Santa Barbara County is going out to bid for a new Probation Department building in downtown Santa Barbara, a project estimated to cost $55.2 million and take several years.

Probation has two South County facilities — on Carrillo Street downtown and at the former juvenile hall site on Hollister Avenue — and more facilities in Lompoc and Santa Maria.

This new building at 1019 Garden St. will consolidate South County operations and get staff out of two old, inefficient facilities, General Services Director Kirk Lagerquist said.

It will be a net-zero energy facility with rooftop solar panels and all-electric utilities.

General Services plans go to out to bid in March, award a construction project this summer, start construction later this year and open the facility by late 2026, Lagerquist said.

It’s the first county project to use the Community Workforce Agreement, which sets employment terms on $10 million-plus construction projects. If all bids come in higher than cost estimates, the county can rebid projects outside the CWA.

Since the headquarters building is on county land, the county can self-permit it. The City of Santa Barbara does not have decision-making authority as it does for other downtown projects.

The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 on Tuesday to authorize General Services going out to bid for the project.

Supervisors Laura Capps, Joan Hartmann and Das Williams voted in favor. Bob Nelson opposed it, and Steve Lavagnino was absent.

Nelson said he couldn’t support the project because of parking concerns.

The building site is currently a parking lot for Superior Court jurors and court staff. It will have 74 parking spots for Probation Department staff and clients, but it won’t have parking to make up for the court spots.

The county is obligated to provide 81 parking spots to Superior Court, and it’s negotiating with the City of Santa Barbara to lease spots in its parking garages, Lagerquist said.

He said the county plans to have a parking agreement before it awards the construction contract.

It’s bad to negotiate “if you’re already over a barrel,” Nelson said. “Hopefully, the city is there with us.”

Probation’s other South County facilities eventually will be demolished, and the county might build workforce housing on the land.