Firehouse Expansion Encounters Stiff Opposition

By Andrew Gorosko

The Newtown Hook and Ladder Volunteer Fire Company has encountered some stiff opposition to a zoning variance it is seeking for its proposed firehouse expansion in a residential zone at 45 Main Street, behind Edmond Town Hall.

Representatives of the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers and some Main Street residents voiced their objections to the firehouse expansion proposal at an April 9 public hearing held by the Borough Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). If the fire company receives the zoning variance from the Borough ZBA, it also would need approval for the project from the Borough Zoning Commission.

About 40 people attended the session in the compact borough office in Town Hall South.

To improve its fire facilities, the fire company wants to demolish one existing garage bay on the eastern side of its firehouse and replace it with a brick, three-bay garage covering 2,750 square feet.

Borough zoning regulations would require a minimum setback distance of 25 feet between the proposed new construction and the property line to the north at 49 Main Street. The fire company instead proposes that the building addition be only 5½ feet from that property line, which is the same distance that the existing firehouse lies from that property line.

 Attorney Robert Accomando, representing the fire company, said that the Borough ZBA might determine that no zoning variance is needed, and thus waive the fire company’s need to obtain that approval.

“Newtown Hook and Ladder has a long and distinguished history in this community,” Mr Accomando said. “We have a serious problem with this facility,” he added, concerning various structural problems at the existing firehouse. Those problems have required various temporary repairs to be made to keep the firehouse in use, he said.

The expansion project is necessary if the fire company is to continue providing its service to the community, the lawyer said.

The expansion project would include landscaping to make the project an attractive addition to the area, he said. “It’s going to be quite nice… It’s going to look great,” Mr Accomando said.

Although the firehouse is a town-owned building, the fire company would cover expansion costs, he said.

Kevin Cragin, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, said that town agency has endorsed the firehouse expansion project. “Newtown needs Hook and Ladder. It’s one of the five [local fire] departments. We can’t do without them,” he said. The firehouse contains the town’s ladder truck, which is used at structure fires, he noted. There are no alternate sites available for a new firehouse, Mr Cragin said.

People living along Main Street would not consider the presence of a firehouse in their neighborhood a nuisance, if they needed the services of firefighters, he said. Mr Cragin urged the Borough ZBA to approve the fire company’s requested zoning variance.

Opposition

Attorney Robert Fallon, representing the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers, detailed that agency’s opposition to the firehouse expansion project.

The fire company’s application for a zoning variance does not have the managers’ approval, which is necessary because the mangers are the state-endorsed agent for the management of the municipal property at 45 Main Street, he said.

 The managers are planning an Edmond Town Hall improvement project that would have the town hall conform with revised building codes, fire codes, and handicapped accessibility requirements, he said. The mangers are concerned about how a firehouse expansion would affect its town hall improvement project, Mr Fallon said, adding that there is no site plan available for a firehouse expansion project.

Mr Fallon charged that the fire company’s variance application is incomplete, saying that the group has not applied for all required approvals from the Borough ZBA. At least two zoning variances, which are required for the proposed construction, are not being sought, he said.

Mr Fallon termed the fire company’s proposal “an illegal expansion of a nonconforming use.”

Considering that local population and traffic volumes have grown, the town should find an adequate alternate site for a new firehouse for the fire company, he said.

“This is a difficult situation for the community,” Mr Fallon said.

Mr Fallon urged that the Borough ZBA deny the requested zoning variance.

Main Street

Main Street resident Sherrie Bermingham told Borough ZBA members that Main Street residents appreciate the service that firefighters provide.

But, she added, the expanded firehouse would be visible from Main Street. Ms Bermingham presented a petition from Main Street residents urging that the fire company not sound its fire siren when it goes on fire calls. The petition states that sounding the siren is technically unnecessary, considering advances in technology that inform firefighters of fire calls. 

“We’re concerned about the expansion,” Ms Bermingham said. If the firehouse expands, commercial properties in the area might also seek expansion projects, she said.

 Josef Fiala of 49 Main Street noted the proposed firehouse expansion would lie 5½ feet from his property line. The structure would have the appearance of a commercial building and would be more obtrusive than the existing firehouse, he said. “It’s a huge expansion in my direction,” he said. Mr Fiala said he fears that a specimen tree at his property line would suffer from an expansion project. He added that his property’s value would be damaged by a firehouse expansion project.

Shane Miller of Main Street said the area carries heavy traffic and the presence of a firehouse poses a traffic safety issue. Main Street residents would help the fire company build a modern firehouse elsewhere, she said.

Miriam Rhyims of Main Street said the presence of a firehouse in the area poses the prospect of a pedestrian accident there. The driveways, which are commonly used by Edmond Town Hall and the firehouse, also serve as “sidewalks” for pedestrians in the area, she noted. “Our main issue is safety” and the increased risk of accidents due to the presence of a firehouse, she said.

The Borough ZBA’s public hearing on the fire company’s requested zoning variance is scheduled to resume on April 29 to allow Mr Accomando and Mr Fallon to respond to statements made at the April 9 session.