Planning for the Future of the Placer County Government Center

Published on March 22, 2016

Planning for the future of Placer County Government Center is set to begin in April after the county board of supervisors voted today to approve a $2.145 million contract with Roseville firm Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners to update the center’s master plan.
 
The plan was updated most recently in 1993, covering county and private use of the 200-acre campus in North Auburn. Since 1993, the county has built several new buildings for county services, replacing aging facilities from the World War II-era DeWitt General Hospital with more modern and efficient facilities like the Community Development Resource Center and Auburn Justice Center. A new county animal services center is currently under construction on the campus, replacing its outdated Auburn shelter.
 
“Our goal is to honor the history of the campus and position the government center to more efficiently provide services to our community, give our employees the professional work environment they deserve and continue to support the strong economic growth happening nearby,” said Ken Grehm, director of Placer County’s Department of Public Works and Facilities. “We’ll be seeking the public’s feedback throughout the master plan update to make sure we’re creating a vision for the future that recognizes its past as well as its potential.”

Evaluating the cultural legacy of the campus and the potential relocation of county staff currently housed off-campus in Auburn are two major focus areas for the update. Upgrading the campus’s aging infrastructure to improve energy and resource efficiency is another high priority.
 
A district containing DeWitt General Hospital buildings remaining at the center was placed in the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. National Park Service in February. The master plan update will include a review of all existing buildings and an updated cultural resource study addressing considerations for potential future development. A Placer County museum dedicated to the history of the DeWitt campus is planned to open in summer 2016.
 
Updating the plan is expected to take 18 months and will involve a thorough public engagement process. Two public meetings are planned during the plan’s first phase to provide input on its direction and vision. The first meeting - open to the public as well as county staff - is scheduled for April 19 at 5:30 p.m., at the Community Development Resource Center’s Planning Commission Room, 3091 County Center Drive in North Auburn.
 
The county will host additional public meetings as the plan and associated environmental documents are developed and finalized, anticipated in 2017.