Climate Action and Resiliency

Make Sonoma County carbon neutral by 2030.

Goal 3, Objective 1

Design or retrofit County facilities to be carbon neutral, zero waste and incorporate resilient construction techniques and materials.

In-Progress
50%

Updated: February 2025

Summary of objective implementation status

2021-2023 Initiatives
The County has made significant strides in sustainability and space optimization. Between 2021 and 2023, the Board of Supervisors adopted a new space standard of 170 square feet per person, reducing from the previous 250 square feet per person. This shift enables equitable workspace design while minimizing heating, cooling, and lighting demands. It also reduces material usage and the associated carbon footprint.

During this period, the County advanced plans for a new County Government Center, prioritizing footprint reduction. In 2023, the County seized an opportunity to lease with an option to purchase a 120,000-square-foot office building constructed in 2015. Reusing this energy-efficient building, originally designed as a corporate headquarters, saved millions in construction costs and avoided significant carbon emissions linked to new construction. The building features:

  • Advanced energy-efficient systems and structures.
  • A raised floor system supporting HVAC, electrical, data, and communication systems for easy reconfiguration.

In addition, the County pursued energy and resilience upgrades to existing buildings, including a $1.7 million investment in the Santa Rosa Veterans Building, approved in February 2022. Contractors were also required to prioritize sustainable construction practices such as deconstruction, reclamation, and recycling.

2024 Initiatives
In 2024, the County implemented $28 million in carbon-reducing upgrades across more than 50 buildings. Key projects included:

  • Transition to LED lighting in 51 buildings.
  • Installation of low-flow stainless steel toilets in the MADF facility.
  • Solar arrays added at the Santa Rosa Veterans Hall and the Main Campus parking lots.
  • Replacement of gas water heaters with heat-pump systems in Veterans buildings in Cloverdale, Petaluma, and Santa Rosa.

Additionally, EV auto-charging stations were installed at the Main Campus, further advancing the County’s commitment to sustainability.

Key milestone update

  • In January 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved the existing County Administration Center site as the tentative location for a new County Government Center, for purposes of conducting further analysis and other pre-project planning, feasibility, and development plan efforts, and adopted a space standard of 170 square feet per person.
  • In November 2023, the County and building owner of 400 Aviation Blvd agreed on a letter of intent to lease with an option to purchase. The lease and purchase option are in negotiations.
  • In 2024, the Board approved $28M in financing Oct 2024; phase one is in play, phase 2 is in planning. Completion target date – 18-24 mos. One time funding

Coordination and partnership update

This objective has direct impacts on several other objectives:

  • RI 1.2 Standards for Office improvements: The new CGC will establish standards that can be applied to existing offices;
  • RI 2.3 Design and build a new, resilient Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The new EOC will be part of the procurement for the new CGC;
  • CAR 2.3 Design or retrofit County facilities to be carbon neutral, zero waste and incorporate resilient construction techniques and materials: Re-use of existing buildings is the most carbon economical solution for facilities since carbon associated with manufacture of new materials, transportation of materials and construction equipment are avoided.

Community, equity and climate update

The new County government center project will be approached with methodology to maximize service delivery to the community with a focus on equity and triple net zero practices to minimize environmental impact.

Objective funding

The County utilized $100K in Strategic Plan funding to complete a Zero Waste Audit, plan and initial implementation.