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Council approves land purchase for Fire Station 70 as city outlines station‑optimization work
Summary
The Omaha City Council approved acquisition of land for a planned Fire Station 70 in northwest Omaha, with fire department leaders saying the purchase supports a broader station optimization and strategic planning effort.
The Omaha City Council approved an ordinance to acquire a parcel for the planned construction of Fire Station 70 in northwest Omaha, a move city and fire department officials said will improve response coverage in the area.
City and fire department witnesses described the parcel as roughly midway between existing stations on the northwest corridor and said it was an appropriate site for a new station. The council’s vote to approve the land purchase passed 6–0.
Fire department witnesses told the council the station optimization plan completed in 2021 and subsequent studies identified a need for an additional station in the northwest corridor. The chief said the department has also worked with the University of Nebraska at Omaha on station optimization and that a new strategic plan is underway, with stakeholder meetings scheduled for early March.
Chiefs and council members discussed timing and staffing. The fire chief said the city’s goal is to begin construction in 2026, with a hoped‑for completion in late 2026 or early 2027, noting timing depends on design, construction scheduling and state legislative developments affecting local financing.
Councilmember Melton, who said she would provide the chief a past University of Nebraska at Omaha master’s thesis on station locations, said the new station builds on long‑standing planning that had called for improved northwest coverage and that the purchase would not close any existing downtown stations. “This is actually an additional firehouse for the city of Omaha,” she said.
Council discussion included reference to past planning work from 2011–2015 and a 2021 station optimization effort; the chief said a new strategic plan was being finalized with public stakeholder engagement planned in March. Councilmembers asked for copies of previous optimization studies; the chief said the department would circulate those materials to the council.
The city’s motion to acquire the parcel was approved on a 6–0 roll call. The council recorded no opposing votes and directed city staff to proceed with the acquisition process and preliminary planning.
