In a public hearing held on Monday, December 7, the San Diego City Council and San Diego Redevelopment Agency approved the use of tax increment funding from the Centre City and Horton Plaza Redevelopment Agency Area for the planning, design, and construction of the Bayside Fire Station.

The station will be erected on the southeast corner of Pacific Highway and Cedar Streets and across the street from the County Administration Building.

“We have a critical problem downtown because of the railroad tracks and the response time increases that can be caused when a first responder is coming from the east side of the tracks and gets delayed in attempting to respond to the west side,” said Cory Beckwith, vice president of San Diego Firefighters Local 145 as he spoke at the city council meeting. “We're happy to support a proposal that will improve on the situation.”

With the approval from the Redevelopment Agency, the Centre City Development Corporation will be able to enter into a contract with Rob Quigley for architectural and engineering services.

“CCDC is excited to begin the design on this important public safety facility,” said CCDC chairman and CEO Fred Maas in a December 8 news release. “The last fire station built in downtown was in 1971 and the need for increased fire-rescue facilities are imperative to effectively serve the growing downtown population.”

The project is estimated at $21.5 million and is expected to be paid for by downtown redevelopment funds. The target completion date is early 2013.