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For the past two years, city officials have been selling various properties in an effort to return them for other business uses, according to Jennifer Ekey, city economic development director.
The Tytus Avenue Fire Station sits on three lots totaling 0.8381 acres, and has 3,413 square feet of space with 1,408 square feet of blacktop. It was decommissioned in 2014 due to budget cuts and a reduction of firefighters at the time. The building is being offered “as is” and there is a minimum bid of $95,000, according to City Manager Doug Adkins.
“With the new fire strategic plan, we do not anticipate ever opening up or using that fire station in the future,” Adkins said.
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Among the goals in the new fire department strategic plan is to determine the best deployment of firefighters and new station locations.
In the past, Adkins has said the existing fire stations are old, nearing the end of the their useful life and they are not well positioned in relation to the growth of the city in the past three decades.
Interested developers are required to submit an executive summary, project timeline, proof of the financial resources needed to support the project, a business plan, and a development plan for the selected site. Another requirement is for interested buyers to view the property prior to submitting their proposal. The viewing date is 3 to 4 p.m. Nov. 15; and the deadline to submit proposals is 11 a.m. Dec. 12.
In 2016, there was some discussion about using the former fire station as transitional housing for recovering addicts.
“While the nonprofits had funding to renovate the station, the ongoing expenses of operating such a facility were beyond their ability to sustain, so the project never came together,” Adkins said.
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