KP Fire Update: Deal Could Bring Gas Station to Key Center

The Key Peninsula Fire District has entered into a purchase and sale agreement to sell its Calahan property in Key Center for $1.05 million, potentially closing a chapter that has stirred debate since the district purchased the site for $950,000 in 2021.

The pending buyer, Taechang LLC of Gig Harbor, plans to develop the site as a gas station and convenience store. Taechang’s owner, John Park, is involved in gas station and mini-mart development through various limited liability corporations. Kitsap County records show his interest in the Orchard Mart on Mile Hill Road in Port Orchard. He also had ties to Belfair Grocery, a gas station and minimart in Belfair, and a Union 76 station in Oak Harbor.

The Calahan property deal is contingent on the buyer securing Pierce County building permits and state licenses for fuel and liquor sales, and will not close until those approvals are in hand.

The property was the site of the first gas station in Key Center in the 1920s.

The contract includes a 90-day feasibility period for inspections, environmental testing, and permit approvals. Only after that period would a 90-day closing window begin, after $10,000 in earnest money is paid, meaning the sale could take up to six months under the base terms. If permits take longer, the buyer can request up to two 60-day extensions by adding nonrefundable earnest money deposits of $10,000 for each extension. In all, the sale could stretch well into summer 2026 before it is final.

“We intend to see this offer through,” said Board Chair Randy Takehara, responding to an email from KP News.

“We cannot predict the future though and would work with (the district) Legal (department) if a much more lucrative offer came through in the meantime.”

For the district, the deal would recover its original investment while avoiding long-term exposure to environmental liabilities. KPFD is guaranteed nonrefundable earnest money if the buyer delays closing, and the agreement requires the district to provide county-compliant well and septic systems. Taechang assumes responsibility for the first phase of environmental studies. If another phase is needed, KPFD has agreed to split the cost at closing.

The property’s future has been under scrutiny since KPFD purchased it in 2021 as a possible site for a future district headquarters, replacing the existing Station 46 in Key Center. In 2024, the board declined an offer to develop the site as a daycare. The current proposal, a commercial development including fuel and liquor sales, represents a much different use for the land.

Board members have stressed that the district is not in the business of real estate speculation and have sought to balance fiscal responsibility with transparency.

What About the Olson Property?

The Olson property, which includes a house and pasture in the heart of Key Center, is the more expensive of the two parcels KPFD bought in 2021. At the Aug. 28 commissioners meeting, Commissioner Stan Moffett said that the fate of the Olson property, whether it will be sold or developed for the district, will have to wait until the Calahan sale goes through or the agreement with Taechang dissolves.

(For more background on the district properties and plans, see “KPFD Town Hall Leaves Residents with More Questions Than Answers,” April 2025.)

Citizens Advisory Panel Recruitment

The KPFD’s Citizens Advisory Panel has open seats, and the board is hoping neighbors will step up. The volunteer group advises the board of fire commissioners and Fire Chief Nick Swinhart on district priorities and community concerns. CAP is looking to expand from five to seven members.

Paddleboards to the Rescue

It turns out paddleboards aren’t just for sunny afternoons at Joemma Beach. Anne Nesbit, KPFD’s public information officer and volunteer battalion chief, said the district may soon be adding them to its water-rescue arsenal. Volunteers have been experimenting with paddleboards during recent training sessions and have found them to be effective in certain situations. Paddleboards may be a low-cost, practical supplement to KPFD’s more traditional rescue craft.