Planning and Zoning Commission approves rezoning to expand Fire Station 4 site

The Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission approved case REZ2025-0020, a minor zone map amendment to rezone about 18,735 square feet from Open Space, Passive Open (OSPO) to Institutional (INS) to accommodate a replacement Fire Station 4 on property identified as 4401 Diamond Drive and 9999 Range Road.

The amendment, requested by the Los Alamos County Capital Improvements and Facilities Division and described in the Community Development Department staff report, was approved by roll call after staff and the applicant described the project and commissioners asked questions about parking and reuse of the existing station.

Staff presented the request as a land‑use action that will create a consistently zoned parcel sized to accommodate a new station while keeping the existing station operational during construction. "The proposed rezoning supports the replacement of Fire Station 4 by ensuring the facility is fully located within institutional zoning," said Danielle Valdez, planning manager for the Community Development Department. The presentation noted that Fire Station 4 was built in 1964 and no longer meets current operational standards; Los Alamos County Council selected the site on Nov. 12, 2024, and the project has proceeded through a sequence of entitlements including a comprehensive plan amendment and a summary plat.

The staff report referenced the decision criteria in Chapter 16 of the Los Alamos County Development Code, specifically section 16-74H3 for zone map amendments, and concluded the request meets those criteria because the change aligns with comprehensive plan goals, supports public safety, extends existing institutional zoning, and does not create an isolated "spot zone." Staff recommended approval.

Vega Architecture, representing the county project team, said the rezoning and an administratively reviewed summary plat together will create a single, consistently zoned parcel sized for the new facility. David Grooms of Vega Architecture confirmed a pre-application meeting on the site plan was scheduled for the next day and said parking for the new station is planned north of the existing station; "the parking lot that exists right now for the existing Fire Station 4 . . . will not be utilized for parking for the future Fire Station Number 4," he said.

A commission member asked whether reuse options for the existing facility had been considered and how parking would be handled. The applicant and staff said the design team plans to keep the existing station operational during construction and locate the new station and its parking so both functions can be accommodated.

After discussion the commission member moved to approve case REZ2025-0020 and to authorize the chair to sign a final order based on findings of fact and conclusions of law prepared by county staff. A commissioner asked for a clarification during the motion: the second parcel's street number is 9999 Range Road (four 9s). The clarification was accepted and recorded. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote with recorded votes of "yes" from Commissioners White, Nelson, Adler, Nockley and Breul. The chair instructed staff to prepare the final written decision; the decision may be appealed under the development code within 15 calendar days of the final written decision.

The summary plat that accompanies the rezoning was processed administratively, and the project team said the next steps are preparing site plan materials and continuing design work. Public notice and neighborhood outreach for the project included neighborhood meetings on Sept. 23, 2024; Oct. 15 and Oct. 21, 2024; a public survey (closed Oct. 7, 2024); and notices published June 18 and mailed/posted June 20, 2025, as described in the staff report.

The commission's approval applies only to the rezone action described in the staff report and to the findings made on the record. Any appeals must follow the process and deadlines in the Los Alamos County Development Code.