The Village of Addison on Aug. 4 approved an ordinance granting a special use to construct a new fire and law‑enforcement training facility at 666 South Vista Avenue, allowing replacement of the existing masonry tower with two modular training towers built from shipping containers.

Village planning staff said the property is zoned M‑2 and that fire and law enforcement training facilities are permitted in the district as a special use. The newly approved plan calls for one four‑story tower and one two‑story tower constructed from shipping containers, designed to allow modular reconfiguration of training props and burn rooms.

The fire district presented the project and described the change as a response to limitations of the 34‑year‑old masonry tower. Deputy Chief Mansfield said the containerized design lets staff alter floor plans and simulated hazards, replace damaged modules more easily and extend the useful life of the training site. “The shipping container concept lets us literally unscrew the containers ... replacement of a can is much more cost effective than that of tearing the whole building,” Mansfield said.

Mansfield also described the facility as intended for joint training: local police, regional agencies and specialized units have used the existing tower for weapons‑of‑mass‑destruction drills and other exercises. He said the district routinely works with outside partners, including the National Guard civil support team and the FBI, and that police will gain new props for forced entry and warrant training.

The planning and zoning commission held a public hearing on July 9 and recommended approval. Village staff and the village attorney reviewed the ordinance and found it acceptable; staff requested waiver of a second reading, and the village board granted the waiver and adopted the ordinance the same night.

During committee discussion, staff said construction logistics could begin as soon as the site is ready: the prefabricated container units are being built now, and, if delivery goes as planned, assembly on site could take about two weeks with mid‑September delivery and a possible availability for the village open house in October. The record includes no contract amount or construction timeline beyond those schedule estimates. The ordinance approval allows the project to proceed under the applicable zoning ordinance and building code requirements.