New police and fire stations coming to Pismo Beach as council OKs $42 million in funding

John Lynch
·2 min read

Pismo Beach’s long-awaited new Public Safety Facility took a big step toward its planned November 2025 opening at this week’s City Council meeting.

On Tuesday, the Pismo Beach City Council voted 5-0 to approve a $42 million contract with F&H Construction to build the new stations, which will be headquarters for both the Police and Fire Departments.

Interim city manager Jorge Garcia said the plans have been in the works since the 1980s and recently picked up momentum starting in February 2017.

Garcia said the new facility, which will be located at the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue, will cost more than $50 million in total, including around $7.75 million in “soft costs” such as inspections, planning, relocation services and information technology services.

With the contract awarded, the project is expected to break ground in May 2024, Garcia said.

“Going into the future, this is a vision project,” Garcia said during the meeting. “This is 50 to 70 years out, and it could not happen without the leadership of the City Council.”

Pismo Beach’s new Public Safety Center, which will be located at the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue, will give the city’s police and firefighters a new home. The project will cost more than $50 million in total.
Pismo Beach’s new Public Safety Center, which will be located at the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue, will give the city’s police and firefighters a new home. The project will cost more than $50 million in total.

What will new Public Safety Facility look like?

The Police and Fire Departments’ new facilities were designed by LDA Architects, Garcia said.

The Police Department will get a two-story, 20,000-square-foot complex on Bello Street, according to LDA Architects’ renderings, while the Fire Department will get a 14,000-square-foot station nearby.

Designs for the fire station have not been finalized yet, but will be completed in coming months, Garcia said.

The new facility will also have enough parking space onsite for all public safety employees, freeing up parking in nearby neighborhoods, Garcia said.

A large oak tree located on the corner of the lot will also be conserved, he said.

Aesthetically, what’s old is new again, as bricks from the old City Hall building currently occupying the project’s location will be repurposed in the facade of the new facility, Garcia said.

The old building has been vacant since 1995, when the city opened its current City Hall on Mattie Road.

Pismo Beach’s new Public Safety Center, which will be located at the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue, will give the city’s police and firefighters a new home. The project will cost more than $50 million in total.
Pismo Beach’s new Public Safety Center, which will be located at the corner of Bello Street and Wadsworth Avenue, will give the city’s police and firefighters a new home. The project will cost more than $50 million in total.

The new fire station will allow Pismo Beach’s firefighters to sleep in the same building as their workplace and vehicles, Garcia said.

“I think we all feel the same way,” Councilmember Mary Ann Reiss said during the meeting. “It’s about time the firefighters can sleep in (their) station.”

The City Council also voted 5-0 to aprove a $63,200 contract with CLAD Consulting, which will help coordinate project management, construction management and construction inspection services for emergency services.

Garcia said there’s still “quite a bit of work” to be done before the project breaks ground next year, but with the contracts awarded, the project can start moving forward.

“I think the final product is something we’re all proud of,” Mayor Ed Waage said during the meeting. “I think we finally figured out the best way to serve our community.”