Bringing much more of County Government under one roof while erasing a scattered assortment of maintenance-needy half-century-old structures highlight plans for a revamped County Government Center campus presented to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 4.
The centerpiece of the project would be a new 300,000 square-foot, three- to four-story administrative building complementing the neighboring iconic arch-shaped County Government Center. The building would become an aesthetic highlight for downtown San Bernardino while incorporating modern features, such as added conference areas and meetings rooms, a new tech center, and environmentally sustainable useable roof areas with secure courtyard access.
The public would benefit by having many more of the County services they access the most under one roof rather than assigned to separate offices requiring long walks or finding additional parking. As for parking, the project would add 812 parking spaces to the County campus. The public would also benefit from a County government that operates more efficiently and collaboratively due to more departments working under a single roof.
The project is being meticulously planned to prevent any disruptions to County operations and any need to move departments into costly temporary space. The first leg of the project would be a new parking structure at the southeast corner of North Mountain View Avenue and West 4th Street, estimated for completion by the end of 2025. The new administration building would be completed in 2028.
Gone would be the aged County Civic Center buildings at 157 and 175 West 5th Street, the Public Health building at 351 N. Mountain View Ave., and the Old Hall of Records at 172 West 3rd Street – along with the high cost of maintaining those structures. Looking into the future, the County is contemplating making some of the freed-up space available for development, potentially for mixed use retail and housing, including housing for County employees.
To view the presentation and additional renderings of the project click here.