REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a Conceptual Design for the Fire Station 2 - New Construction Project and Find the Action is Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15262
Report
BACKGROUND
A Master Plan of Sunnyvale’s six fire stations (five of which were built in the 1960s) was completed in September 2021. The Fire Station Master Plan (FSMP) reviewed the existing conditions, current program requirements, and assessed the stations against current best practices for optimum operation and staff health and safety. As part of this review, the existing Fire Station 2 and training center (located at 795 E. Arques Avenue) were noted to be outdated, inefficiently organized, and have many facility deficiencies that do not meet many current codes and best practices. The report recommended completely replacing Fire Station 2 and the training center as the highest priority. With this recommendation, all on-site facilities except for the central training tower would be replaced.
In June 2022, Council approved a budget of $40,752,524 for the design and construction of a new Fire Station 2 and training center, which included budget for a temporary fire station during construction. The City also received a $1,000,000 Federal Community Project Funding grant administered by the Housing and Urban Development Commission in August 2024, which supplants $1,000,000 of existing local funds for construction.
PBK Architects was awarded the design and construction support contract for the Fire Station 2 - New Construction project in December 2023 (RTC No. 23-1056). The design phase began in February 2024.
The goals of the project are to improve health and safety of the community and fire personnel, provide sustainable fire service facilities that are easy to maintain and have reasonable operation and maintenance costs, and enable fire services to provide a high level of timely and professional service to the community. Once completed, the new Fire Station 2 and training center will be code-compliant and meet current best practices, allowing the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to be healthier, safer, and more efficient operationally. The new Fire Station 2 will also have capacity to accommodate future growth and needs of the City and help maintain fire response services as other stations are remodeled or reconstructed as recommended in the FSMP.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan Chapter 3: Land Use and Transportation
GOAL LT-4: AN ATTRACTIVE COMMUNITY FOR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES
In combination with the City’s Community Design sub-element, ensure that all areas of the City are attractive, and that the City’s image is enhanced by following policies and principles of good urban design while valued elements of the community fabric are preserved.
General Plan Chapter 4: Community Character
GOAL CC-1: DISTINGUISHED CITY IMAGE
Promote Sunnyvale’s image by maintaining, enhancing, and creating physical features, including functional and decorative art, which distinguish Sunnyvale from surrounding communities and by preserving historic buildings, special districts and residential neighborhoods which make the City unique.
General Plan Chapter 6: Safety and Noise
GOAL SN-3: SAFÉ AND SECURE CITY
Ensure a safe and secure environment for people and property in the community by providing effective public safety response and prevention and education services.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The actions being considered are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15262 as the actions relate to the authorization of a feasibility and planning study for possible future actions that the City Council has not approved, adopted or funded.
If a Design Concept for the Fire Station 2 Project is approved, the full scope of the project and any potential impacts will need to be determined and evaluated. It is anticipated that a Class 32 Categorical Exemption (in-fill development) will be used for CEQA compliance for this project. The CEQA determination will be brought to City Council for approval concurrent with award of the construction contract for the project.
DISCUSSION
On September 28, 2021, staff presented the Sunnyvale Fire Station Master Plan (Study Session 21-0534). As noted in the FSMP, to accommodate broadened service needs, fire stations have increased in size and specialization. The health and safety of first responders are of greater concern not only during emergencies but also in their daily activities. Fire station standards and best practices have evolved since Sunnyvale’s 1960s-era fire stations were originally constructed.
The existing Fire Station 2 site includes five buildings on a 2.28-acre parcel. The 7,500-square-foot main fire station building is a single-story concrete block building constructed in 1964. An adjacent 560-square-foot single-story concrete block annex, also constructed in 1964, is used for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) maintenance, repair, a compressed air tank filling station, and physical fitness training. The site also includes an 1,800-square-foot single-story modular training center housing the Joint Fire Academy Training Program, a 680-square-foot single-story modular building housing a Santa Clara County contract paramedic provider ambulance crew, and a 2,800-square-foot four-story concrete training tower with a basement constructed in 2000.
As part of the process to recertify the program needs listed in the FSMP, the design team worked with DPS to design a floor plan that supports current and future growth needs. Updates to Fire Station 2’s program beyond what is noted in the FSMP include the Team Coordinator office becoming an office/dorm suite, nine dorm rooms being provided instead of the seven listed in the FSMP to match Fire Station 5’s growth opportunity, which resulted in one more crew bathroom, larger and more usable dining and fitness rooms, and 33 turnout lockers versus the 24 originally listed. Conversely, the need for a temporary fire station was eliminated (discussed more in Construction Phasing section below), savings from separating the training center from the fire station (an essential building) allowed a reduction in building code requirements for the training center facility, and some savings were also regained in the apparatus bay and associated support services spaces with limited impacts on program needs. The total area of the new two-story fire station and training center buildings is 21,720 square feet, which exceeds the 20,490 square feet projected in the FSMP by 1,230 square feet.
