New Fire Station to Replace ‘Outdated’ 1970s Facility

Plans to replace an outdated fire station on 1820 Wiehle Avenue are in-the-works in order to meet increasing demands fueled by population growth in Reston.

The $13 million project calls for replacing Reston Fire and Rescue Station 25, which was built in 1972 and last upgraded in 1986, with a two-story station more than double the size of the current site.

The new 17,150-square-foot station will include four bays with a “contemporary look to compliment the urban feel of Reston Town Center,” according to plans submitted to the county this month.

The current 7,750-square-foot fire station is “grossly undersized” with only two-and-a-half bays, leaving little room for storing equipment and managing additional responders and units. Service demands are also expected to increase as construction and residential development rapidly expands in the immediate area, according to the plans.

If approved by the county, construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2019 and be completed by early spring of 2021.

Lisa Goddard, a project manager for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Service, said the transition from a one-story to two-story building was well-received by the community at a Reston Planning and Zoning Committee meeting earlier this week.

“It will anticipate the growth for the Reston area,” Goddard told Reston Now. “And that’s the big concern given how Reston is growing so much.”

The new station will also include space for programming on the second floor, along with administrative offices, a dayroom, kitchen, storage and bunk rooms.

Expected construction costs are not available because the project is still in the design phase, Goddard said. Roughly $13 million has been allocated. The fire station is one of five stations slated for upgrades under a bond referendum in 2015.

During the course of the project, the fire station’s operations will temporarily move to 1800 Cameron Glen Drive.

Photos via handout