Plans for a new Fire Station 21 on Greenwood Avenue and 73rd Street are being developed, and a public meeting on the designs will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Sept. 4 at City Hall.

The new station is being built under the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy approved by Seattle voters in Nov. 2003. Under that levy 32 neighborhood fire stations would undergo renovations from 2004 to 2013.

Kate Spitzer, head architect for the project for the Miller Hull Partnership, said construction could begin as early as Sept. 2009.

Spitzer said the current station, built in 1951, is too small and outdated to fit with the fire department's current needs. The building also has a number of seismic problems, she said.

Once built, the new station will have two stories and feature more living and equipment space, increased space for disaster supply storage and a public lobby and front office, Spitzer said.

During the rebuilding, the fire station will move to a temporary location at Greenwood Avenue and 68th Street.

Local artist Perri Lynch will be working on the rebuilding project as well.

Lynch said she is interested in creating artwork for the new building that explores changing senses of time during moments of tranquility and moments of stress and emergency.

Although early in her own design process, Lynch said she would like to create a large vertical piece on the corner of 73rd and Greenwood that would act as a local landmark, reflecting both the community and the steadfastness of the fire station.