Hensel Phelps project manager Dave Canada briefed a field-tour audience on the new Ukiah courthouse, a design-build project for the Judicial Council that broke ground after a preconstruction year and has proceeded rapidly with structural-steel erection and weekly concrete pours for the floors.

Project size and scope: Canada said the courthouse is a three-story, roughly 80,000-square-foot structure that will contain multiple courtrooms and public-facing spaces designed to the Judicial Council’s template. A meeting speaker cited a total project budget around $144 million and a completion goal around 2027.

Construction approach and oversight: Hensel Phelps described on-site prefabrication approaches for systems and close coordination with the Judicial Council and the office of the state fire marshal and division of the state architect for code and ADA compliance. Canada said the project uses piles and ground improvement and that crews are pacing concrete pours to manage production and traffic.

Site amenities and energy: The project includes about 160 parking stalls with photovoltaic canopy coverage over the stalls; staff said all stalls will have PV coverage but did not specify whether surplus generation would be retained locally or remitted to the state. City staff also described concurrent grant-funded plans to extend Clay Street and tie the courthouse site into downtown circulation.

Transit and mixed-use possibilities: City staff said a nearby lot has been identified as a potential Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA) transit center and that discussions are underway about a mixed-use development combining transit facilities, library or senior-center uses, and housing above ground-floor services.

Next steps: Speakers said construction will continue through weather windows and that project partners will coordinate on public access, parking and related downtown street improvements. No governance action was taken on the tour; the briefing was informational.