UC San Diego officials have reached a deal with the city to build an on-campus fire station that will serve the growing university and surrounding neighborhoods, where emergency response times have been poor.
The University of California San Diego will provide the city $20.6 million and a piece of land for the new station on the east side of North Torrey Pines Road at Northpoint Driveway, just south of Genesee Avenue. In exchange, the city has agreed to build the two-story, 10,500-square-foot station and pay firefighters to operate it at an estimated cost of $1.9 million per year.
In addition, the city has agreed to let the university buy the land underneath Torrey Pines Center South, an on-campus complex the university has operated on city land since 1985.
The deal is scheduled to be approved by the City Council at a meeting that will begin at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at City Hall, 202 C St.
“It’s kind of an integral piece to public safety in that area,” Chris Nielson, chairman of the community planning group in University City, said of the new fire station. “This is a welcome addition, particularly given the expanded student and staff population on campus."