Boxborough committee narrows fire station concepts, eyes MassDOT curb cut and ~20,000 sq ft target

Designers for the Boxborough Fire Station project presented four concept schemes Wednesday night and discussed key site constraints, program sizing and next steps for permitting and public outreach.

Chris, the project designer, described Option 1 as a single‑story building adjacent to the apparatus bay that would house administrative offices, living quarters and a meeting room. "The square footage of all of these buildings you'll be looking at tonight is roughly 20,000 square feet," he said, explaining that a single level offers direct access between living spaces and the apparatus and eliminates stairs and elevators.

The committee also reviewed two‑story variations that place admin and training spaces on the first floor with residential quarters above. The design team said two‑story layouts can stack programmatic elements and sometimes save on building footprint and systems, though they add stairs and elevator costs. "There are certain factors in the single‑story design that instantly provide you savings — no stairs, no elevator — but you also increase your excavation and foundation footprint," Chris said.

Geotechnical testing reviewed during the meeting showed widely varying fill depths and bedrock across the parcel. At one test location the report showed about 1.5 feet of fill with bedrock shallow below, while other borings indicated roughly 10 feet of fill and bedrock deeper below that. The team said more targeted borings will be required once the preferred building footprint is selected so engineers can estimate excavation and foundation costs.

Traffic and access were a central operational concern. Designers demonstrated a rotated apparatus scheme that orients the apparatus bay perpendicular to Mass Avenue and noted that creating an apparatus apron or curb cut to Mass Avenue would require a separate permit because that roadway is controlled by the state. "It is controlled by the state. So we require a separate permit for that," the designer said, and the committee directed staff to pursue an early fact‑finding meeting with MassDOT.

Committee members asked about sightlines, utility poles near Sarah's Way, and turning radii for emergency vehicles; designers said those are routine engineering coordination tasks to be resolved with civil engineers and the fire chief. The team also proposed a separate carport as an option to house smaller trailers and a service truck that do not need to be garage‑bayed, easing pressure on bay count.

On program size, the contract includes a 20,800‑square‑foot figure established during the study phase, but the design team said they are using 20,000 sq ft as a working benchmark to avoid design thresholds that would trigger additional engineering requirements. The committee reiterated a budget target of coming in under $30 million.

What’s next: the team will refine soils investigations at the selected footprint, continue schematic design to reconcile single‑ versus two‑story tradeoffs and coordinate with the fire chief on training needs (including possible hose or training tower arrangements). Designers expect to bring updated schematics informed by the upcoming public visioning session and further engineering in the weeks ahead.