Santa Rosa has selected a contractor to design and build a permanent home for the Roseland library and other community facilities, marking a milestone for the long-awaited project.

The civic complex, known as the Hearn Community Hub, is planned on 6 acres of land at the intersection of Hearn and Dutton avenues that the city acquired in early 2022.

A new fire station is also planned for the site, and a future phase calls for a recreation center to serve Roseland and the fast-growing Santa Rosa community to the southwest.

The City Council on Tuesday awarded a $33 million contract to Swinerton Builders of Sacramento to design and build the first phase of the project.

“We’re very excited that it’s finally coming to fruition,” said Sonoma County Library Director Erica Thibault. “It’s been a long time. It’s been a long process and it’s great to see all of us working together – the library, the fire department and the city of Santa Rosa – to make this happen for the community.”

In May, demolition crews tore down three houses, several smaller outbuildings and fences on the property, clearing the way for redevelopment.

Construction of the library and fire station is expected to begin in the fall of 2025 and be completed in the spring of 2027.

Councilman Eddie Alvarez on Tuesday applauded the city’s efforts and said it was a step toward realizing long-promised public investment in the predominantly Latino neighborhood, which was pushed back into city limits in 2017.

The total project cost for the first phase, including site acquisition, demolition, design and construction, is $48.2 million, according to city records.

The project is being paid for by a combination of local, state and federal dollars, including $10 million each from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act and PG&E fire regulation funds, nearly $11 million from the Sonoma County Library and 3 million dollars from the city public. security fee. California Senate President Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, secured $5 million each for the fire station and library in the state budgetand former Assemblyman Marc Levine secured $1 million for each during his time in the Legislature.

The project is just west of where work is underway to build a new bridge over the 101 Freeway at Hearn Avenue to improve congestion and safety as hundreds of housing units go up and more are planned along Santa Rosa Avenue and southwest Santa Rosa.

The extended bridge will facilitate the passage of emergency vehicles, and the project will eventually connect to a planned multi-use path along Hearn Avenue, improving access to the SMART trail and community center.

What is planned

Plans call for a 9,915-square-foot fire station fronting Hearn Avenue that will replace the small, aging Fire Station 8 on Burbank Avenue, just south of Sebastopol Road.

Fire operations, dormitories, a galley and other living areas are on the first floor next to the apparatus bay.

The fire station could include space for a conference room and multipurpose spaces to accommodate emergency operations above the fire station, city documents show.

Dan Hennessey, Santa Rosa’s director of transportation and public works, said the fire station’s design met the department’s response needs and the day-to-day needs of the firefighters stationed there.

Having the new station located further south, closer to the 101 Freeway and growing residential neighborhoods, has been discussed by fire officials since they took over the existing station from the Roseland Volunteer Company.

Fire Chief Scott Westrope said the department is looking forward to construction after a long planning process.

“The Santa Rosa Fire Department is excited to move into the next phase of the new fire station, which will better serve the city and our Roseland area,” he said in a written statement. “Providing improved service to southwest Santa Rosa has been a strategic goal for many years, and we look forward to the fire station.”

A 10,315-square-foot library is planned behind the fire station, separated by two parking lots and green space.

Thibault, the library’s director, said the selection committee and library officials felt Swinerton’s design offered flexibility to adapt to the library’s needs and “embodied what we think a 21st century library should look like.”

The library will have, among other facilities, meeting rooms and a creative space.

Outside, children will be able to play in what Thibault described as a demonstration garden, and the library will be able to host performances such as story time in a small amphitheater. There will also be space to host outdoor markets and allow the library to expand outdoor programming, she said.