Golden Valley Fire Station Plan Faces Uncertainty with Gas Station Owner
The Golden Valley City Council voted Tuesday to approve a new location for the city’s east fire station. However, at that location, a business exists in its place, creating challenges unless the city can reach a deal with the owner.
Golden Valley’s long had plans for a new fire station, beginning with its 2016 study on best practices for the city’s three fire stations. That study determined that it should reduce its fire stations from three to two and build a new station in a more central location.
Nearly 10 years later, the city identified that central location: 1875 Lilac Drive N. However, Feist Automotive has been in that place since 1971.
City representatives say they’ve been in negotiations to purchase the property from Feist for two years with no decision yet. The family-run business got an opportunity to share their perspective with the council at the Sept. 16 council meeting.
Feist’s business is located just off of Highway 100.
Feist Automotive and Eminent Domain
Diane Feist, the wife of business owner Bill Feist, said her family received a letter on Monday from the city about invoking eminent domain moving forward. Eminent domain allows the government to take public property for private use.
She told the council that when the proposal was initially brought to her family, her husband was not interested in selling. As the city continued to give offers, Bill Feist became sick with throat cancer. He was battling the illness throughout the spring and summer. During that time, he was unable to speak and got in a car accident during that time period, Diane Feist said.
Now free of cancer, Bill’s family told the council that the business is open to selling, but won’t submit to eminent domain.
Bill Feist told the council that he was “distraught” by the eminent domain letter.
“It’s 54 years that I’ve been in Golden Valley. I’ve been an honest entrepreneur. I take care of people. I don’t run a junkyard location like some of them are– but I take care of people,” Feist said.
The council voted 4-1 on both resolutions with Mayor Roslyn Harmon voting no on both.
The eminent domain process was approved, but the city can still buy the building from Feist as it offered previously. A release from the city called eminent domain “an intentionally slow process that protects property owners.” More information about eminent domain is available through the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Bill Feist, his wife, Diane, and his son all spoke in front of the council on Tuesday.
Why There and Why Now
Leaders said in the meeting that the Lilac Drive location was selected because it provided the best response times for the east side of the city.
Fire Chief Bethany Brunsell told CCX News that the decision needs to be made by the end of 2025. That’s because the city received $3.2 million in state grants to fund the project back in 2023. The state funding will be taken back by the state if not committed.
“While it’s not an ideal situation for that business and the business owner, we also need to do what is best for our entire community by having good response times. And we need to do what is best for our firefighers,” Brunsell said.
Brunsell said fire stations 2 and 3 are located close to Minneapolis and St. Louis Park, rather than centrally located to most of its residents. The stations were built in 1979 and 1980, respectively.
She also said the current stations have outdated facilities, are small and don’t meet safety, health or wellness guidelines. Trucks are double parked in the enclosed space, and gear is located close to vehicles.
There are also not established restroom spaces for women, who Brunsell said make up about 20 percent of the force.
The new space wouldn’t open for another two or three years.
Fire Station 3 was built in 1980. Its location is close to Minneapolis, and has no sleeping quarters.
