BRENTWOOD — The Brentwood Planning Commission on Tuesday denied an application to build a new downtown fire station, citing that the building’s architectural design did not resemble others in the area or reflect the city’s agricultural roots.
The commission unanimously rejected a design review application from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District to construct a new 8,137-square-foot fire station next to Brentwood Veteran’s Memorial Hall on First Street.
Commissioner Jeremy Jones recused himself from the meeting, citing that his employer has a building near the proposed station.
Aaron McAlister, deputy fire chief for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, said the district was “obviously disappointed” with the commission’s decision and will appeal to the Brentwood City Council.
“The city code says that we have 10 days to appeal, so we will be filing our appeal within that period,” McAlister told this news organization.
He said nine firefighters had already been hired for the proposed downtown Fire Station 94 after they graduated from the firefighter’s academy.
“Now we’re in a situation where those firefighters won’t be going to Brentwood for a long period of time; they are going to serve in other communities until we get a fire station,” said McAlister.
During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners cited several concerns in their decision to turn down the widely debated project, including that it did not meet requirements under the Brentwood Municipal Code.
Commissioners felt the building does not create a “well-composed urban design” and does not complement the existing buildings in the downtown area due to the project’s size and brick composition.
They also found the project fell short in meeting the adequate landscaping required under the Downtown Specific Plan.
Planning Commission Vice Chairperson Kristopher Brand said the project needed a conditional use permit, which he felt was “overlooked” as the building has a gym on the ground floor.
Brand pointed out that the fire department’s supplemental fuel tank and generator, which are the core aspects of the infrastructure, would extend the minimum width of the building.
“The generator lands against the wall that opens for the parking lot adjacent to it, so from my perspective, that means it’s outside of that range,” said Brand. “Which means we do have an infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for the function and legal operation of the station on the ground floor that extends beyond that. Therefore, we need some kind of conditional use permit as per the Downtown Specific Plan.”
Fellow Commissioner Anita Roberts said she “will not rubber stamp” the project without the answers she requested on its impact.
“It’s offensive to me, and as far as I’m concerned, until I get the answers that I was looking for, I cannot in good conscience speak on this,” said Roberts. “I could not tell the fire department how much water they should put in the tank. They cannot tell this planning commission what it is that we need to do.”
In March, the Brentwood Planning Commission postponed its decision on the project despite a five-hour deliberation as they instructed city staff to provide details on the impact it would have on traffic, noise, and air quality.
The proposed Fire Station 94 has continuously faced objections from local military veterans and residents, who claim the site has been “historically and legally” designated for veteran use only.
Although veterans and residents did not oppose a new fire station in the city, they questioned its location. Veterans argued that Contra Costa County could not reallocate the land purchased nearly a century ago through a special tax established in 1922 to build memorial halls in the county for the use of American Legion posts and ex-servicemen.
Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building Secretary Donald Hester said it was unfortunate that the fire district did not consider other alternative sites for Fire Station 94, such as one on Sand Creek.
Hester noted that the path forward will involve collaboration between the fire district, Contra Costa County, Brentwood, and veterans.
“There are solutions that respect the original land dedication, deliver the fire services that Brentwood needs, and save taxpayers’ money over the life of a station,” said Hester via a text message to this organization. “We all know the Sand Creek location checks every one of those boxes.”
McAlister said the fire district does not own the site on Sand Creek, so it did not consider it an option.
He said Fire Station 94 would increase the fire district’s capacity to serve the community, which currently has only one fire station on Balfour Road. The fire district plans to build Fire Station 94 and Fire Station 90 through Measure X funds to cater to the city’s needs.
According to McAlister, the fire district owns five acres on Empire Avenue and Amber Lane. The district had planned to construct a fire station there, but found it was full of toxic material.
“It was going to cost us $8 million to clean up the site. Therefore, we had to identify a new location, which we have and purchased a site at Windy Springs Lane and Lone Tree Way, and that’s going to be Fire Station 90,” said McAlister.
Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis said the planning commission’s rejection has further delayed the construction of a desperately needed fire station that would improve fire and medical responses for Brentwood.
“Every day that Contra Costa Fire is not allowed to start construction is another day that the public is less safe and the taxpayer-funded cost of building Station 94 goes up,” said Burgis in a statement to this news organization.