Citrus Heights Planning Commission members unanimously approved a design review permit for the demolition and replacement of Metro Fire Station 23 on Greenback Lane. The decision allows a larger, two-story facility to move forward and grants a variance reducing the setback from the neighboring property line to 4.5 feet. The approval came after a next-door resident asked commissioners to address privacy and construction concerns, according to Citrus Heights Sentinel.
A Bigger, Modernized Replacement for a 1965 Station
Metro Fire Station 23, at 6421 Greenback Lane, has served as a public fire station since 1965, according to Citrus Heights Sentinel. Metro Fire’s plan is to replace the existing building with a 19,500-square-foot, two-story station. An August report by the Citrus Heights Sentinel described a design with five engine bays on the ground floor and accommodations for as many as 15 personnel.
The approved design retains five engine bays and space for administrative, command and support functions, alongside living quarters for up to 15 personnel, the Citrus Heights Sentinel reported. It also places the living quarters apart from the engines and includes decontamination areas, updated accommodations and fitness facilities. Metro Fire says the replacement is intended to strengthen response capabilities, firefighter safety, operational efficiency and long-term service delivery.
Setback Variance and Site Upgrades
To accommodate the apparatus bays and vehicle movements, the August proposal sought a reduction in the east side-yard setback from 30 feet to 5 feet. Commissioners approved a 4.5-foot setback from the neighboring property line. The site covers just over 43,000 square feet, nearly an acre, according to the earlier Sentinel report.
Plans also cover changes across the site, including more employee parking, a covered fuel island, an emergency generator, a trash enclosure and bicycle parking, as well as utility, landscaping and accessibility upgrades. The station already has a diesel pump; Metro Fire plans to add a gasoline pump. The landscaping plan calls for replacing trees removed during demolition and planting native shade trees and shrubs.
Neighbor Raises Privacy and Construction Concerns
Resident Samantha Cole, who lives next to the station, raised privacy and construction-proximity concerns directly to the planning commission, as reported by Citrus Heights Sentinel. Cole requested obscured second-story windows facing her residence, or some other privacy-protecting design feature, after city staff confirmed that the second-story windows in question will directly face a stand of redwood trees between her property and the fire station…