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Alameda County assessment center renovation delayed as permitting, septic and security issues surface
Summary
A county capital project to reopen a new foster assessment center faces permitting, septic and licensing hurdles; GSA estimated front-house readiness in roughly six months but full conversion could take 18–24 months and cost several million dollars more than the purchase price.
General Services Agency Director Kimberly Gassaway told the Board on Oct. 7 that the Social Services Agency's planned Assessment Center property requires additional permitting and construction work before it can be licensed and occupied for foster-assessment services.
Gassaway said the site includes two renovated houses and a barn; public-works and fire inspections identified additional electrical and life-safety items, the middle house had unpermitted garage conversions, and the septic system is undersized for the intended use. The barn is "not usable," she said, and demolition was recommended for safety reasons.
To get the front house permitted and state-licensed the county expects roughly six months of work and inspection, but GSA estimated a full conversion including offices, access, parking and septic work could take 18 to 24 months. The original acquisition and scope figure cited at the start of the project was about $1.9 million; more recent rough orders of magnitude from architects put a broader buildout cost substantially higher (GSA said the full-scope estimate is less than $10 million, with ballpark figures discussed around $8 million).
The county plans a phased approach: bifurcate and permit the front house as an initial residential licensed space (six youth), use the middle house as interim office space if feasible, and evaluate modular or ADU options to shorten timelines. State licensing must follow final public-works and fire inspections; county staff said the state has reviewed the program statement and is waiting to inspect built upgrades.
Supervisors asked for clearer cost estimates and faster progress; Supervisor Miley and others pressed GSA on the timeline and whether demolishing the barn and bringing in temporary modular office structures could speed occupancy. Gassaway said options (plan A/B/C) are being developed, including searching for nearby properties as a fallback.
No action to appropriate construction funds was taken Oct. 7; supervisors asked for a status update at an upcoming work session and said they expect the agency to bring cost estimates and options for interim operations.
