Ian Price | June 18, 2026
ROANOKE, Va. — Roanoke Fire and EMS Chief David Hoback presented City Council with plans Monday to replace the city’s 75-year-old Fire Station No. 2 with a new facility on Williamson Road, made possible by a land donation from the Farrell family, operators of Berglund Automotive.
The presentation came during a public hearing as part of a rezoning request for the Williamson Road site. Council has not yet approved the project.
The current station at 55 Noble Avenue NE sits a block off the main road, forcing fire trucks through tight residential streets with only inches of clearance when pulling in and out of the aging facility.
Response times could improve by up to 100 seconds
Relocating the station to Williamson Road would decrease response times by 90 to 100 seconds, Hoback told Council members, allowing the department to meet performance standards in areas it currently cannot reach quickly enough.
“Moving this facility out up to Williamson Road across from Ace Hardware was a partnership with Farrell Group who donated five parcels of land to allow us to really build the footprint that we needed for the fire station,” Hoback said. “Relocating that out to the Williamson Road proper will give us a better departure, decrease our response times about 90 to 100 seconds. That would allow us to beat performance standards as we go up farther out in the old mountain road area and some of those areas we’re not meeting performance standards.”
The new location would provide better access to the main roadway and eliminate the navigation challenges firefighters face with the current station’s residential setting.
Modern facility would support diverse workforce
The replacement station would feature gender-inclusive living quarters, a capability the Noble Avenue facility cannot support. The new building would also house the department’s regional HAZMAT response vehicle.
“It will allow us to have a fire station that is modern that allow for a gender diverse workforce,” Hoback said. “We don’t have that now.”
The current station was built in the 1950s. Firefighters pulling the ladder truck in and out of the aging facility have only two inches of clearance on each side.
Project designed to be shovel-ready
Hoback said the department plans to complete the design to 100% drawings so construction can begin once funding is secured. The project is being designed to be shovel-ready, pending available funding.
The station has served the community for 76 years, but Hoback said it is time for a replacement that meets modern fire service standards.
The rezoning request for the Williamson Road property was one of two public hearings held during Monday’s evening session.
