Fresno County leaders’ discussion about a new headquarters for the board of supervisors is sure to ignite more change for downtown Fresno.
It’s the latest in county facility moves following the West Annex Jail opening last December, and a new courthouse planned to replace the controversial “honeycomb” in Courthouse Park by 2032, as county leaders continue to emphasize unfulfilled space needs.
At Tuesday’s board meeting four potential new locations were introduced, with a fifth option to renovate the third floor of the historic Art Deco building:
- Replacing the 104-year-old Woodward Fountain site at Courthouse Park with a new building;
- Replacing the current courthouse in the middle of the park with a new building;
- Developing county-owned property on L Street and Tuolumne; and,
- Adding a new building adjacent to the Juvenile Justice Campus south of the city.
The topic of a new location was highlighted during the first board meeting on Jan. 7, where Supervisor Garry Bredefeld explained that problems with the nearly century old building were a sign to invest in a new facility.
“My interest is moving forward and getting construction going; whether it’s a new building or remodeling,” said Bredefeld during the meeting on Tuesday.
During the discussion over the sites for a new building, emphasis was placed on parking, more space for residents to attend meetings, and creating space for the sheriff’s office which will be vacated to make space for a new courthouse to replace the current Fresno County Superior Court.
The option to remodel the third floor of the current hall of records building was also introduced, which would see an expanded board room that could fit 188 people. That option would displace all the staff offices on that floor.
Currently, the board has set aside $41.7 million for a new location and offices alongside an additional $10.5 million for a new parking structure.
The option to expand the county’s footprint at Courthouse Park where the Woodward Fountain currently sits is estimated to cost $40.7 million and would wipe out most of the park itself. Staff say additional parking would still need to be built.
Supervisor Brian Pacheco, who voiced support for remodeling the board’s current floor, also expressed his reluctance to build over the green space.
“I hate taking out any of the green space,” Pacheco said. “The minute you overlay something with asphalt, you’ll never get it back.”
The county is also exploring another option of getting rid of the current 1960s-era courthouse and replacing it with the board’s new headquarters at the center of Courthouse Park. With an estimated cost of $50 million, the site could potentially house the board, the county administrative office and the sheriff’s office, but is dependent on the completion of the new courthouse before demolition and construction can begin.
Both Pacheco and Chairman Buddy Mendes voiced some support for this option.
The third option, a county-owned site on the corner of L Street and Tuolumne where a facility for the Department of Social Services used to stand, is estimated to cost $56.3 million for a new three-story building along with a five-level parking garage. The site could also potentially be constructed as a six-story building with a 14-level parking structure, but the estimated cost for the expanded facility is $129 million.
Supervisors Nathan Magsig, Luis Chavez and Bredefeld voiced their interest in this site, with Bredefeld explaining it would be the most ideal location if the board were to move forward immediately with construction. Bredefeld also floated the idea of bonding in order to get the additional funding needed for the expanded facility.
“I think if there’s need as a governmental agency, we ought to be looking at providing bonding and building the facilities that we need, I think we ought to be looking at doing all of it, not necessarily waiting until we have the money set aside,” Bredefeld said.
Supervisor Chavez also brought forth the idea to acquire the old Club One Casino property on Tulare and Van Ness. Pacheco mentioned during the meeting that the owner, Kyle Kirkland, approached the board and said they would be willing to work with the board should they choose to acquire it.
The casino, after shuttering their downtown location during the pandemic, re-opened their doors at a new Granite Park location in 2022.
Pacheco also said that, while no contact was made with the owner of the former Radisson Hotel adjacent to Club One, owner Sevak Khatchadourian has said he’s interested in selling.
Khatchadourian recently closed escrow with the county on the former University Medical Center campus near Roosevelt High in southeast Fresno, with plans to transform the blighted site into housing. He also owns the Pacific Southwest and Helm buildings on Fulton Street downtown, the latter of which is supposed to be converted into student housing.
The supervisors are also open to a move away from downtown. The last option would have a facility constructed next to the county’s juvenile justice facility just south of Fresno. The county-owned site has space for parking and would cost an estimated $46 million, but currently has no public transportation routes available and is a few miles from nearby restaurants and shopping. Mendes expressed interest in this site.
“It’s a clean site, it’s easy to build on, and it's closer for some of the rural people to come here,” Mendes said.
While the board made no official decision for what direction they want to go in, they agreed to gather more information on the possibility of acquiring the Club One Casino across the street from the park and to refine information about potential sites for further discussion.
