The Los Angeles City Planning Commission unanimously approved a General Plan amendment and zone change Thursday that clears the way for a new fire station in Sylmar, expected to cut emergency response times in the northeast San Fernando Valley from roughly eight to nine minutes down to three to four minutes.
The Los Angeles City Planning Commission unanimously approved a General Plan amendment and zone change Thursday that would allow construction of a new fire station in Sylmar aimed at reducing emergency response times in the northeast San Fernando Valley.
The city plans to build a new two-story Los Angeles Fire Department Station No. 31 on a 35,067-square-foot vacant lot at 16300 W. Foothill Blvd., near Filbert Street. The project requires a General Plan amendment changing the site's land-use designation from limited industrial to public facilities, along with a corresponding zone change.
The matter is expected to go next to the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee before consideration by the full council.
Plans call for the station's ground floor to house emergency response operations and public administration, three apparatus bays with direct slide-pole access, a 380-square-foot turnout gear room with 19 lockers, a dispatch work area, administrative offices, a 290-square-foot multipurpose room, a kitchen and a 544-square-foot dining area, and a repair shop.
The second floor would include a main crew dormitory, a captain's dormitory, an ambulance crew dormitory, a 315-square-foot wellness room, and a laundry room. The station would accommodate nine crew members and two captains, with 11 beds.
Plans also call for 17 parking spaces, four of which are designated for future electric vehicle use, along with short- and long-term bicycle parking. The building's height has not been finalized.
The project site is within a very high fire hazard severity zone and a designated high-wind-velocity area. It is about one kilometer from the nearest known fault, the Santa Susana Fault.
City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who represents the Seventh District, has pushed for a new fire station in the area. In April, the City Council approved a motion calling on the Department of City Planning to initiate the General Plan amendment and zone change needed to advance the project.
"Establishing Fire Station 31 in Sylmar remains a top priority, and the site's rezoning approval brings us one step closer to reducing response times and strengthening wildfire protection in our foothill communities," Rodriguez said. "With this crucial milestone secured, we have momentum to move this long-overdue project forward through the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and the full City Council."
Rodriguez has said Sylmar and surrounding communities need additional fire stations to improve emergency response.
Fire Station No. 91, at 14430 Polk St., is the only city fire station in Sylmar. Two neighboring stations also provide emergency coverage: Fire Station No. 75 at 15345 San Fernando Mission Blvd. in Mission Hills and Fire Station No. 98 at 13035 Van Nuys Blvd. in Pacoima.
The new station is expected to reduce emergency response times in Sylmar and other northeast San Fernando Valley communities from about eight to nine minutes to three to four minutes, according to the LAFD.
This article was generated with AI assistance.