City Council approved the “purchase” of 6.5 acres of that land last Thursday, which would “provide sufficient space for a future relocation of Fire Station 32, should funding become available for construction,” per the legislation.
The proposed area includes space to extend Industrial Boulevard from Lower Bellbrook Road north to West Second Street adjacent to the property, which has long been included in the city’s planning documents, the city said.
The property set back off West Second Street, next to Cherry Grove Cemetery, isn’t the set location of where the fire station would be, but with the term of the purchase option expiring, council wanted to retain the location as an option, said city councilman Will Urschel.
“I want to stress that this is not the best option, but that it is available to us at no cost should we not find a better option in the next couple of years,” City Manager Brent Merriman told council last Thursday.
The existing Fire Station 32 (also referred to as Station 2) is a small, older site at 849 W. Second St., about a quarter-mile east of the land under discussion.
Moving and replacing Fire Station 32 has long been a goal of the city to improve emergency response times for growing neighborhoods in southwest Xenia. The current fire station is “woefully inadequate” to house the city’s firefighters and equipment, Urschel previously told the Dayton Daily News.
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