Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Vote 4-1 in Favor of Expensive Downtown Transfer – CBS San Francisco
SANTA ROSA (BCN) – Sonoma County’s board of directors voted this week to have the
District headquarters in downtown Santa Rosa by 2027, a move that could cost the district up to $ 55 million a year.
The decision to move was triggered by rising operating costs and a lack of expansion options at the current location in the north of Santa Rosa. In a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, the board approved the continuation of a new location, which is 7.4 acres in the former Sears Auto Center on the Santa Rosa Mall.
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Two other options were suggested: sticking to the current location or moving to a combined location already owned by the city of Santa Rosa.
Prior to the meeting, the county’s General Services Department conducted a site assessment and cost feasibility study and concluded that rebuilding at the current site – a project valued at between $ 37 million and $ 46 million annually for 30 years – was the fastest and was cheapest
Option for the district.
The Sears location was the second most expensive option due to the $ 20.75 million acquisition cost and the cost of renting the parking lot in the Santa Rosa Mall.
However, the move also brings back some money, as the current location restrictions mean that no additional space needs to be rented. The new location also offers greater proximity to a SMART train station and the rest of downtown Santa Rosa.
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Supervisor David Rabbitt, the only one against, disapproved of the new website primarily because he felt the financial implications of the move were not properly discussed.
“Usually the first thing you do when buying a home is pre-approved a loan,” Rabbitt said. “We said, ‘What do I want to buy?’ and pick the most expensive downtown area … My only worry is that in downtown Santa Rosa we will own an empty lot for a product we do
You can’t necessarily build on that. “
Under the district’s current plan, 30 percent of employees would work remotely, and some employees in departments like the Sonoma County sheriff’s office and the Sonoma County District Attorney would not be relocating to the new location.
Prior to the sale, the seller of the Sears site agreed to demolish the buildings that currently occupy the area on which the county plans to erect an 18-story office tower, among other things. Construction is not expected to start until winter 2025.
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