Plans for new Santa Rosa courthouse on hold, again

Plans to build a new courthouse in Santa Rosa are once again on hold.

Construction of the $174 million, six-story facility near the current Hall of Justice was expected to begin in two years and be completed by 2020.

But the reallocation of $1.4 billion in statewide construction funds to other parts of Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget, coupled with steep declines in ticket revenue and other fees, has placed the project in limbo.

A total of 17 courthouse projects, including those in Lake and Mendocino counties, are being halted while lawmakers look for other funding sources, said Jose Guillen, Sonoma County Superior Court executive officer.

It’s yet another delay in replacing the 51-year-old building that does not meet earthquake safety standards and depends on an unsafe system of transporting inmates through its public corridors. At one time, officials said the new facility would be open by 2012.

“We were supposed to be in our courthouse by now,” Guillen said.

Courthouse construction is funded by 2008 legislation that increased fees and fines supporting $5 billion in bonds.

The same year, a state report condemned the Santa Rosa courthouse that opened in 1965 on Administration Drive and recommended replacing it.

Officials considered two locations, including downtown at the site of the main post office on Second and E streets.

They settled on a 6.8-acre former jail property next to the current courthouse that is across the street from the new jail.

Preliminary plans call for a 168,342-square-foot facility with 15 criminal courtrooms, 450 above- and below-ground parking spaces and consolidated criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency and probate proceedings.

The project architect is New York-based Richard Meier & Partners, the firm that designed The Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, among other notable structures.

Guillen said the state has already spent between $20 million and $30 million on land acquisition, jail demolition and planning. Actual construction is expected to cost about $141 million and take 24 months. However, the project has been hampered by budget woes.

The first setback came in 2012, when the governor shifted $113 million from the courthouse construction fund of about $270 million to cover other expenses, including court operations, Guillen said.

Soon after, a 20 percent reduction in court filings combined with a ticket amnesty program led to another $70 million reduction in the fund.

Sonoma County has responded by reducing the cost of the project, once set at $241 million, by about 27 percent, Guillen said.

And with each change, there have been delays.

With the latest budget shortage, lawmakers asked the judicial branch to prioritize its 17 construction projects, deciding which ones are most needed and how they can be paid for. The legislators are expected to take up the matter early next year.

In the meantime, each courthouse project has been ordered to stop working after completing its current phase of planning.

Supporters are lobbying to keep all the projects going forward at the same time and to restore money that has been directed to other expenses.

“A courthouse is a symbol in real democracy,” Guillen said.

“It is key to any civilized society. If we value justice, then we need to have buildings that reflect that.”

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312.