Floorplans
The Fire Station 2 floor plan minimizes travel distances and obstructions. In addition, the floorplan implements specific measures to reduce exposure to infectious diseases and carcinogens through the design practice of zoning fire stations into three areas to isolate, control, and reduce the spread of carcinogens: Hot (apparatus bays), Warm (transition zones), and Cool (interior house). Fire Station 2’s design includes four apparatus bays to house all three apparatuses and two command vehicles located at Fire Station 2 to prolong the life of the vehicles and avoid cold starts during inclement weather. Additional support spaces like the decontamination room, hazardous materials room, turnout room, and medical supply closet are provided from the apparatus bay. Isolated SCBA and shop rooms are also provided adjacent to the apparatus bay for separation and easy access. Other design measures implemented to improve health and safety through carcinogen containment include transition vestibules at each entrance from the apparatus bay to the house, a handwash station located in the apparatus bay between the house entrances, and positive air pressure in the interior house to limit carcinogens from entering the living and office spaces. See Attachment 1 to this report for the Fire Station 2 floor plan.
The first story of the interior house includes a watch room, fitness room, storage and support spaces, office spaces including attached dorm suites for the Battalion Chief and Team Coordinator, and a designated space for the public to access the lobby, community room, and restroom from the public entrance on E. Arques Avenue.
The second story houses the main living area for station personnel including the kitchen, dining room, day room, outdoor patio, dorms, restrooms, laundry room, and additional storage and support spaces. The two-story station also includes an elevator, two egress stairways per Building Code, and a fire pole.
The training center floor plan is split into two building footprints connected by a single roof structure. Similar to the new station, the training center separates the “hot” zones from the “cool” zones with the open breezeway acting as a transition zone. The “cool” zone portion of the training center includes the entrance lobby, restroom, conference room, offices and support spaces, fitness, classroom, and break room. The “hot” zone spaces include the decontamination room, turnout room, shop, storage, and locker rooms. Additional health and safety design measures include the turnout room being separated from the locker room to limit the potential of contaminants spreading to students’ street clothing and other personal items. See Attachment 2 for the training center floor plan.
The training center design aims to optimize indoor instruction and outdoor training by facing the classroom toward the training tower and integrating a covered patio with bleacher seating that faces the outdoor training area.
Architectural Style
A series of four initial massing studies and loose conceptual sketches were reviewed by staff and DPS leadership. These four distinct design options included modern, contemporary, traditional, and industrial architectural style concepts. Following a thorough review of these options, the contemporary design was selected as the most suitable for the site. In September 2024, a preliminary concept plan package was submitted to the Planning Division of the Community Development Department for review leading to refinements that addressed concerns related to the building’s facade along E. Arques Avenue and the buildings’ corner presence at the Wolfe Road and E. Arques Avenue intersection, which have both been addressed in the final concept by introducing spandrel glass on the training center facade to match the fire station and by identifying potential public art locations on either the side of the training center building or within the landscaped corner facing the intersection. See Attachment 3 for the architectural rendering.
The Concept’s contemporary design emphasizes simple massing and clean lines complementing the existing training tower to ensure a cohesive aesthetic, and utilizes metal panels and terra cotta tiles, drawing inspiration from the recently built Emergency Operations Center. The design for Fire Station 2 and the training center reflects a thoughtful integration of community values, environmental context, and architectural innovation, resulting in a facility that stands as a testament to the City’s commitment to public service and safety.
Site Plan and Circulation
Because of the limited size of the existing site, the fire station and training center buildings are positioned strategically along E. Arques Avenue to facilitate quick response times and to create a welcoming, yet iconic street frontage presence to the community.
The new site will consist of twenty-five unsecured public parking stalls utilized by visitors and training staff and students during training operations. These stalls include the required ADA parking and EV/EV-capable stalls. There are an additional twenty unmarked spaces in the secured area for fire station staff and equipment stored on site. The spaces in the secured area are unmarked to allow for maximum flexibility in use. In addition to designing for apparatus circulation and training activities around the training tower, space for an emergency generator, trash enclosure, training burn boxes, and trailer/forklift storage are also provided along the perimeter of the secured area. A new concrete washdown area and apparatus return access for drive-through response vehicles are also provided directly behind the apparatus bay.
