Aurora’s Station 18 plan now targets a 2027 opening

Aurora Fire Rescue has unveiled designs for a planned Station 18 at the Aurora Highlands Visitor Center, with the city now anticipating the firehouse will open in 2027. That is later than the mid-2026 opening the city had projected in October 2025.

The proposed station would adapt the existing visitor center at 3930 E-470 into a 9,600-square-foot firehouse. Aurora Fire Rescue presented the designs at a town hall on Oct. 8, 2026, and the city posted its announcement the following day. The city says Station 18 is intended to serve Aurora’s eastern corridor.

Design combines firehouse and historic engine display

The layout is designed for a fire company operating across three shifts. It includes three drive-through apparatus bays, a fitness room, three firefighter dormitories, two shared restrooms and dormitories for officers, including a private bathroom.

A glass garage enclosure is planned to display the Aurora Firefighters Local 1290’s 1955 Seagrave fire engine, known as Big John. The design places the historic vehicle in a public-facing display area while providing working space for firefighters and equipment.

Fire Chief Alec Oughton said the station would put firefighters and emergency-response resources closer to a growing community. That is the city’s stated expectation; the announcement does not quantify a change in response times. The station is still planned, not operational, and the city says construction and renovation planning will continue.

Opening projection moves from mid-2026 to 2027

The city’s October 2025 announcement projected a mid-2026 opening. The newer projection moves the anticipated opening to 2027, but the city’s design announcement does not explain the schedule change. It also does not give a construction start date.

Aurora’s 2026 adopted-budget summary says the General Fund will cover Station 18’s full cost, including 17 full-time-equivalent positions, after the city did not receive a federal SAFER grant. The summary does not provide a station-specific dollar cost.

When it described plans for new fire stations in 2025, the city said the Aurora Highlands would vacate the visitor center after renovation and transfer it to the city. The current Station 18 plan would repurpose that site. The city’s next stated step is to continue construction and renovation planning toward the projected 2027 opening.