Alamo Fire Station Approved

A new fire station on Stone Valley Road will be built as planned.

Contra Costa supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday afternoon to approve the project, denying an appeal by some Alamo residents who opposed the facility.

The new 9,400-square-foot fire station will be built at Stone Valley Road and Miranda Avenue by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.

It's 2,000 feet from the current 3,700-square-foot station, which was built in 1958. It is the smallest and oldest among the district's 10 Tri-Valley stations.

The current station has 18 employees, two structural fire engines, a wildland fire engine and one ambulance. Six people are on duty each day at the station.

The new station would accommodate eight fire personnel a day.

The fire district purchased the 1.1-acre lot in 2008. The plan was recommended for approval by the Alamo Municipal Advisory Committee in March.

The Contra Costa Planning Commission approved the project during the summer. That decision was appealed by Diann Tilley Chistensen, a resident of Alamo for the past 23 years.

Christensen said neighbors have concerns about traffic and safety. She said it will be difficult for large fire engines to travel through that neighborhood in an emergency. She added there will also be an increase in traffic from firefighters and other personnel coming and going from the station.

She said traffic studies for this project were done during weekends and other days when there was no school in session and traffic was lighter than normal.

"I've done a 23-year traffic study," she noted.

David Cardiff, another Alamo resident, said he's concerned about the placement of propane tanks on the property. He said Alamo is in an active earthquake area, and he feels there is a potential for a major disaster.

"You're placing the residents in danger," he said.

Another resident, David Ard, noted the Alamo Improvement Association recommended the project be denied.

"It's not just the neighbors who oppose this," he said.

However, Fire Chief Richard Price said the station has been through three years of study and hearings. He said the district has met more than 60 conditions and has addressed all concerns.

"Three years of talking about the land use on this project is enough," he said.

Price also said the current station is outdated and needs to be replaced.

"We build exemplary facilities for people who serve and defend," Price said. "Our community deserves the opportunity to have this facility."

David Barclay, a member of the Alamo MAC, and Chris Suter, a 30-year Alamo resident, both spoke in favor of the new station. So did John Carpenter, a resident of Daniel Drive.

Supervisor Gayle Uilkema, who just inherited the Danville-Alamo into her district under redistricting, made the motion to approve the project.

Supervisor Mary Piepho, who until recently represented the region, seconded the motion.