Hearing examiner approves conditional use permit for Station 51 rebuild in Gig Harbor

Hearing Examiner Mark Schipmeyer on the record approved a conditional use permit allowing Pierce County Fire Protection District 5 to demolish and rebuild Fire Station 51 at 6711 Kimball Drive in Gig Harbor.

The decision follows a staff recommendation to grant the permit with conditions and clears a key land-use step for the district to replace the existing 1979 station with an approximately 22,000-square-foot, two-story facility. The examiner said he would prepare written findings of fact and conclusions and circulate the decision within a few days.

City staff summarized the project during the public hearing. Mr. Hammer, city staff, told the examiner the proposal is consistent with the city’s definition of public and private services in the municipal code and noted the use has existed on the site since the original building was constructed in 1979. He said the proposed new building would be located almost entirely in the property’s B-2 (general business) zoned portion while the site abuts R-3 (multi-family) zoning. “The new construction would be an approximately 22,000-square-foot, two-story facility,” Mr. Hammer said, and recommended conditional approval with the conditions listed in section 11 of the staff report.

The staff report and testimony described remaining regulatory steps that must occur before construction: a SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) review, major site plan review, and civil reviews. Mr. Hammer said those reviews will address utilities, transportation capacity, lighting and final landscaping and that the conditional use decision does not replace those later reviews.

Environmental and design considerations were discussed. The city received one comment from the Washington State Department of Ecology during the notice period asking that demolition include appropriate testing, abatement and disposal of asbestos or other hazardous materials and noting the site’s potential for heavy-metal deposition linked to historic emissions from the former smelter in North Tacoma; that letter is included as Exhibit H in the staff packet. The design review board recommended approval of alternative zone transition standards for the property.

Project details provided in testimony included code-required parking, a public-facing pocket park with public art and seating, and a new on-site fueling island. Mr. Hammer said the applicant proposes 51 parking spaces to meet current standards. Chief Doan, Gig Harbor Fire Chief, described the pocket-park concept as a public amenity: “I believe in public art and public spaces,” he said. Deputy Chief Johnson said the existing fueling island will be removed during construction and replaced in a location that improves fueling access for apparatus; he said the replacement will meet modern fueling standards, including a canopy and containment for spills.

Both the applicant and staff emphasized the rebuild does not add new public-room uses or change the station’s emergency-service function. Chief Doan said the station currently contains dormitory bedrooms and will continue to do so; it is not introducing community meeting rooms. Deputy Chief Johnson described current staffing patterns and future capacity: at present the station houses a medic unit (2 personnel), an engine company (3 personnel) and a battalion chief (one), with a maximum of about 12 people present briefly at shift changes; the new facility is built for 11 and could accommodate up to 22 people if fully staffed in later years. The new station will have three apparatus bays to allow for a potential future truck company.

Examiner Schipmeyer noted there were no members of the public present for the hearing and that the city’s record contained no opposition. “This one is a super easy conditional use permit to grant,” he said. He granted the conditional use permit at the hearing and said he would produce a written decision and findings within a few days so the applicant and planning staff can proceed with subsequent reviews.

Next steps: the written findings will be issued by the hearing examiner and distributed by city staff; the applicant must still obtain the SEPA determination, major site plan approval and complete civil reviews before building permits or construction can proceed. The staff report’s section 11 lists the conditions the examiner incorporated by reference in granting the permit.