Casa de Fruta Fire Station
Summary
SCH Number
2025060676
Public Agency
Santa Clara County
Document Title
Casa de Fruta Fire Station
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/16/2025
Document Description
The Project is the use of a two mobile sleeping trailers at 10031 Pacheco Pass Highway, in unincorporated Santa Clara County to serve as dormitories for three firefighters for the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District (“Fire District”). The Project will allow the Fire District to maintain existing services in the former territory of the South Santa Clara County Fire District (“South County Fire District”) after the dissolution of the South County Fire District and the concurrent annexation of its territory (“District Reorganization”). On April 2, 2025, the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County (LAFCO) adopted Resolution No. 2025-1, approving the District Reorganization subject to possible protest proceedings. The South County Fire District currently contracts CalFire to operate an Engine out of the CalFire Pacheco Pass Fire Station at 12280 Pacheco Pass Highway, Hollister. The District Reorganization was certified by LAFCO, and effective July 1, 2025 the Fire District will operate Engine 70 out of the Project site to serve the same territory. The Project site is approximately 2 miles from the Morgan Hill Fire Station. The mobile sleeping trailers will be leased to the to the Fire District for four months. The Project involves minor interior renovations to facilitate the installation of emergency communications and data. Exterior improvements include small parking signs to designate parking for the Fire District, placement of two temporary Connex style storage boxes, and black chain link fencing with black privacy slats around the two leased sites. An additional emergency egress gate will be installed on the RV Park’s perimeter to allow direct egress thereby avoiding driving past other park guests to the main egress point.
Contact Information
Name
David Snow
Agency Name
Santa Clara County Fire Department
Job Title
Director of Support Services
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Responsible Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Counties
Santa Clara
Regions
Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Casa de Fruta Parkway
Zip
95023
Total Acres
.02
Parcel #
898-21-005
State Highways
Highway 152
Other Information
Rv Park spaces #218 and #219
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines § 15303 – Conversion of Small Structures (Class 3); CEQA Guidelines § 15320 – Reorganization of Local Ag
Reasons for Exemption
The Project meets the requirements of the Class 3 Categorical Exemption (conversion of small structures, CEQA Guidelines Section 15303), which expressly exempts “the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure.”
The Project involves minor internal renovations to facilitate emergency communications and data. There are no structural changes to the sleeping trailers. The Fire District will also have access to space behind the two sites, three unreserved vehicle parking spaces, and one reserved vehicle parking space for the Engine 70 fire engine or equivalent, and nonexclusive access to the rest of the public space within the RV park.
Only minor modifications will be made to the exterior of the structure. Specifically, installation of chain link fencing, and placement of two temporary storge boxes for turnouts and equipment. The property owner also approved the addition of a n egress gate on the perimeter to allow the Engine to respond to calls for service more fficiently, and to avoid impacting other guests of the RV park with noise from the Engine if it utilized the primary park egress point. All work will include payment of prevailing wage. Hazardous materials will not be stored or used at the Project site.
The Project also meets the requirements of the Class 20 Categorical Exemption (reorganization of local agencies, CEQA Guidelines Section 15320), which expressly exempts “reorganization of local governmental agencies where the changes do not change the geographical area in which previously existing powers are exercised.”
The Project is necessary to allow the Fire District to continue to perform the existing services and powers of the South County Fire District in the annexed territory, after the District Reorganization. Specifically, it will allow the Fire District to continue to operate Engine 70—or a comparable replacement—to provide services to the same territory that the engine currently serves, namely the former South County Fire District and portions of the City of Hollister under a mutual aid agreement. Because the Fire District will not have access to the CalFire Pacheco Pass Fire Station, it will provide services from the Project site at 10031 Pacheco Pass Highway, which is approximately 2 miles from the CalFire Pacheco Pass Fire Station. Accordingly, the Project will not change the geographical area in which existing fire protection services are provided and in which fire protection district powers are exercised.
There is no reasonable possibility that the Project will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances that would preclude the use of a categorical exemption for this Project, and Project implementation will not damage scenic resources. The Project will not impact an officially mapped and designated environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern. The project is located within an existing RV park.
Finally, the Project is covered by the common-sense exemption under CEQA Guidelines § 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the Project may have a significant effect on the environment. As outlined above, the Project will allow the Fire District to maintain existing services out of a temporary station less than 2 miles from the station that currently serves this territory and will serve as a replacement use to the existing fire station use that will serve the same territory. There is no possibility that this change or the minor renovations to the RV park sites may have a significant impact on the environment.
County Clerk
Santa Clara
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.