Gainesville Fire Rescue could soon be getting its first new fire station since 1979.
The City Commission passed three petitions Monday night that will allow for the construction of Fire Station No. 8 on 4127 NW 34th St.
The land is part of a parcel that belongs to A Child's Place childcare center, owned by Desjam Enterprises, Inc.
The petitions authorized splitting the lot and changing land use and zoning classifications for the fire station.
Commissioner Ed Braddy and Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan brought up concerns about noise at the meeting. The proposed location for the station borders a residential area.
"You may have retirees, you may have stay-at-home parents, you may have people who are not gone during the course of the day," Hanrahan said. "You need to work hard at that. We want to be good neighbors."
Gainesville Fire Chief Bill Northcutt, who also spoke at the meeting, said the station will try to keep noise down, especially at night.
"I think the intent will be not to use those sirens until absolutely necessary," he said.
Chris Dawson, a planner with Causseaux, Hewett, & Walpole Inc., said at the meeting that planners will do what they can to prevent disruption to the neighbors. The organization would be building the station.
This includes constructing the building back from the edge of the property and surrounding the property with vegetation, he said.
In planning the vegetation, the planners will try to retain as many of the property's current trees as possible, he said.
