Council approves rezone to allow West Pierce Fire & Rescue Station 32 on 67th Avenue West

The University Place City Council on July 20 approved an ordinance to apply the city’s public facilities overlay to a 4.73‑acre parcel at 5904 67th Avenue West so West Pierce Fire & Rescue may pursue siting a new fire station.

Mayor Pro Tem McCluskey moved the ordinance; the motion passed in a roll‑call vote of 5 ayes, 0 nays. The council’s decision implements a recommendation from the city hearing examiner, who had recommended approval subject to roughly five conditions listed in the examiner’s report.

Planning Manager Kenneth George told the council the rezone is procedural: it adds the public facilities overlay so a fire station would be an allowed public safety use under the overlay; it does not authorize construction. George said subsequent project‑specific reviews will be required, including a conditional use permit, building permits, tree‑removal and engineering approvals.

Applicant consultant Colleen Norona (Apex Engineering) described a conceptual station program: a roughly 20,000‑square‑foot building with single‑story drive‑through apparatus bays and two stories of administrative and crew space, planned 24‑hour operation, an expected staffing model of about eight firefighters plus daytime administrative staff, and on‑site fueling (an above‑ground ~1,000‑gallon diesel tank and a ~500‑gallon gasoline tank). Norona said the project includes perimeter landscaping, buffers and design measures to minimize noise, light and visual impacts to adjacent residences.

Chief Ryan McGrady of West Pierce said maps and heat‑map analysis show a southern coverage gap and rising call volumes since the districts merged; he told the council call volume had increased from roughly 11,000–12,000 calls per year to about 18,000, and argued the new station would improve response times and unit reliability.

Council members asked detailed questions about geotechnical stability on steep slopes, stormwater treatment and runoff, sight distance and traffic control for apparatus exiting onto 67th Avenue West, tree retention and removal, and safety measures for above‑ground fuel storage. The applicant and staff said soil and slope assessments and stormwater designs would be addressed in conditional use and civil design reviews; a SEPA mitigated determination of nonsignificance has been issued and the applicant noted needed soil sampling in response to a documented Asarco (transcribed as “Osarco”) plume on the site, with remediation measures if required.

Before voting, councilmembers emphasized that the rezone only aligns zoning with an essential public service and that many technical issues remain to be resolved in future permit reviews. The council’s approval allows the fire district to proceed with the next, project‑specific permitting steps under city oversight.

What happens next: West Pierce Fire & Rescue must secure conditional use approval, complete detailed design and technical studies (geotechnical, traffic, stormwater), and comply with all city permit conditions before construction can begin.