The Bethesda Fire Department discussed plans for the proposed redevelopment of Station No. 6, at the corner of Bradley Boulevard and Wisconsin Ave, at a community meeting Thursday night.
The presentation outlined the four potential redevelopment options that the BFD board is considering as well as some of the challenges that each presents. The most controversial involved constructing a residential building with a new station on the site.
Grant Davies, BFD’s Treasurer, led the presentation with assistance from BFD Director Nat Finkelstein.
Davies and Finkelstein were both insistent that community members understand that nothing is decided and that everything shown in the presentation is extremely preliminary and conceptual.
The first option presented was to “Do Nothing,” leaving Station No. 6 as it is, which according to the department is not a viable solution due to the fact that it would not meet the firefighters needs nor would it meet the community’s needs.
Davies also presented the option of refurbishment. Refurbishing No. 6 would predominately involve bringing the station up to current county standards.
The final two options presented at the meeting have been the cause of community debate and uneasiness since redevelopment of the site was announced.
The creation of a new standalone station on the site of No. 6 was one of the proposed options that carried a number of questions regarding construction and impact to nearby residential neighborhoods.
However the concept of creating a new residential building which would incorporate No. 6 into the design was the most contested option presented last night. Many community members argued that it would create traffic problems as well as be a disturbance to the neighborhood. Despite Davies’ assurance that no decisions have been made some attendees said they felt like the BFD was pushing for the residential option.
Developing a residential building on the site would help the fire department pay for a new station, officials said.
Meeting attendees wanted to know how much the project would cost; whether or not any retail would be incorporated as it has been in the majority of recent county development; and how many units the potential residential building might contain.
While the BFD has not made any decisions regarding the options, Finkelstein and Davies did say that the residential building would likely be around 8-stories and have at least 120 units. Davies said the project would likely not contain commercial space.
He explained that the final two options could cost between $13 million and $16 million dollars, these numbers are based on the cost of similar projects throughout the county.
For the final portion of the presentation Davies showed conceptual artist’s sketches of what the residential building with Station No. 6 incorporated could look like. Prior to showing the sketches Finkelstein and Davies both stressed that nothing was decided and that these sketches were entirely conceptual.
Many attendees offered suggestions for additional solutions and offered insight on how they believed the Board should proceed. One notable suggestion was that sub-groups should be made in order to investigate each of the proposed options without bias and present each with the benefits and drawbacks.
The community meeting last night was the first of two scheduled, both held at Station No. 6 at 7 p.m. The next meeting is planned for September 18.