Planning commission approves site plan for replacement Fire Station 4 at 4401 Diamond Drive

Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commissioners on Aug. 13 approved a major site plan amendment (case SIT20250073) allowing the county to replace Fire Station No. 4 at 4401 Diamond Drive.

The commission voted to approve the major site plan amendment after staff and the applicant presented project drawings, findings of fact and code-based decision criteria. Commissioner Adler moved to approve the application and Commissioner Nockley seconded; a roll-call vote recorded affirmative votes from Commissioners Hill, Nelson, Easton, Brown, Adler and Nockley. The commission authorized the chair to sign findings of fact and conclusions of law prepared by county staff. The decision may be appealed within 15 calendar days under the development code.

Staff said the 2.24-acre site is zoned institutional (INS) and is located in the North Community No. 2 subdivision. Danielle Valdez, planning manager for the Community Development Department, summarized the review timeline and criteria and recommended approval. "Staff recommends approval of case number SIT202573 based on the findings of fact established on record and the determination that the application meets the decision criteria," Valdez said and confirmed for the record that the report was accurate to her knowledge.

David Grooms of Vega Architecture, the applicant's presenter, described the design and programmatic changes. He said the county began site selection in November 2024, evaluated three candidate sites with community input, and chose the existing station location for its access to utilities and to maintain emergency response times and service continuity during construction. "This project was enacted to provide functional upgrades to the existing Fire Station Number 4, both in the capacity of equipment, the capacity of crew, and, probably most importantly, the health and safety of the firefighting crew," Grooms said.

Key project details presented to the commission include: - Site area: 2.24 acres; zoning: Institutional (INS). - Location: 4401 Diamond Drive (existing Fire Station No. 4). - Parking: 32 vehicle spaces total, including 5 EV spaces; two additional parking spaces adjacent to a new connector trail. - Building and apparatus: existing station has five single-depth apparatus bays; new station will use double-depth bays, effectively doubling apparatus capacity in those bays. - Staffing capacity: the new station is designed to house up to a crew of 10 (staff said current staffing is 7–8). - Sustainability and site features: project will pursue LEED Silver certification; existing open-space trail north of the site will be preserved and a new connector trail added; plan includes landscape restoration of the old station footprint and meeting county tree mitigation standards. - Utilities: several utilities in the north end of the site will be relocated into a common trench (water, sewer, gas, electrical); staff reported impacts will be mitigated per county construction standards. - Interior improvements: expanded living areas with individual bunk rooms, separated mechanical/air-handling and decontamination pathways between apparatus bays and residential areas to reduce contamination exposure.

Valdez told the commission the application completed prior steps in the review process: a comprehensive plan amendment adopted June 24, 2025, followed by a minor zone map amendment and summary plat. A required pre-application meeting was held July 10, 2025; public notice was posted and mailed July 24, 2025.

During deliberations, the chair noted appreciation for the plan's accommodation of the existing trail system and for expanding emergency services capacity in light of recent housing approvals nearby. After discussion of the applicable development-code criteria (including conformance with the comprehensive plan, infrastructure capacity and mitigation of adverse impacts), Commissioner Adler made the motion to approve. Commissioner Adler's motion specified approval based on the findings established at the hearing and cited section 16-74 I 4 (major site plan amendment criteria) and authority under sections 16-69 b2 and 6 of the Los Alamos County Development Code. Commissioner Nockley seconded and the motion passed.

The commission's formal action authorizes staff to prepare the written findings of fact and conclusions of law reflecting the decision. The record and the code provide a 15-calendar-day appeal window to property owners or other persons with recognized legal interest under section 16-72 g5 a of the development code.

No affected members of the public or additional parties presented testimony against the application during the hearing; several county staff and project team members were sworn and participated (planning manager, project manager, capital projects staff, public works director and fire chief). The commission closed the hearing to receipt of evidence before deliberation and motion.

The item concluded and the meeting proceeded to routine department and council reports.