Encinitas advances plans for Olivenhain fire station

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Planning Commission has endorsed the city's plans to purchase a 23,000-square-foot property in Olivenhain as part of a long-term effort to build a new city-owned fire station. The commission voted unanimously Sept. 3 that the proposed purchase aligns with the city's general plan. The site is located just over a half-mile down Lone Jack Road from the existing Fire Station 6. The City Council approved a $400,000 contract with PBK Architects Inc. in October 2025 to design a station on the site. Scott Drapkin, the city's development services director, said at the Sept. 3 meeting that the city did not yet have a site or development plan. The property is zoned rural residential-floodplain, where city documents say a fire station would be a conditionally permitted use. A minor conditional use permit would be required under city code. Fire Chief Josh Gordon said the station would be comparable in size to Fire Station 4 along Village Park Way. He added that a timeline for the overall project is difficult to determine but would likely span several years because of the budgeting, design and permitting phases. 'We're planning for that long-term investment, not to just find a spot and try to plop down on it,' Gordon said. Commissioner Robert Prendergast said that while the commission was voting only on the potential property purchase, he supported the broader goal of building a more robust Fire Station 6 to serve Olivenhain and the surrounding area. 'I support the opportunity to buy the property,' Prendergast said. 'The community clearly needs it and it's been a priority for the city for many, many years.' Commissioner Bridget Kimball echoed that support. 'I would agree that it's important for us to have something that is a fully functional fire station for the area there,' Kimball said. 'Development going east from there has, in the 25 years I've lived here, just continued to grow.' Drapkin also said the neighboring city-owned Little Oaks Equestrian Park would be a 'perfect neighbor from a fire station perspective' and could coexist with a new station. 'I know it's a small place, but it is used by the community,' Prendergast said. 'It is a horse-driven community and that park is used quite a bit … So, the fact that we were able to find something and still maintain a public park and open space for the community is just even more kind of gravy.'