A proposal to demolish and reconstruct Greenwood’s Fire Station 21 was presented at a city council public hearing and came out with positive reviews.

The public hearing took place in Seattle Council Chambers Wednesday afternoon, July 22, on the recommendation from council member Sally Clark, to approve the proposal for the fire station’s remodel and safety upgrades.

“Our main design concepts are currently in the construction documenting stage of the project,” Scott Wolf of Miller Hull Partnership said. “It’s a relatively small site and from the urban design, the key feature is to bring the facility up to property lines to match the store front establishments so the existing character of the street is continued.”

Fire Station 21 is located at 7304 Greenwood Ave. N.

Wolf explained that building the facility to property lines would make the front apparatus bay (side with fire station garage doors) more visible, giving citizens the opportunity to see more of station operations.

Council member Sally Clark agreed that the station doors are always open and that fire fighters are always out front communicating with the public.

Wolf also said their plan would be to leave the doors open, because that transparency would make it a central part of the community.

There would also be changes to the two-story section of the building where firefighter living quarters, a day room and a station office reside.

Wolf pointed out the service bar on the east side of the station, which binds the apparatus bay and provides a buffer to the alley and retail establishments on the north side.

“It provides a place for the bunker gear, cleaner room, and all the essentials to the operation of the station,” Wolf said.

In response, Clark asked about how the washing of the fire trucks would be handled.

“Currently, we don’t have the ability to wash the rigs inside, but we will with this facility, as we have with all new facilities,” David Kunselman, Fire Facilities Levy Program Mananger for city said.

There will be floor drains inside the station so all wash water will be captured inside the apparatus bay and be filtered before it goes down the drain.

An art piece that would be placed outside the station is also being proposed by artist Perry Clark. Wolf said they are working with the city arts commission to develop it.

“It’s an interesting piece of alternating stacked stone and cast glass with a light element inside that will be tied inside the building’s alarm system,” Wolf said.

Initially a blue-green color, when the alarm goes off the light will change to a red-orange color, as a visual indication through the art piece for both fire fighters and the public that the station will be in response mode, said Scott Kemp, a planner with the Department of Planning and Development.

Installation of a new traffic signal would be essential, Wolf said. Now, the light at 73rd Street turns red and traffic on Greenwood Avenue stops, he said.

With the modifications, the new signal stop south bound traffic giving firefighters the space to maneuver, Wolf said.

“A yellow fire signal will be on at all times and it will be red during an alarm," he added.

Wolf said public response to the design at open houses, and three separate presentations to the city's design commission, have been overwhelmingly supportive.

The design and modifications to Fire Station 21 will go to full council for vote on July 27 at 2 p.m. in Seattle Council Chambers.

If the design is approved by the full city council, Fire Station 21's temporary location will be located at the old service station a couple blocks south of the current facility. They will take it over with tentative trailers in the fall.