RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chair, Board of Supervisors, to execute a grant deed and the Public Works Director, or designee, to execute a purchase and sale agreement conveying the real property at 4491 Bixler Road, Byron (Property) to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) for $1.8 million for use as a wildland fire training and staging area, pursuant to Government Code Section 25365, subject to approval by the County Administrator and approval as to form by County Counsel.
DETERMINE the Property is surplus and no longer necessary for County purposes and is required by Con Fire for Con Fire purposes.
DETERMINE that this activity is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 (b)(3), which exempts activities where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility of causing a significant effect on the environment.
DIRECT the Director of the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designees, to arrange for payment of a $50 fee to the County Clerk for filing and a $25 fee to the DCD for processing of the Notice of Exemption.
DIRECT the Real Estate Division of the Public Works Department to cause the grant deed to be delivered to the grantee for recording in the office of the Clerk-Recorder.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The County will receive $1.8 million from the sale of the property. These funds will be used, in conjunction with other funds, to demolish the Old Juvenile Hall building.
BACKGROUND:
The Property consists of 50.0 acres of land improved with a 29,757 square foot youth
rehabilitation facility. The Property is located at 4491 Bixler Road, Byron, Contra Costa County, California, and has Assessor’s Parcel Number is 002‐020‐001. The Property is the site of the former Orrin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility, which was opened in 1960.
The original construction of the facility was completed in 1960. In 1998, a second dormitory building was added, and in 2006 modular classrooms were added. The kitchen was renovated a few years ago. Solar panels were added in 2010. The originally constructed buildings are over 60 years old while the newer structures are 16 and 24 years old. Construction is only of average quality and the condition of the buildings show signs of wear and tear. Only the newest dormitory building is fire protected with sprinklers.
The Probation Department ceased operations at the facility in early 2023 and the facility has not been used since. An appraisal of the Property was conducted in December 2022. The appraisal concluded the highest value of the land would be a sale to a buyer that could use the facilities already existing on the Property. The appraisal suggested the land was valued at $1 million and the facilities at $1.12 based on their then-current condition.
The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) has expressed interest in using the Property as a wildland fire training and staging area due to its location and the amount of land the Property has for storing wildland firefighting equipment and apparatuses. Con Fire believes it can make use of the majority of the existing facilities. The square footage of the facilities to be retained by Con Fire equals about two thirds of the existing square footage. Based on the appraised values, staff recommends applying a fair market value of $1 million to the land and $800,000 to the existing facilities, for a total fair market value of $1.8 million.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board does not approve the sale, the property is likely to remain vacant for an extended period of time and Con Fire will need to find an alternative site for its training and staging needs.