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The California Highway Patrol is finally moving ahead with its plans for the long-vacant Jacobs Middle School campus in Eureka.

Three years ago, the CHP announced its intent to buy the former school site, a property the agency had eyed for many years as a potential location for a new Humboldt-area headquarters. But just a few months after the announcement, a convoluted land swap deal involving the Eureka City Schools Board of Trustees and a mysterious private developer upended the CHP’s plans, launching a year-long battle over the fate of the property. In the end, the deal went up in flames, and in June 2025 the school district ultimately decided to sell the property to the CHP.

For the past year, the CHP and the state Department of General Services (DGS) have been working out plans to build a brand-new regional headquarters at the eight-acre site, located at 674 Allard Avenue in Eureka’s Highland Park neighborhood. Now, it’s time for the public to weigh in.

Last week, the CHP released a notice of preparation (NOP) for the new headquarters. Comments submitted through the NOP, which is the first step in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process, will be incorporated into the project’s draft environmental impact report (DEIR). 

The NOP doesn’t include many details about the project, other than it would “provide adequate workspace, vehicle parking, and equipment storage for an increasing number of employees assigned to this office.” The facility would have enough space for about 80 employees.

“The proposed project would consist of construction and operation of buildings and other structures, such as vehicle fuel areas, waste enclosure, radio vault with equipment storage, auto shop building with car wash bay, main office buildings, a 148-foot tall radio antenna tower, secured and visitor parking areas, equipment enclosures and storage areas, a fuel island with gas tanks, citation clearance area, an emergency generator, utility improvements, and other ancillary improvements,” the NOP states.

The CHP will host a virtual public meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. to discuss the project and next steps for environmental review. The meeting ID is 884 4788 3442 and the passcode is 955386.

Members of the public have until Thursday, Dec. 3 to submit written comment on the proposed project. Comments must be mailed to Jennifer Parson, senior environmental planner, State of California Department of General Services Real Estate Services Division, Project Management & Development Branch, 707 Third Street, 4th Floor, MS509 West Sacramento, CA 95605. Comments can also be emailed to environmental@dgs.ca.gov.

Read the full document here.

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