The Citygate Report Is Outdated—So Why Is the Fire District Still Using It?
- Mike Meyokovich
- Jun 6
- 4 min read
Building for the Brentwood That Exists: The Overlooked Solution for Fire Station 94
The debate over the location of Fire Station 94 has sparked controversy across East Contra Costa County. Much of the justification for placing the station in Downtown Brentwood relies on outdated assumptions and a 2016 Citygate Associates report that simply does not support the County’s current narrative. If we want to make a decision rooted in logic and long-term benefit for the entire community, we must re-examine the data, review what has changed over the past decade, and confront the fact that the Sand Creek site—a location designed and designated for this very purpose—was ignored.
The Missing Piece: A Decade of Growth
The 2016 "Deployment Performance and Headquarters Staffing Adequacy Study" prepared by Citygate Associates (Vol. 2 and 3) is now nearly a decade old. Since its publication, Brentwood has added over 15,000 new residents, with projections indicating another 10,000 will arrive in the coming years. None of this growth is reflected in the maps or modeling used to justify the current downtown location. Hundreds of new homes, particularly in northwest Brentwood, are not shown in the analysis. The Brentwood of 2016 simply no longer exists.
Ignored Alternatives: Sand Creek
Despite a 2005 report identifying a Sand Creek site as the designated replacement for Fire Station 54, the County and Fire District have failed to seriously consider it. Deputy Fire Chief Aaron McAlister publicly admitted that no analysis was performed on the Sand Creek property for the proposed location of this station. They "inherited" a decade-old decision. How can we dismiss a purpose-built, vacant lot without even conducting an evaluation?
The City of Brentwood has offered to reopen negotiations on the Sand Creek property. The Fire District refused. Instead, they are pursuing a plan that relies on expropriating land dedicated to veterans' use, contrary to long-standing commitments and legal restrictions under the California Military and Veterans Code.
What the Citygate Maps Actually Show
Volume 3 of the Citygate report includes response time maps (3a, 3d, 4a, 4b) that reveal important insights:
Map 3a (Page 8): No analysis was done on the Sand Creek location, and the downtown station’s 4-minute response area overlaps significantly with Station 92’s zone.
Map 3d (Page 10): Shows a large gap in central Brentwood with no coverage.
Maps 4a & 4b: Based on 1.5-mile radii, these show similar overlaps and expose the large underserved areas.
Incident Heat Maps (Pages 26-27): Even then, more incidents clustered closer to Sand Creek than downtown. With today’s growth, that pattern has only intensified.
Map 16a (Page 28): Highlights proposed stations, none of which came to fruition—except the County now pushing 94 downtown. The Sand Creek site is conspicuously missing despite being vacant and purpose-built.
Only Map 19c (Page 35) notes the new location for Station 54 but overlaps it with hypothetical stations that never materialized.
Volume 2 Insights
Page 69: Indicates a gap in service if Station 54 is not re-established, but this assumes the now-defunct additional stations.
Page 60: Notes that Brentwood is too large for only two stations. A mid-point station like Sand Creek would provide balanced coverage, unlike the current plan which leans heavily southeast.
Logic, Not Emotion
The County and Fire District are operating on a dangerous and emotional fallacy: approve this plan or people will die. But planning public safety infrastructure on fear rather than facts is short-sighted and reckless. Brentwood deserves a station based on data, growth trends, and operational logic.
The Sand Creek site is the only location that:
Was previously identified for this exact purpose.
Remains vacant and build-ready.
Provides equitable access between growing neighborhoods.
Does not require violating property dedicated to veterans.
False Narratives and Political Pressure
Supervisor Diane Burgis has urged cities like Oakley and Discovery Bay to pressure Brentwood by sending letters of support for the downtown station—not because it’s the best location, but because it’s the fastest and cheapest. We ask: how often is the fastest and cheapest solution the best?
Would this plan be proposed in Danville or Walnut Creek? Of course not. East County deserves the same level of respect, planning, and foresight.
The Bottom Line
The Citygate report does not mandate a downtown fire station. It does not rule out Sand Creek. It is simply outdated. If we care about safety, sustainability, and sound governance, we must stop pretending this report justifies the County's current actions. It does not.
The best solution is still on the table. The only thing missing is the political will to admit that the County and Fire District made a mistake. It's not too late to course correct.
Let’s build for the Brentwood that exists—not the one that existed ten years ago.
Read the reports for yourself:
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