Fire Station 10 in Western Goleta

A new fire station is coming soon to Goleta. When it is completed, Fire Station 10 will be 11,600 square feet in size, with associated landscaping and appurtenant facilities on a City-owned parcel located at 7952 Hollister Avenue. The site is adjacent to the new Cathedral Oaks Interchange and across the street from Sandpiper Golf Course. It is anticipated that the new fire station will be a three-bay, single-story building and have a community meeting room. Site improvements will include an emergency generator, an above-ground fueling facility, eight visitor parking spaces, and a landscape pedestrian path and striped bike path along Hollister Avenue.

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Fire Station 10 preliminary design from August 2018

Images

Project Architect

In January 2016, Kruger Bensen Ziemer Architects, Inc. was awarded the contract to design the new fire station; and a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Goleta and the County of Santa Barbara was adopted for design, development and operation of the future station by County Fire. Since that time, a number of activities have taken place, include site surveying, geotechnical drilling and analysis, environmental studies, and preliminary design work.

Purpose and Need

It has long been documented that fire service in Western Goleta does not meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines for emergency response time and population to firefighter ratio. A new fire station is needed in Western Goleta to provide adequate fire protection services.

Funding Sources

Funding for this project is Fire Facility Development Impact Fees and other developer mitigation fees. Because this project has been in the planning and design phases for many years, cost estimates have risen during this time, and particularly since 2016, due to construction industry spikes. Therefore, the City is also evaluating additional funding sources such as statewide loans and local tax options.

Current Phase

Following the Coastal Commission approval in September 2020, the project moved into final design and development of construction documents. The City’s architect for the project submitted final plans to the Building Department for review at the end December of 2022. At this time, it is unclear as to when the City will be able to go out to bid and construction. The City continues to work in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Fire District on funding and timing considerations. Based on the size and location of the project, the construction of the station is expected to take 14 months. Check back at this site for future updates.

Previous Steps

September 25, 2021

The City of Goleta hosted an informational meeting about the Fire Station 10 Tree Replacement Plan on September 25, 2021, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Shores Open Spaces. City staff review a tree enhancement effort planned for that park, related to the Fire Station 10 (FS10) project at 7952 Hollister Avenue. The Neighborhood Services Department is in the design phase for the FS10 project, which was approved by City Council in December 2018 and the Coastal Commission in September 2020. The Coastal Commission required a tree replacement plan to provide new native trees in the coastal zone to offset those that will be removed for the fire station construction.

Read the press release here and view the tree planting replacement plan here.

Archives

The City of Goleta published an Environmental Impact Report and the City Council, upon recommendation from the Planning Commission, certified it in 2018, along with a statement of Overriding Considerations. The City action also included a General Plan Amendment for the fire station site to Public/Quasi-Public, and a rezone to PI Professional and Institutional. These actions were approved by the City Council on December 4, 2018.

With that local approval, the City filed an application for a Coastal Development Permit with the California Coastal Commission in January 2019. The Coastal Commission considered the Fire Station 10 project at a Public Hearing on September 10, 2020, and approved the project subject to conditions. The Coastal Commission staff report can be found HERE.

The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) with statement of Overriding Considerations.

December 4, 2018, City Council Staff Report with Attachments

September 27, 2018, Notice of Availability of Proposed Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and Addendum and Notice of Public Hearing.

Final Environmental Impact Report

The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and Addendum to the City General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan (GP-CLUP) FEIR for the Fire Station 10 project is available at the links below:

FEIR Document Sections