Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project

Project typeBuildings & Facilities
Project value$18,255,946

Project Description

Fire Station No. 4 was built in 1953 and located at 3600 Middlefield Road. The existing fire station building does not serve the current needs of the Fire Department and does not effectively use the current 0.6-acre portion of the property. City Council included the replacement of Fire Station No. 4 in the Infrastructure Plan approved in June 2014. This project will provide a new facility built to current essential services standards with a high likelihood of being fully operational during and after a major disaster such as a significant earthquake.

Scope of Work

The proposed fire station will be a building code compliant essential services facility for emergency response. The project will consist of the following components:

Establishment of temporary Fire Station 4 accommodations to be determined (not part of architect’s scope)
Demolition of existing fire station buildings and removal of drying rack
Integration of the existing fuel station on site
New fire station building consisting of:
- Watchroom office and public restrooms
- Emergency Operations Center (EOC)/Training room
- Two drive-through apparatus bays and a stand-by apparatus bay
- Firefighter living quarters
- Captain’s Office

The new fire station will also be designed for LEED Silver certification and meet City adopted building code standards by having an all-electric design for new construction.

The project is divided into 3 phases: Schematic Design, Final Design and Construction Documents, and Construction. Community outreach will take place during Schematic Design.

Project Status

Fire Station No. 4 Design

On June 16, 2025, City Council approved the award of contracts for commissioning services to verify building systems are functioning as designed and for a dedicated Inspector-of-Record. BRW Architects is revising plans based on the commissioning agent comments, and will resubmit to the Building Department for permit approval. The City posted the solicitation for construction of the new station on June 30, 2025, and construction is anticipated to start in Fall 2025.

Temporary Station No. 4 Construction

The Temporary Fire Station No. 4 at Cubberley Community Center is now complete, and the crew moved into the temporary station. This temporary station will serve as the Fire Department’s home for up to the next two years, while construction is underway for the new station.

Fire Station No. 4 Construction

Construction is scheduled to begin December 1, 2025. Initial construction activities include setting up temporary fencing, installation of tree protection, tree removals, and abatement which is the removal of hazardous materials such as lead and asbestos.

