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Board grants variance for Bloomington Fire Department logistics and apparatus building
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance package allowing the Bloomington Fire Department to construct an approximately 18,000‑square‑foot facility at 3240 South Walnut Street that departs from certain architectural requirements to accommodate large apparatus bays and decontamination facilities.
The Bloomington Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 23 approved a variance request from the Bloomington Fire Department for a new building at 3240 South Walnut Street that will include office, living and training space plus large apparatus and decontamination bays.
Eric, planning staff, told the board the site is part of a larger municipal property formerly used for water treatment and owned by the utility service board. He said the proposed building is about 18,000 square feet, with the east portion facing Walnut Street designed to meet the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) architectural standards, while the west two‑thirds—the large apparatus bays—cannot feasibly incorporate certain façade and module requirements because of the building’s open‑bay structural needs.
“No dirty gear goes back to a fire station,” Noah Danica, representing the department, told the board, explaining the building will centralize decontamination and gear‑cleaning operations. Deputy Chief Max Litwin said the department’s current logistics facility is leased and in jeopardy of being sold, making a permanent facility a priority.
Staff recommended approval of the variance, finding the request is largely aesthetic in nature and will not reduce building or fire‑safety standards; staff also cited significant tree buffers and distance from neighboring properties that limit visual impacts. The board approved the variance with the two conditions listed in the staff report.
The approval authorizes deviations from the UDO’s façade modularity and material requirements for the portions of the structure used for vehicle storage and decontamination. The petitioner must still comply with all building‑code and fire‑code requirements and secure required permits before construction begins.
