$34M Pescadero Fire Station Breaks Ground on SMC Coast

Construction has begun on a $34 million fire station on the San Mateo County coast, marking a major investment in resilient emergency services for Pescadero and the surrounding South Coast communities.

Flood-Prone Site Gives Way to Higher Ground

Publicly available information shows that the new facility, known as Fire Station 59, will replace an older station that has long been vulnerable to flooding in central Pescadero. Past storms have periodically surrounded the existing building with water, complicating access for fire engines and ambulance crews during some of the very emergencies they are expected to handle.

Project documents indicate the new station is being built on higher ground near Pescadero Middle/High School, outside the mapped floodplain. The relocation is intended to keep the station fully operational during coastal storms, heavy winter rains and potential future sea level rise affecting low-lying areas of the San Mateo County coast.

County infrastructure summaries describe the project as part of a broader effort to harden critical public safety facilities against increasingly frequent climate-driven hazards. The move away from a flood-prone site is being presented as a central feature of the redesign, with the new location expected to provide more reliable year-round access for crews and equipment.

Reports on the project emphasize that the current firehouse has served the community for decades but no longer meets modern safety or resiliency standards. Moving to higher ground is viewed as a key step in ensuring that first responders remain available when South Coast residents most need them.

Measure K Funding Backs $34 Million Investment

According to published coverage and county budget records, the total project cost is approximately 34 million dollars. A significant share of the funding is coming from Measure K, the voter-approved half-cent countywide sales tax that supports local infrastructure, public safety and community services.

Board documents show that Measure K dollars have been allocated over multiple budget years to advance design, site work and construction for Fire Station 59. Remaining costs are associated with project management, design services and contingencies often required for complex public works in coastal environments.

San Mateo County has used Measure K revenues to support a series of fire and emergency-services upgrades in recent years, including modernized stations in the hills and interior communities. The Pescadero project extends that approach to the coast, where long travel distances, winding roads and limited alternate routes can make fast response times more challenging.

Publicly posted project information also notes that the new fire station is being paired with related infrastructure investments in the area, reflecting a strategy of consolidating upgrades where they can deliver overlapping resilience and public safety benefits.

Modern Facility Designed for Coastal Emergencies

Planning materials circulated through local advisory councils describe the new Fire Station 59 as a single-story, roughly 12,000-square-foot facility with four apparatus bays. The design is intended to accommodate fire engines, wildland response vehicles and emergency medical units serving Pescadero and a wide stretch of the San Mateo County coast.

The station is described as a modern, energy-efficient building constructed to current seismic and life-safety codes. Features include upgraded living quarters for on-duty crews, improved decontamination and equipment areas, and technology infrastructure to support communications during wildfires, winter storms and power outages that can affect isolated coastal communities.

Project descriptions emphasize operational resilience, with the new station planned as a regional base for wildfire response on the South Coast. In recent fire seasons, coastal and inland foothill areas of San Mateo County have faced growing vegetation and weather-related risks that can strain older facilities and equipment layouts.

By expanding vehicle and equipment capacity, the new station is expected to reduce response times to outlying parts of the district and provide room for specialized apparatus suited to both wildland and structure fires. Public materials indicate that the layout has been configured to streamline crew movement from living quarters to vehicles and to speed departures during critical calls.

Linking Fire Protection With Local Infrastructure Needs

Information published by local news outlets and community organizations notes that the Pescadero fire station project is closely linked with broader infrastructure needs on the South Coast. One related initiative involves extending reliable potable water service to nearby public facilities, including Pescadero Middle/High School, which has contended with groundwater quality concerns.

By co-locating the new fire station near the school and along existing transportation corridors, planners aim to maximize the reach of new utilities and road improvements in the area. This approach is consistent with San Mateo County’s wider strategy of bundling public works to make better use of limited funding in rural and coastal zones.

Project summaries highlight that the station is expected to function not only as a fire and medical response hub, but also as a critical operations center during coastal emergencies. When intense storms, flooding or wildfires affect the region, the new facility is intended to remain accessible for staging equipment, coordinating mutual aid and supporting evacuation or shelter operations if needed.

The investment along the San Mateo County coast reflects wider regional trends, as communities across California look to replace aging, hazard-prone fire stations with facilities designed to withstand future climate and disaster risks. With construction now underway in Pescadero, the South Coast is set to gain an upgraded base for emergency response that is engineered to stay online when conditions are at their worst.