Goochland advances Fire-Rescue Station 7 project in West Creek

What happens when West Creek keeps growing faster than the county’s emergency coverage? Goochland County answered that question April 23 by moving Fire-Rescue Station 7 another step forward, putting the long-planned West Creek station back into active design and procurement work.

The proposed station is planned for a five-acre site on the east line of Hockett Road, north of Tuckahoe Creek Parkway, in the heart of the corridor where commuters, office users and nearby businesses already put pressure on local roads and public safety coverage. County bid documents say the parcel includes wetlands, a natural gas line and an easement, all of which make the design work more complicated than a standard building project.

Goochland issued RFP 2026-01 for architectural and engineering services on Sept. 10, 2025, with proposals due Oct. 21, 2025. The county said the selected firm would carry the project from conceptual design through final plans, provide cost estimates, prepare drawings and specifications, help with bidding and handle construction administration. County records later posted a notice of intent to award the contract to HBA Architecture & Interior Design, Inc., dated Dec. 22, 2025.

The Station 7 push is rooted in a basic public-safety problem: the eastern end of Goochland has seen enough residential and commercial growth that the county says it needs a stronger local response base. In a 2023 request for proposals, the county described the West Creek station as necessary to address explosive growth in the eastern end of the county. At that point, Goochland had six fire-rescue stations countywide, and the east end was served primarily by Companies 1 in Manakin and 3 in Centerville.

County FAQ material said the eastern end’s residential and commercial development created a greater life-safety need for the West Creek station, and the Capital Improvement Program reflected anticipated construction in about five years. The county paused the project in April 2025 while searching for the best east-side location, making the April 23 action a concrete restart rather than another broad promise.

The project also fits into a larger countywide buildout. Goochland Fire-Rescue says it is a combination system with 98 career personnel and about 170 volunteer members, and each shift is staffed by at least 21 fire and EMS personnel. The current station list now includes Stations 1 through 6 and Station 8 in Sandy Hook, leaving Station 7 as the missing piece in the county’s eastern emergency network. When it opens, it is aimed at giving West Creek residents, workers and travelers along Tuckahoe Creek Parkway faster help when minutes matter.