Brookside Mental Health Rehabilitation Center

The Brookside Mental Health Rehabilitation Center project in Richmond, California, involves the comprehensive retrofit and adaptive reuse of a one-story, 20,000-square-foot wood-frame institutional building to create a 45-bed, 24/7 mental health treatment facility for adult Medi-Cal beneficiaries with serious mental illness. This will be Contra Costa County’s first in-county Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, designed to deliver trauma-informed, recovery-oriented care in a secure environment that meets stringent anti-ligature standards. The project includes a full interior remodel with the installation of care suites, sleeping rooms, medical and wellness spaces, administrative offices, dining, and recreational areas, alongside major life-safety upgrades such as new HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire sprinkler and alarm systems, access control, and replacement of roofing, windows, doors, and all interior and exterior finishes. Structural retrofits and seismic enhancements are required to bring the building up to current code, while exterior improvements include civil and landscape work, EV charging stations, accessible parking and pathways, covered patios, a trash enclosure, bioretention basins, and utility trenching, with the removal of approximately 35 trees and potential ground disturbance up to seven feet deep. Real property transactions, including easements and utility relocations, may be necessary to support construction, and night or weekend work will be conducted in compliance with local ordinances while ensuring unrestricted emergency vehicle access. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 and is expected to be completed by 2027. The project is funded through California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program under Welfare and Institutions Code § 5960.3 and is subject to state labor requirements including prevailing wages under Labor Code § 1720 and skilled workforce mandates under Public Contract Code § 2600. While the facility must comply with California building and energy codes, as well as anti-ligature design standards, the project does not involve federal acquisition regulations or FAR clauses, as it is a state-funded public works initiative. Inspections and acceptance will occur on-site at 847 Brookside Drive, Richmond, with shared responsibility between the county and the contractor. Although no formal contract value, payment office details, invoicing method, or procurement evaluation factors are specified in the available documentation, the project is governed by CEQA exemptions and related environmental filings. Key contacts include Syd Sotoodeh, Senior Planner, and Shravan Sundaram, Project Manager, who serve as primary points of