Including other facilities such as a library will be considered as Victoria examines all the options around the future of the aging No. 1 Fire Hall.
The idea is to take an innovative approach, city manager Jason Johnson told councillors.
The process could be broadened beyond renovations, Johnson said, to look at other sites that might be available. That could then create other options for the fire hall property.
Replacing the hall, located at 1234 Yates St., near Fernwood Road, is near the top of the city’s infrastructure priority list. It would carry a price tag estimated at $18 million, excluding land costs.
Upgrading the 1958 building so it meets seismic standards would cost an estimated $8 million, but major renovations would be needed at some point as the vehicle bays are not big enough for modern fire trucks, according to staff reports.
The city has received notice from the Boys and Girls Club that it won’t be renewing its lease on the city-owned building adjacent to the hall so that offers opportunities for expansion, councillors were told.
Councillors agreed to a request for proposals for a consultant to prepare a final report on available options. The estimated cost of the work is $30,000.
The consultant is to identify and rank options on potential locations for a new station. That would include the potential for land swaps or other creative measures and temporary locations that may be necessary if a new station is to be built on the existing site. The consultant is also to identify options for development partnerships and other facilities that could be housed in a mixed-use fire hall building.
“One of the things we’ll be looking for from this planning study is really nailing down … what are the functions that really should be staying there, what are the things that maybe could be located at other locations, and putting some rigour around some of that decision-making,” said John Sturdy, city assistant director of engineering.
Coun. Ben Isitt said he was “a little concerned about scope creep.”
“Really, we need a post-seismic fire hall. The other stuff would be nice to have but it’s not essential,” he said.
“Rather than getting into an elaborate property-swapping shell game, I would just like to be looking at what can we do on that site in terms of the renewal or replacement of that building for fire-suppression purposes.”
But Coun. Lisa Helps said she appreciated an approach that looks at all the options.
“It may be that we build some very narrow, same footprint fire hall in the exact same place, but I don’t know why we would start with that,” Helps said. “I love this wide-open process.”
