City eyes new fire station site on Clements Ferry Road

As growth continues along Clements Ferry Road, the City of Charleston is moving forward with plans that could bring a new fire station to the area. 

City Council is moving forward with the purchase of roughly 4.13 acres at 2080 Clements Ferry Road, a $4 million parcel that officials say would support future public safety needs in one of the region’s fastest-growing corridors. 

According to Bay Sheehan, the city's communications coordinator, the property is part of a larger land acquisition strategy already underway. 

“The acquisition of 2080 Clements Ferry Road would be an excellent addition to the surrounding 30+ acre tract that the city is also pursuing,” Sheehan said. “Together, these parcels would provide approximately 19 acres, give or take, of highland property that the city intends to develop for use by our public safety and public services departments.” 

That plan includes a new fire station – Station 22 – along Clements Ferry Road. 

“The site would be the new Fire Station 22 that would be a joint facility with Charleston Police Department for training, as well as a permanent home for Team 5,” Sheehan said. 

The potential new station would be added to, not replace, existing fire stations serving the Cainhoy Peninsula. 

“This site is not related to Fire Station 20,” Sheehan said. “The properties being acquired would be used for a new facility in addition to the existing stations for better coverage and response times to the rapidly growing area of Cainhoy.” 

Currently, Station 20 on Pinefield Drive off Clements Ferry Road and Station 21 on Cainhoy Road are the primary stations serving the area, with Station 18 on Daniel Island also nearby. As development expands, officials say those stations are being stretched. 

“Response times for emergency services are critical, and with the population growth in this area, those response times from the existing stations can be negatively impacted,” Sheehan said. “Drive times are increased due to further distances to travel by responders as well as traffic-calming devices within neighborhoods.” 

A new station located between Stations 20 and 21 would help close that gap. 

“Station 22 will greatly improve emergency service response times to this section of CFR,” Sheehan said. 

The city is also planning ahead for additional stations along the corridor. Sheehan said Station 25 could be located farther east near Cainhoy Road to serve the Point Hope area, and a future Station 30 could be considered near Daniel Island depending on growth. 

The city previously explored a separate site at 2637 Clements Ferry Road for another station, and those plans have not changed. 

As for the 2080 Clements Ferry Road property, Sheehan said the city expects to close as soon as late second quarter or early third quarter of this year. Construction timelines are still in the early planning stages.