The Bethesda Fire Department soon will detail to the community its plans to redevelop the land where fire station #6 is located at the corner of Bradley Boulevard and Wisconsin Avenue, but fire department officials say any plans are preliminary at this point.
The idea for a redevelopment began in 2012, according to Nat Finkelstein, a director of Bethesda Fire Department Inc., which owns the land and the building. Since then, Finkelstein said, the department has been exploring development options for the site and ways to raise money for a new fire station there.
Talk of redeveloping the site has generated some controversy as neighbors seek to retain the residential feel of the neighborhood, but Finkelstein said the concept is in its preliminary stages.
Finkelstein dispelled some misconceptions about the issue in an interview Friday.
“The first misconception is that we’re going to put in some kind of commercial building,” Finkelstein said. “That’s not true and that has not been contemplated. Any kind of structure besides the new fire station itself would be residential, with possibly one or two small retail spaces.
“Also, there has been some miscommunication about size,” Finkelstein added, saying the concepts being considered would fit into the feel of the neighborhood.
The fire station on the lot opened in 1969. Developing the valuable property could be a financial boon for the fire department, which also manages and owns two other stations.
“Quite frankly, funding is a major issue,” Finkelstein said. “You’re talking millions of dollars to build a new station or renovate the existing one.”
Finkelstein said a partnership with a private developer could provide the needed funds, but he said no such relationship currently exists. He said the department has presented some very preliminary plans to the Montgomery County Planning Department, but that no final decisions have been made.
The fire department’s board of directors met Thursday night to determine the next steps. Finkelstein said the department plans to meet over the next couple of months with officials and residents in local neighborhoods such as Friendship Heights, the Town of Chevy Chase and Chevy Chase West.