• Purchasing this property will allow the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) to collaborate in the development of a large parcel in the Heights area.
• Purchasing this property will allow Vancouver Fire Department to re-locate and build a larger Fire Station #3 to accommodate the Heights Development project and ensure this service area has adequate responsiveness to calls. A replacement of Fire Station #3 was one if the City's highest priority capital projects to be funded by Proposition 2. The future new Fire Station #3 will be engineered and constructed to withstand a seismic event and able to maintain operations in the event of a regional emergency.
• An independent appraisal of the property was prepared by Colliers International on May 31, 2023, valuing the land at $600,000.
• The acquisition also includes a cost reimbursement to the VHA in the amount of $505,109, equal to fifty percent of the remediation, demolition, and associated site work expenses incurred by the VHA to remove structures and prepare the land for redevelopment.
• The purchase agreement also contemplates a purchase option for the City to acquire an additional .5 acres of adjacent land at the same square foot valuation and, if necessary, future easements and shared maintenance agreements to facilitate access.

As the City of Vancouver continues to grow, so do the public safety needs of our residents.  As part of our continued efforts to maintain the best public safety policies and practices and to assist in the Heights Development Project, the City of Vancouver’ General Services and Fire Departments, determined that the City would best be served by re-locating Fire Station #3, currently located at 1110 N. Devine Road, to a larger property within the service area.

Upon purchase of the old Lieser Elementary School site by VHA, the City and VHA agreed to the development of a new fire station at this location, which is situated on the east side of South Lieser Road, generally between SR-14 and East Mill Plain Boulevard. VHA performed the remediation and demolition of the former elementary school building and completed a boundary line adjustment from the original 8.42 acre tax parcel #0379010-411 to create a separately marketable vacant land parcel. VHA is independently proceeding with housing development on its retained 6.42 acre parcel. The purchase of this parcel will allow for a site that is larger than the existing site; allow Fire Station #3 to serve the most miles traveled in the fewest minutes of response and better serve our firefighting and emergency medical incident response requirements.

The City will be purchasing approximately 2 acres of property and will have a purchase option for an additional half-acre of contiguous real property at a cost of $150,000 if required to provide an adequately sized and accessible Fire Station site. 

The City was provided a due diligence period and has conducted an investigation of the properties, satisfying that contingency. The Purchase and Sale Agreements contemplate a closing date on or before December 31, 2023.

1. Provides for the public safety needs of our residents.
2. Replaces a fire station that was built in 1957 with a larger, modern station that better serves our community firefighting and emergency medical incident response requirements.
3. With relocation, allows for the redevelopment of the existing site as part of The Heights project.