In a meeting held this morning the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee voted to move Fire Station 20 to a new location at 15th Avenue West and West Armour Street. Today’s meeting was one of the final steps in solving the question of what to do with the station currently located at 13th Avenue West and West Dravus Street that the community has been struggling with for years.
According to a report published by the Seattle PI today, there has been some controversy surrounding the potential new location. A development company owns two properties on the proposed site, and is planning to start building on the site in the spring. Other Queen Anne residents are concerned about the noise a fire station would bring, and say it should be moved.
The project has been put on the back burner several times over the last few years due to land acquisition difficulties and neighbor complaints. Still, officials say that Fire Station 20, built in 1949, needs to be rebuilt. According to the Mayor’s Office the current station does need meet current code requirements, and Mayor Nickels said it is in the worst shape of the 33 fire stations in the city. And at the new location the station would have access to Magnolia, Interbay, Ballard, South Lake Union and parts of downtown in addition to Queen Anne and Uptown.
After approving the plan through the committee today, the proposal will go to a final vote in front of the full council on Monday, October 12 at 2 p.m.
For more information, see the Seattle PI story. Or contact Councilmember Tim Burgess at tim.burgess@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8806.
