Fire Station 68 back on track

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue proposed relocating its Station 68 from a converted home to a new building in 2010. They purchased land on NW Evergreen and Thompson Road and submitted a land use application to the county, which was approved in August, 2011.

The site was cleared and preparations for construction were underway, when neighbors of the proposed station appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), citing concerns with the definitions of “satellite” facilities and with traffic projections in the county Community Development Code. Work on the site was suspended, and LUBA remanded the decision to the Washington County in November 2011, saying that the wording in the CDC was confusing.

County Ordinance 754 was passed by the Board of Commissioners in October 2012. It changed the requirements for siting of public buildings, and eliminated references to satellite buildings (TVFR no longer uses that concept, since they consider all their stations to be full-service). The new ordinance will allow police and fire stations (and other “public” buildings) to be located in urban unincorporated areas, with certain standards for buffering and screening.

The design of the new station is similar to Station 65 that recently opened in the West Slope area.

A public meeting was held in January 2013 to inform neighbors that TVFR would be submitting a new land use application for the station in the next month or two.

Since the initial proposal, a pair of traffic lanes was constructed on the grounds of Findley Elementary (just northeast of proposed station), which has alleviated most of the traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. And it is anticipated that a road through the former Lehman property (see article, page XXX) will further improve traffic circulation in the area.

The design of the new station is similar to Station 65 that recently opened in the West Slope area. The two-story structure will house on-duty firefighters and include vehicle maintenance and fueling facilities. A public meeting room will be available to community groups.

If the land use application process follows the expected timeline, construction of the new station could begin as early as September 2013 and last for 10-12 months.