City of Vancouver eyes land for new fire station

The city of Vancouver is working on a deal with Vancouver Public Schools to buy school district property for a new fire station to replace Fire Station 2 at 400 E. 37th Street.

According to the school board’s Tuesday meeting agenda, the city is interested in purchasing 2 acres of vacant land at East 20th Street and Norris Road, south of Fourth Plain Boulevard. It’s part of a 9-acre parcel of school district property that was once home to John Rogers Elementary School,

The fire station driveway will be on Norris Road, said Tim Haldeman, the city’s director of General Services.

The school district had been holding the 9 acres for a possible future school, but due to the location, size and nature of the property, the site is no longer necessary for the district’s inventory, according to papers prepared for the school board’s consideration. The old school building on the site has been demolished, but the former playground, Warrior Field, is used by youth sports teams.

Before a sale agreement can be negotiated, the school board must declare the property surplus and follow a process set by state law that entails public notification of the city’s intent to purchase and a public hearing. The purchase and sale agreement allows for a due diligence period, during which the city will do an environmental assessment, survey the land, appraise the property and reconfigure the property lines to delineate the 2 acres needed for the fire station, Haldeman said.

When all of that is finished, the Vancouver City Council will consider approving the purchase.

The property acquisition is part of a plan to move fire stations 1 and 2 to maximize efficient coverage for all four stations in the southwest corner of town. Studies have indicated stations 1 and 2 are too old and small to be remodeled and likely would collapse in a major earthquake. Fire Station 1, now at 900 W. Evergreen Blvd., will be rebuilt at Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Main Street.

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