A new Santa Barbara County fire station planned for Orcutt is not expected to be completed until 2029, years after officials first said it could be up and running.
Plans for Fire Station 25 were publicly discussed in 2022. At the time, county fire officials said it could be operational within two and a half years. Construction has not started.
In a written statement, county Public Information Officer Kelsey Buttitta said the General Services Department did not initiate development of the project until July 2026.
The temporary and permanent facilities are expected to cost between $26 million and $29 million.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Captain Michael Gray said the timeline is tied to required environmental and permitting work.
"The permanent building will be finished by the end of 2029," Gray said.
"Environmental reports and permits are required; it just takes some time," Gray said.
The county expects the environmental review and design phase to take 12 to 18 months. The process will include public input. During that period, the county says it will work to secure construction funding.
Gray said the location of the new station was chosen based on where 911 responses have been concentrated and what property was available.
"Historically, just tracking where 911 responses are, and then you have to find property that's available as well, and that's how they chose that location right there to space it out," Gray said.
According to county records, Fire Station 25 is needed to "maintain standards of cover and appropriate response times for the growing residential and commercial development in the Orcutt area."
Gray said the new station will benefit the surrounding community.
"It's going to enhance response times in the area ... not that response times are long right now ... but it'll definitely make those shorter, and having more resources available in the area is always a good thing for the public," Gray said.
Fire Station 25 is planned for a lot on Union Valley Parkway. Currently, two existing Santa Barbara County fire stations serve the Orcutt area, including Fire Station 21 on Union Avenue.
James Trotter, who has lived in Orcutt since the early 1980s near Station 21, said he supports adding another station.
"I think there should be another fire station," Trotter said. "I have heard sirens going off especially when the power goes out, and it seems like this station is always doing their job."
He added, "I don't know about the other fire stations down by Stillwell ... obviously two different areas, but yeah, it seems like every day at least I hear them 3 or 4 times a day."
A temporary station, staffed with three firefighters and a battalion chief, is expected to open on the property by the end of 2027.
