At this week’s Salina City Commission meeting, commissioners approved the first steps in repurposing the soon-to-be former Fire Station No. 4, located at the corner of East Crawford Street and Briarcliff Road, by voting to rezone the property for continued public use.
The half-acre site, originally platted in 1959 and home to the fire station since its construction in 1969, has served the community for more than five decades. With a new, modern fire station currently under construction at Crawford Street and Markley Road, the Briarcliff facility is expected to be decommissioned once operations shift.
City officials plan to adaptively reuse the existing building rather than redevelop the site. The approved rezoning changes the property’s designation from single-family residential to Public Use–Public Facilities, aligning zoning with both its long-standing municipal role and its proposed future function.
Under the plan, the structure will be converted into a maintenance facility for the City of Salina’s Facilities Maintenance Division, which is currently spread across multiple locations. Because maintenance yards are considered a conditional use within the public facilities district, the city will still need to obtain a Conditional Use Permit before operations begin.
Planning Commission members previously recommended approval of the rezoning in a unanimous 7-0 vote, citing the property’s unsuitability for residential use, compatibility with the surrounding mixed-use area, and consistency with the city’s comprehensive plan, which designates the site as public or semi-public.
City staff noted that the transition from a 24-hour fire station to a daytime maintenance operation is expected to reduce noise and traffic impacts in the area. Existing infrastructure, including water, sewer and storm drainage systems, is already in place to support the new use.
The City Commission approved the rezoning request, Ordinance No. 26-11282, on a unanimous vote.
