Plan commission approves land-use, zoning and site plan for new West Bend fire station at 2151 W. Washington St.

The West Bend City Plan Commission on July 1 approved a series of land-use and site approvals needed to build a new Fire Station No. 1 at 2151 West Washington Street, including an amendment to the 2020 comprehensive plan, a zoning map change to institutional use, a certified survey map consolidating parcels and final site plan approval.

The actions clear roughly 12.9 acres the city is acquiring for the fire station and let the West Bend Fire Department and project team move to final design and bidding. Commissioners and staff emphasized stormwater controls, emergency-vehicle turning templates and construction sequencing during the discussion.

“It will require demolition of an existing building and removal of underground fuel tanks,” said Trevor Frank, project manager and architect with Short Elliott Hendrickson, summarizing major site-preparation tasks and the site layout that concentrates development on the north end of the property. Frank said the building footprint is roughly 39,000 square feet with a larger upper-level area and would include a roughly 1,600-square-foot training tower and a future 3,400-square-foot cold-storage building.

Max (staff member) addressed neighbors’ stormwater concerns, saying the city ordinance requires that “in the proposed condition, we cannot exceed that amount of stormwater or the discharge rate,” and describing three planned stormwater basins intended to keep runoff to current volumes. Pam Schumacher of Schumacher Landscaping and a nearby resident, Linda Olsen, asked about grading and preserved green space; staff said most southern portions toward Miller Street would remain vegetation and that plans for a possible future back driveway would not remove the majority of that southern green area.

Frank walked commissioners through site details: heavy vehicles will operate on structural concrete pads while lighter vehicles use heavy-duty asphalt; truck-turning templates were run and “all of the trucks will make those turns and enter the building from the east side into the south entrances of the apparatus space,” he said. The design separates staff, visitor and emergency-vehicle parking and includes a vehicle wash bay and a four-story training tower for high-angle rescue evolutions.

Exterior materials discussed include a mix of clay masonry (a brown field color and a lighter base), natural stone accents, precast concrete headers and standing-seam metal roofing on the entry tower. Landscaping will provide foundation plantings, overstory trees for shade and a small synthetic-turf area outside the fitness room for outdoor training and exercise.

Frank said the design-and-estimating package is at about 90 percent and that the team is targeting a groundbreaking shortly after Labor Day, with 100 percent plans and specifications issued near that milestone so the construction manager can release remaining bid packages.

The plan commission voted to approve the comprehensive plan amendment (No. 38), the zoning map amendment to I-1 institutional and public service (including identified nonshoreland wetland boundaries), the certified survey map combining parcels for the project (subject to minor technical corrections prior to recording) and the site plan for the new fire station. Each vote carried on voice vote; the transcript records ayes with no recorded opposition.

Next steps identified in the meeting record include completing 100 percent construction documents, ePlan/code review and proceeding with site acquisition, demolition and site civil work ahead of building construction.