Following outcry from residents worried about losing their properties, the Golden Valley City Council has decided to no longer consider building a new fire station in any spots that would require demolishing private homes.
Brian Wade, a Golden Valley homeowner who actively opposed the idea of using residential sites for the new station, said the news came as a relief and felt like a win for many in the community.
"We weren't really sure we'd get this outcome, so we're super happy about it," said Wade, who previously received letters from the city notifying him that his property could be purchased for a new fire station site.
"We've had the same stance the entire time — that not only should it not be my home or my neighborhood, but no residential [property] in general," Wade said.
At a city council work session last Tuesday, members discussed eight possible sites for a new fire station, only one of which was a residential area, where the property owners had agreed to sell. But the council ultimately decided to totally eliminate residential sites from consideration.
Originally, the city had looked at around 130 residential properties as possible sites for the new station.
Assistant Fire Chief Bethany Brunsell said she thinks the loud concerns from homeowners factored into the decision to move away from residential sites.
"There was definitely a very organized and vocal engagement from homeowners, who contacted city council, which is great to see so much engagement from the community in this process," Brunsell said. "The city council, and certainly we as a fire department, heard those voices and wanted to respect those opinions."