VERO BEACH — The Indian River County Planning & Zoning Board approved the major site plan and administrative permit March 12 for the county’s newest fire station, paving the way for emergency services protection much closer to Vero Lakes Estates and Sebastian River High School.
Planning Chief Brandon Creagan introduced the dual request that day.
“Fire Station 15 is much needed for the residents of Vero Lake Estates,” he said. “It is west of 90th Avenue, north of 87th Street, east of 91st Avenue and south of 89th Street. Fire Station 15 is going to be a four-bay, 9,983-square-foot truck building including administrative offices, a weight room and equipment room. The traffic circulation plan calls for one main connection and an emergency vehicle exit to 87th Street. There’s going to be traffic-signal preemption at 87th Street and 90th Avenue, so all the lights will turn red.”
Commissioner Kenneth A. “Chip” Landers was the first to pose a question afterward whose answer became a primary concern for his colleagues.
“Where are the sidewalks at [and] do they extend all the way north?” he asked.
“There’ll be a sidewalk on 87th Street,” Creagan: replied. “It wasn’t feasible to put a sidewalk along 91st Avenue because that’s mainly a residential road not up to full county standards.”
Sweeney, in turn, provided other reasons that particular street wasn’t suitable for sidewalks.
“Ninety-First Avenue is also an unpaved road and there’s a drainage swale on the east side,” he said. For 87th, it [the sidewalk] will run the full length of the parcel boundary. It will terminate at the right-of-way line for 90th with the understanding that it will eventually connect when the Department of Transportation completes the widening of [SR] 510.”
School Board Liaison Teri Barenbourg also expressed concerns about the dearth of sidewalks.
“This community doesn’t have sidewalks, which has been a real issue for us,” she said. “We’ve had a child that was hit and killed there in the past. If you put a sidewalk on 91st and they eventually pave that, would you have to redo the sidewalk?”
“The county follows its own code,” Sweeney responded. “If the road is not paved, then the sidewalk requirement is not applicable.”
Both Commissioner John Campbell and Barenbourg brought up another compounding concern about the street in question, which the former described as “the rear exit from the school.”
“After school hours [and[after games, it’s busy,” Commissioner Campbell said. “Was there any consideration to a light at 91st and 87th? I have seen that completely backed down to 90th.”
“It’s dangerous, and you have kids walking too,” Barenbourg chimed back in. “A child was driving and another child was walking and a child hit a child.”
Indian River County Fire Chief David Johnson then attempted to allay their concerns.
“The preemption for the light will help out,” he said. “If that intersection is loaded, we may have an issue if we take a left, but we encounter that in a lot of areas so we’re able to get around that normally.”
Commissioner Lander also broached the topic of the eight-foot-deep stormwater retention pond on the fire station site plan
“Is there any fencing around that lake? he asked. “You’re in a family neighborhood, so it’s just going to invite the activity one way or another.”
MVB Engineering representative Todd Howder tackled that inquiry.
“There is not fencing proposed now,” he said. “The pond is designed with the slope requirements that do not exceed [code] You can put a fence up if you want, but it does not trip the requirement.”
Barenbourg, however sided with Board Member Lander.
“This is a big neighborhood with lots of kids,” she said.
Chief Johnson, who actually served as the applicant, told the Board he would not oppose a fence requirement.
“It was unbeknownst to me that there was going to be that deep of water in it,” he said. “I will ensure a fence is around it before this thing is finished.”
The P&Z Commission then voted unanimously to approve the new fire station with a fence installed prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy.