The city of Boise is planning to tear down and replace an aging downtown fire station as well as add an affordable housing development to the site.
Fire Station 5, located between 15th and 16th streets, across from Rhodes Skate Park, is about 70 years old. It’s the Boise Fire Department’s oldest asset, and it’s the busiest fire station in the state. But the aging building no longer meets the needs of the firefighters stationed there, said Fire Chief Mark Niemeyer.
“That’s our busiest fire station, downtown, and will continue to be our busiest fire station for quite a while,” he told the city council on Tuesday. “Knowing that expansion, that growth will occur, what’s the future need there?”
Built in the 1950s, the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are “past their useful life,” said Shawn Wilson, Boise capital projects manager. Additionally, the building’s structure does not meet modern seismic code, and it lacks accessibility, according to contemporary Americans with Disabilities Act standards, Wilson said.
Niemeyer said the station also doesn’t have a dedicated shop space, where firefighters can work on equipment and trucks, nor an “extractor/decon” space, a room where firefighters’ clothing and gear can be isolated until harmful carcinogens from smoke, soot, gases and other products caused by combustion are eliminated.
“In today’s world we’re trying to reduce carcinogen exposure at every turn that we can,” he said.
Both amenities would be included in a new station design, as would additional dorms to accommodate a larger crew and extra space for an added emergency vehicle.
Also included in the proposal is an affordable housing development on the 0.85-acre site. Wilson said last year city leaders directed his department to study whether the station site could be co-located with another city priority, such as affordable housing, to maximize the use of city-owned land.
“You can put a lot on this site,” Wilson said.
An early rendering shows a multistory apartment building, located east of the station, along 15th Street.
Neither the station nor the apartments have been designed. The project does not yet have a cost estimate, said city spokesman Seth Ogilvie. That will come during the design process, which is expected to start in fiscal year 2022. Construction, which should last 12 to 18 months, could begin in fiscal year 2023.
The city council advised Wilson and Niemeyer to move forward with the proposed direction and timing for the project.
Fire Station 5 holds sentimental value for the department, Niemeyer said, so some aspects of the current building, such as the brick facade and a wood floor, can be salvaged or incorporated into the new building. The new design may also include a community space, where residents can interact with firefighters.
“We take pride in rolling up the doors at our fire houses, especially in the spring and summer, to engage with our community, and we feel that this is another great opportunity to do just that, Niemeyer said.
City Council President Elaine Clegg said she was grateful the proposal incorporated historical features of the current fire station.
“I’m one of those people who’s a little sentimental about this station, but I have to say, I was quite impressed with the concept, so far, to reflect the history of that time in fire service and reflect the history of the city,” Clegg said.
