Project Info
The New Hall of Justice provides a new, six-story, 15-courtroom facility of approximately 167,000 square feet in the county government center in Santa Rosa. It improved operational efficiency, access to justice, and overall public service through the consolidation of court operations and calendars; eliminated current space shortfall; increased security; and replaced the existing court-occupied space in the county-owned Hall of Justice and attached Main Adult Detention Facility (MADF). Acquired in 2012, the 2.47-acre project site provided the opportunity for infill development, as it previously housed the county’s Old Jail that was vacated following the county’s construction of the MADF in 1989. The project utilized the Construction Manager at Risk delivery method. The New Hall of Justice will hear criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency, and mental health court proceedings for court service to all residents of Sonoma County.
Background
Prior to completion of this capital project, the Superior Court of Sonoma County’s main facility for criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency, and mental health case matters was the county-owned Hall of Justice building. It was built by the County of Sonoma in 1965 and contained 15 courtrooms between two facilities: 13 courtrooms within the building and two courtrooms in the attached MADF. This bifurcation created service and operational inefficiencies, and both facilities had undersized and overcrowded courtrooms as well as security, accessibility, and fire and life safety deficiencies. The building’s systems became aged, it was overcrowded, and it lacked significant safety features including the in-custody holding facilities required of the court’s current criminal court operations and calendars.
With the completion of the New Hall of Justice, and to the benefit of all residents of Sonoma County, the superior court has improved safety, operational efficiency, access to justice, and overall public service through consolidated calendars and operations in a modern facility. The court may now offer public facilities previously unavailable owing to space restrictions, such as appropriately sized courtrooms, jury assembly and deliberation rooms, centralized security entrance screening, Clerk's Office, and public waiting spaces including those dedicated for children, witnesses, and attorney/client interviews.
The New Hall of Justice project site is located in the city of Santa Rosa on Administration Drive in the Sonoma County Government Center. It is adjacent to the superior court’s prior location, which is now the former Sonoma County Hall of Justice building.
CEQA
The Judicial Council complied with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by filing a Notice of Determination after preparing a Mitigated Negative Declaration in 2011.
