"The fact that Continental Plaza was an existing facility offered many benefits, including cost savings to the agency, an accelerated occupancy schedule and the reuse of an existing structure, [which is] part of the state's 'green' strategy," Newland says. Per state requirements, all three buildings will be renovated with the goal of receiving a LEED-NC-Silver certification from the US Green Building Council.

The campus is located at the corner of North 7th Street and Richards Boulevard, which sits within the River District, a major mixed-use redevelopment area adjacent to Downtown Sacramento. Also at the intersection is Township 9, a recently approved 65-acre development that is slated for 2,500 residential units and 150,000 sf of neighborhood retail and restaurants. The project includes space for a transit station and tracks for future light rail, which is expected to be up and running in 2010.

There are actually four buildings that comprise Continental Plaza. The fourth building is an older 100,000-sf warehouse that Grove has received entitlements to replace with an office building as large as 12 stories and 810,000 sf. The building would sit at the corner of Richard Boulevard and North 7th Street, just in front of the existing buildings. A timeline for the project was not immediately available.

Newland says the River District--known for its fresh produce, restaurant equipment distributors and eclectic mix of businesses--is becoming a destination for public safety and other state and local government uses. In addition to CHP headquarters, the City of Sacramento previously acquired a 150,000-sf building at 300 Richards Blvd from Grove that now houses the city's police department.