Frequently Asked Questions: East Fire Station

Golden Valley residents rely on the City to provide a wide range of essential services, such as maintaining streets, parks, and water and sewer systems and providing emergency response and public safety.

Over the past several years, the City has been assessing its aging public buildings to determine where improvements are needed. It concluded that the buildings that house Fire Departments can no longer adequately support the efficient delivery of City services.

A 2016 study of Golden Valley’s fire/rescue operations concluded the City needed to move from a three-station paid on-call staffing model to a two station duty crew staffing model. In 2021, the City of Golden Valley completed an analysis of all of its facilities needs that reaffirmed the findings of its 2016 fire/rescue operation study and identified a new remote fire station as the City’s number one facilities priority.

The new East Fire Station will significantly improve emergency response times with its strategic location on Highway 100, allowing the GVFD to respond more quickly to a larger portion of the city than the current three-station model allows. The Fire Department will be able to staff the station 24/7, enhancing service and response for both fire and medical emergencies. The new station will also reduce reliance on neighboring communities, provide equitable facilities for all staff, and enhance firefighter safety through better cancer prevention measures and safer gear placement.

The Fire Department headquarters in the new Public Safety building will continue to serve the central and western parts of Golden Valley, allowing the new East Fire Station to focus on improving coverage for the eastern portion of the city. By consolidating Stations 2 and 3 into the East Fire Station along the Highway 100 corridor, the City is addressing outdated response coverage caused by changes to surrounding roadways. This strategic relocation ensures more efficient deployment and supports improved response times across the entire community.

Over 30 potential sites were evaluated for the new East Fire Station, with each location assessed based on key criteria such as emergency response times, land acquisition and development costs, site size, long-term sustainability, and overall community impact. After a comprehensive review, City Council directed staff to further study the top four scoring locations:

• Fiest Automotive site at 1875 Lilac Drive

• MnDOT-owned parcel at 2055 Lilac Drive

• Medical office buildings located behind Lunds & Byerlys at 5801 and 5851 Duluth Street

• Schaper Park at 631 Ottawa Avenue

Following detailed analysis that included feasibility, cost, accessibility, and alignment with response goals, 1875 Lilac Drive emerged as the most suitable option for the new East Fire Station. Its central, strategic location along the Highway 100 corridor offers optimal emergency coverage for the eastern part of Golden Valley while minimizing disruption to the community and ensuring long-term operational efficiency.

Once the Building Forward process is further along, the City will need to decide the viability of reuse. The City will continue to work with residents to identify opportunities and priorities for new investments.

The Golden Valley City Council approved the property at 1875 Lilac Drive N as the location of the new East Fire Station on Sept 16, 2025. Once the site acquisition process is complete, the City will provide an update on the project’s next steps.

The East Fire Station is being funded through several sources that are separate from the 1.25 percent optional sales tax. Funding for the East Fire Station project will come from a combination of city funds and government bonds. Bonds are a type of long-term loan utilized by government entities to finance major, long-term capital projects such as roads, schools, and other public infrastructure. Borrowing for large project enables government entities to distribute the costs across future years. 

In 2023, the City received nearly $3.2 million in state grant funding to contribute to this project. The City will use these funds to acquire and improve property and create early designs.

Over the past several years, the City has been assessing its aging public buildings to determine where improvements are needed. It concluded that the buildings that house Fire Departments can no longer adequately support the efficient delivery of City services.

A 2016 study of Golden Valley’s fire/rescue operations concluded the City needed to move from a three-station paid on-call staffing model to a two station duty crew staffing model. In 2021, the City of Golden Valley completed an analysis of all of its facilities needs that reaffirmed the findings of its 2016 fire/rescue operation study and identified a new remote fire station as the City’s number one facilities priority.