Project Timeline

Project Creation
- 2005 – A Replacement Needs Assessment Study performed by RRM Design Group that provided program and other feasibility level information for the basis to begin design of the new Fire Station No. 4.
- June 2014 – Council Infrastructure Committee included Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project in the City’s Infrastructure Plan.
Solicitation for Design
- July 23, 2020 – Request for Proposals (RFP) posted by City for the design of Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project.
- August 3, 2020 – Mandatory pre-proposal meeting held virtually for potential consultants. 23 consultants attended the meeting.
- September 20, 2020 – The City received eight proposals, two of which were deemed nonresponsive. City reviewed proposals and selected three firms to participate in oral interviews.
- October 05, 2020 – Oral interviews take place. Brown Reynolds Watford Architects, Inc. (BRW Architects) is selected as the top consultant.
- June 21, 2020 – Council defers construction funding for Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project to FY2024. City staff defers contract award to BRW Architects to ensure design would comply with the latest building codes and sustainability standards as well as ensure design of building systems and specifications of special equipment would incorporate or consider the newest technology available.
- May 23, 2022 – Council approval of BRW Architects design contract for Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project.
Design Phase
- June 2022 - BRW Architects began Schematic Design.
- October 20, 2022 - Public Art Commission (PAC) approved funding for integrating public art into Fire Station 4.
- February 16, 2023 - BRW Architects and Public Works Engineering presented massing options and materials from schematic design to the Architectural Review Board (ARB) in a preliminary hearing.
- April 6, 2023 - City hosted a virtual community meeting for public feedback. Click here for a recording of the community meeting.
- April 12, 2023 - City received state earmark funding of $5.2 million.
- May 11, 2023 - BRW Architects began design development and preparation of ARB submittal for formal approval.
- July 15, 2023 - City and BRW Architects showcased the proposed Fire Station 4 design to the public at the Municipal Service Center (MSC) Open House. City staff also launched a survey for public feedback on the design and compiled responses on July 26, 2023.
- July 19, 2023 - The Public Art Program hosted a Meet the Artist event at Mitchell Park Library for artist Stephen Galloway to begin his design process on the commissioned public art piece for Fire Station 4. Galloway discussed with community members his design process and past works. The public shared their thoughts on the various neighborhoods surrounding Fire Station 4 and other notable and unique features to Palo Alto such as the Baylands and Adobe Creek.
- July 26, 2023 - Design Review Committee (DRC) met with Public Works Engineering and BRW Architects to review City comments on the proposed design prior to the scheduled ARB hearing on August 3, 2023.
- August 3, 2023 - BRW Architects, Public Works Engineering, and Deputy Fire Chief present the proposed fire station design to the ARB for formal approval. Comments from the ARB included revisiting the chosen materials and additional features to enhance the openness to the public of the fire station's design.
- September 21, 2023 - BRW Architects, Public Works Engineering, and Deputy Fire Chief present the revised fire station design to the ARB addressing comments from the August 3 hearing. ARB provided minor comments for subcommittee review on the exercise room material treatment and mechanical equipment location. After the meeting, BRW Architects is authorized to begin Construction Documents.
- October 19, 2023 - BRW Architects, Public Works Engineering, and Deputy Fire Chief met with ARB Subcommittee Boardmembers Hirsch and Chen. The revised design on the exercise room was well-received.
- October 25, 2023 - Planning Department issued ARB approval to Fire Station No. 4 Project pending standard 14-day appeal duration. CEQA Exemption for the project is also filed with the County of Santa Clara.
- November 8, 2023 - ARB approval decision is finalized for the project.
- March 4, 2024 - City Council approved procurement of modular building for the temporary Fire Station No. 4 at Cubberley's H wing parking lot.
- October 1, 2024 - Pre-qualification of contractors for the construction of the new Fire Station No. 4 completed.
- February 3, 2025 - City Council approved the construction contract of the Temporary Station located at Cubberley Community Center.
- February 24, 2025 - Alex Kushner General begins construction of the temporary station.
- March 26, 2025 - Permit resubmission to Building Department of final set of drawings including added scope of Level 3 EV chargers for future fire apparatus.
Construction Phase

October 20, 2025 - Council approval of Beals Martin and Associates construction contract for Fire Station No. 4 Replacement Project.

Upcoming Events

Join the City on Thursday, January 8 at 10 a.m. as we commemorate the start of construction to replace Fire Station No. 4 with a short speaker’s program and photo opportunities.

Please be mindful that this is an active construction site. Close-toed shoes are required for your safety.

Consider supporting the City's sustainability and climate action goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030 and ride your bike or walk to the groundbreaking event. For those driving, our neighbors at Palo Alto Vineyard Church (701 E Meadow Drive) and Covenant Presbyterian Church (670 E Meadow Drive) have opened their parking lot for this event. Please refer to the parking map for the dedicated parking areas.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Parking Map(PDF, 2MB)

Project Documents

Public Art Commission (PAC) Staff Report – October 20, 2022
Architectural Review Board (ARB) Staff Report – February 16, 2023
BRW Architects Preliminary ARB Review Presentation - February 16, 2023(PDF, 4MB)
PAC Staff Report - March 16, 2023(DOCX, 36KB)
Fire Station 4 Proposed Design Rendering Video
ARB Staff Report - August 3, 2023
ARB Staff Report - September 21, 2023
Approved Fire Station No. 4 Project Plans
Fire Station No. 4 Exercise Room Design Plans for ARB Ad-hoc Committee
City Council Staff Report: Approval of Purchase Order with Mobile Modular Management Corporation - March 4, 2024
City Council Staff Report: Approval of Construction Contract with Beals Martin and Associates