prior to start of construction for the new fire station, forecast to begin in Spring, 2019. The new station will be ready for fire operations around Spring, 2021.

The County Board also directed the Manager to return, by the end of 2016, with a recommended location for the interim station, a location to relocate the fueling station currently located at the Lee Highway site, and to review whether commercial facilities provide a reliable and effective fueling alternative.

Background


The County Board appointed the Fire Station #8 Task Force on Dec. 15, 2015 to help determine how best to move forward with Fire Station #8. The Task Force held a number of meetings and reviewed materials.

On May 31, 2016, the Task Force submitted its Final Report to the County Board. The Task Force concluded that both the current location (Lee Highway at N. Culpepper St.) and the site at Old Dominion Drive and 26th Street are viable sites, and recommended the Lee Highway location as its preferred option.

Read more about the Fire Station No. 8 Task Force and the public process.
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