Project Info
The new courthouse project is authorized for 15 courtrooms for a total of 167,147 gross square feet (GSF) in the City of Santa Rosa. This high-rise project of six stories above ground and a basement level will create operational efficiencies and ongoing savings through consolidation of current court operations and services, providing centralized criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency, and family court proceedings for the entire county. Project scope includes surface parking for 450 cars plus 20 enclosed secure parking spaces. This new facility will replace the existing court-occupied space in the Sonoma County Hall of Justice and in the attached jail or Main Adult Detention Facility (MADF) at the county administrative complex.
Background
The Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma provides services through its main facility, the county-owned Sonoma County Hall of Justice (HOJ). This large, two-story building was constructed in 1965 and contains 15 courtrooms between two facilities: 13 courtrooms in the main part of the HOJ for criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency, and family court proceedings, and two courtrooms in the attached MADF. These overcrowded facilities have significant physical problems, accessibility deficiencies, and security issues, which prevent the superior court from providing safe and efficient court proceedings and services.
The new criminal courthouse will replace the court-occupied space in these two county-owned facilities and will enable the court to operate more efficiently through the consolidation of its operations and services. The proposed project will provide a modern, secure facility of 15 courtrooms and approximately 167,147 GSF. It will consolidate all criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency, and family court proceedings as well as family court mediation and probate investigative services and enhanced drug court support into a single facility. It will also include features and services the court was previously unable to provide due to space restrictions, such as appropriately sized jury assembly and deliberation rooms, courtroom and Clerk's Office, and other public waiting areas, attorney interview/witness waiting rooms, children's waiting room, area for security entrance screening (for all court users), and in-custody holding facilities.
The new courthouse will be located in the Sonoma County Administration Center campus (north of downtown Santa Rosa) and on a site just east of the existing HOJ where the Old Jail facility was previously located. Site acquisition was completed in mid-2012.
CEQA
The Judicial Council is the lead agency for preparation of an environmental report to comply with CEQA.
May 25, 2011, to June 24, 2011: Draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration circulated. The draft study evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and recommended mitigation measures.
June 16, 2011: Public meeting held.
In response to public comments, the Judicial Council staff completed a Final Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration.
On July 27, 2011, the Judicial Council staff filed a Notice of Determination, thereby completing the CEQA process.
Schedule
This project is currently in the Construction phase.
Construction began in June 2021 and is estimated to complete in August 2025.
Project Images