In addition to street frontage improvements which include new driveway approaches, sidewalk, planter strip, curb, gutter, and relocation of an existing bus duckout on E. Arques Avenue, the Wolfe Road driveway approach will also be shifted to the north to maximize the training area while providing a dedicated return route for the fire station apparatuses without impeding training operations. See Attachment 4 for the Conceptual Site Plan.
Sustainability
The new Fire Station 2 and training center will be designed to meet CALGreen mandatory measures, as well as LEED Gold equivalency. In addition, the buildings will be all-electric, solar-ready, make EV charging available to the public, and be EV fire engine charging ready within the apparatus bay. The project will not install a photovoltaic system or a battery backup system as this was not included in the approved budget scope but could be added in the future and could be a good candidate for grant opportunities. Staff may also consider utilizing a Power Purchase Agreement instead of purchasing a photovoltaic panel system outright. EV chargers for electric engines within the apparatus bay will also not be included in this project since there are no current plans to procure an electric fire engine. The technology for fire engines is changing and improving all the time and once a suitable vehicle fits the City’s needs, EV chargers can be installed in the bays. Therefore, the station building will be designed to be charger-ready by providing empty conduits in the foundation to the transformer and electrical panels and allocating space for charging equipment and infrastructure on site. During design development, staff will discuss options with PG&E to provide infrastructure and electric capacity for future chargers, a photovoltaic system, and battery backup system.
Construction Cost and Value Engineering
The Concept as shown utilizes the full extent of the available budget to achieve the project goals and meet current and future needs. Should construction cost estimates increase as the project continues in design, staff has considered the following minor design changes as value engineering options to keep the project on budget without a heavy impact on the program:
1. Reduce the apparatus bay length from 70’ to 65’
2. Reduce site improvement and offsite scope
3. Defer public EV chargers to an outside vendor and provide infrastructure only
The project will be brought to City Council again at the time of awarding the construction contract which is anticipated in Spring 2026.
Construction Phasing
Thoughtful construction phasing is critical for maintaining fire response services throughout construction, but training programs cannot be accommodated and will be relocated off-site during this time. The training center modular building, paramedic trailer, drafting pit, and SCBA annex will be removed first to make space for the construction of the new fire station in the southwest area of the site, leaving the existing fire station untouched so that fire response operations can continue during construction without the need for a temporary fire station. Once the new fire station is functioning and occupied, the existing station will be demolished to allow for the construction of the new training center in the southeast portion. The remainder of the site, including the construction of offsite improvements, will be completed last. The approximate construction duration, including the demolition of the old fire station, is expected to be approximately 18 months.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact from the approval of the conceptual design.
Budgeted funding for the Fire Station 2 project is available in Project 835890 - Fire Station 2 - New Construction. The expected total cost for design and construction is $40,752,524. The project budget financial summary is included as Attachment 5 to this report.
This project was also awarded a $1,000,000 Federal Community Project Funding grant administered by the Housing and Urban Development Commission, which will supplant $1,000,000 of existing local funds for construction.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the NOVA Workforce Services reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the Recommended Conceptual Design for the Fire Station 2 - New Construction Project as shown on Attachment 3 of the report and authorize staff to proceed with detailed design and preparation of bid documents.
2. Provide other direction to staff as Council deems appropriate.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the Recommended Conceptual Design for the Fire Station 2 - New Construction Project as shown on Attachment 3 of the report and authorize staff to proceed with detailed design and preparation of bid documents.
Justification
The recommended conceptual design provides a quality fire station and training center that thoughtfully integrates program needs, best practices for improved health and safety, sustainability, and architectural innovation.
Levine Act
LEVINE ACT
The Levine Act (Gov. Code Section 84308) prohibits city officials from participating in certain decisions regarding licenses, permits, and other entitlements for use if the official has received a campaign contribution of more than $250 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant in the previous 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to-play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
An “X” in the checklist below indicates that the action being considered falls under a Levine Act category or exemption:
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
___ Land development entitlements
___ Other permit, license, or entitlement for use
___ Contract or franchise
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
___ Competitively bid contract*
___ Labor or personal employment contract
_X_ General policy and legislative actions
* "Competitively bid" means a contract that must be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
Staff
Prepared by: Marlon Quiambao, Senior Engineer, Public Works Department
Reviewed by: Nate Scribner, Assistant City Engineer, Public Works Department
Reviewed by: Dennis Ng, Interim Assistant Director, Public Works Department
Reviewed by: Chief Phan Ngo, Department of Public Safety
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works Department
Reviewed by: Sarah Johnson-Rios, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Tim Kirby, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Fire Station 2 Floor Plan
2. Training Center Floor Plan
3. Conceptual Renderings
4. Conceptual Site Plan
5. Project 835890 - Fire Station 2 - New Construction Budget Financial Summary