Cobb County eyes land at Cumberland Mall for new fire station

October 13, 2021 Cobb County: Cobb County firefighters worked to douse a Kingsmen tour bus that partially blocked a major interstate for hours in Cobb County after the bus burst into flames on I-285 on Oct. 13, 2021. The burned-out bus is sitting in the shoulder lane of I-285 South near Paces Ferry Road. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

October 13, 2021 Cobb County: Cobb County firefighters worked to douse a Kingsmen tour bus that partially blocked a major interstate for hours in Cobb County after the bus burst into flames on I-285 on Oct. 13, 2021. The burned-out bus is sitting in the shoulder lane of I-285 South near Paces Ferry Road. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Cobb County Commissioners on Tuesday will be asked to spend $1.3 million to buy land from the Cumberland Mall for a new fire station.

Located off Cumberland Boulevard near Akers Mill Road, the nearly one-acre lot is currently used for parking east of the Macy’s department store.

In a memo to the Board of Commissioners, county fire officials said the facility, Fire Station No. 29, is needed to improve response times and alleviate the workload on neighboring stations.

Located north of Vinings and just south of Truist Park, the area has been a focus of county economic development efforts over the last decade, bringing new housing, restaurants and offices to the highly trafficked area near I-75 and I-285.

If approved, the land will be bought using special purpose local option sales tax dollars, or SPLOST.

The total budget to build the station is $9.4 million.