Oct. 9, 2026 10:15a
(WGTD)---The location for Racine’s new main fire station has been announced.
If all goes as planned, the new station will be built on a tract of land that sits at the corner of Racine and 6th streets, near the Root River and just a few blocks from the existing firehouse just south of City Hall.
The new site is largely vacant, save for a partially-demolished building.
In his budget address this week, Mayor Mason announced that groundbreaking could take place next year, pending approval of the city council.
The new station will replace the 60 year-old existing firehouse that has developed various structural problems.
The new building is currently in the process of being designed. It could include a residential component. Market rate apartments have been included either above or alongside new fire stations that have been built in Madison and Green Bay. Mayor Mason said it’s a response to the housing shortage.
The new station is expected to cost $30 million.
Following completion, the city is expected to begin the planning process for a new police station, which is currently located in the same building as the fire department. City officials have said that wherever a new police station is located it probably won’t be adjacent to the new fire house, as a central location for a police station is less important than it is to the fire station.
The city's finance director said earlier this year that the construction funds for the new fire station will come from borrowing, and that the city's financial advisers believe the city will be able to absorb the costs.
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