Melbourne Council narrows Fire Station 72 replacement options, asks staff to study two sites
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Summary
After receiving a staff site-assessment for replacing aging Fire Station 72, the Melbourne City Council asked staff to investigate two shortlisted sites — the privately owned “Boozer” parcel off Sarno Road and the previously proposed Jimmy Moore Park location — and to pursue geotechnical and appraisal work to inform a future decision.
Melbourne city officials on Oct. 14 reviewed a site‑assessment report that evaluates five potential locations to replace aging Fire Station 72 and directed staff to further study two options: the Boozer property on Sarno Road and the previously proposed site at Jimmy Moore Park.
Deputy City Manager Joan Yukala Brown told the council the current Station 72, built in 1966, does not meet current National Fire Protection Association standards and “current call volumes and projected development” mean the station’s footprint and capabilities must increase. “The average response time is 6 minutes, and that is the NFPA standard. Currently, the station, my understanding is we’re responding in 5 minutes,” she said, adding that staff wants to preserve that performance while planning for growth.
The staff report described five candidate sites and summarized key tradeoffs: environmental and geotechnical constraints, permitting complexity, loss of taxable commercial property if privately owned parcels were converted to a public safety use, and estimated effects on emergency response travel time. The Boozer parcel (a privately owned, 2.6‑acre site north of Sarno and near Walmart) would likely add an estimated 23 seconds to average response time from the current location but would put the station closer to growing commercial corridors. The Jimmy Moore Park parcel would reduce response time by about 10 seconds and add little fiscal impact but would require a future‑land‑use change and would reopen community concerns raised earlier about locating a larger facility in the park.
Chief of Fire Operations (Chief Leach) told council that, with planned emergency‑vehicle preemption at traffic signals, the Boozer site is a workable option and could accommodate the department’s needs. Several council members stressed the need to protect existing park green space and neighborhood amenities if Jimmy Moore Park is reconsidered. Staff said a future proposal for a park site could include a reduced building footprint, screening or buffering, or other concessions to address neighbors’ concerns.
Councilmembers and staff agreed on a path forward: pursue additional technical studies for both Boozer (including an appraisal and geotechnical investigation) and the Jimmy Moore area (engagement with the community and consideration of smaller footprints or design concessions). The council asked staff to return with cost estimates and refined site concepts for comparison.
Staff emphasized the next steps are investigatory: the additional environmental and geotechnical work will define costs and permitting implications and allow the city to evaluate impacts on response times and insurance/ISO considerations before any ordinance or land‑use action is brought forward.
