North Andover's Planning Board is set to open a public hearing Wednesday, Aug. 26, on a proposed third fire station at the corner of Berry Street and Turnpike Street (Route 114), a project voters backed with $7.5 million in bond funding at Town Meeting in May.

The hearing will consider a special permit site plan review submitted by Level Design Group and Saccoccio & Associates Architects on behalf of the town and the North Andover Fire Department, the Eagle-Tribune reported Aug. 24.

Why a third station?

Fire Chief John Weir has said fire and EMS calls have increased over the past decade, and a portion of town along Route 114 falls outside recommended response time standards. A 2024 needs assessment found that the town's earlier plan, a $7 million renovation of the Salem Street station under Facilities Master Plan II, would not have reduced emergency response times or met the department's growing needs.

Building a new station was deemed the better fix. The site plan application states the Berry Street location will enable faster, more efficient emergency response to that part of North Andover.

What the plans show

The proposed station would sit on a 9,018-square-foot building footprint with five apparatus bays and living quarters. Three to four full-time employees would staff it.

Two driveways would connect to Berry Street: a 25-foot-wide north driveway serving the parking area and a gravel pathway to the Sharpners Pond Fields, and a 72-foot driveway for the five bays housing fire engines and an ambulance.

The project requires disturbing 53,112 square feet of land for the building, parking and a stormwater management system that treats runoff and controls peak flow rates.

What's next

The board is also reviewing a second special permit for modifications to screening and landscaping requirements for the station's off-street parking areas. No timeline for a final decision has been announced.

Residents can attend the Wednesday hearing or monitor the Planning Board's agenda for continuation dates.