Work on a new $3.9 million pre-engineered metal “Agricultural Shop” started this week in Woodland.

When completed in January 2026, the 6,000-square-foot structure will be located at the northwest corner of the facility at 120 W. Main St., and facing Court Street and east of the San Bruno Bowling Center, 154 W. Main St.

It will include laboratories, testing rooms, a maintenance shop, break room, restrooms and garage. The site will also have two dual-fleet EV chargers for county vehicles.

Yolo County’s Agricultural Department is now located in Suite D, 120 W. Main. Construction of the building will give the department greater flexibility, according to county officials.

The Ag Department abandoned Norton Hall at 70 Cottonwood St. in November 2024. It has been repurposed for the Adult Health Center. Norton Hall had been the site of the Ag Department for over four decades.

The work off Court Street is being done by Creekside Commercial Builders, a longtime building company located at McClellan Park near Sacramento.

County officials have told Yolo County supervisors the Ag Department has an “ongoing need for a new, fully equipped shop that supports its operational requirements.

“Relocating the Ag Department’s shop to a commercial zone will fulfill this need while also reducing the department’s footprint in a residential-zoned area,” according to a county report. “This move is anticipated to eliminate the department’s impact on the residential neighborhood, enhancing compatibility with surrounding land uses and improving overall operational efficiency.”

A public solicitation for bids went out in September 2024 with Creekside submitting the lowest bid of $3,898,734. An engineer’s estimate of the project made in January 2023 was that it would cost $3,032 million.