In July, the department moved out of its former location in Old Town Clovis, where it had been a landmark of sorts for 28 years, at Pollasky Avenue and Fifth Street.

The new energy-efficient facility has nearly twice the square footage and parking spaces as the Old Town site.

"We'd have people waiting outside and people were bumping into each other," said office manager Ruben Sanchez about the former location. The Clovis DMV serves about 660 people a day who need to get their vehicles registered, a name change, change of address, vehicle tags and driver's licenses.

"We had just outgrown the facility," Sanchez said.

The city of Clovis has plans for the Old Town location, which it owned and leased to the DMV.

"We will be clearing the site in the near future making it more ready for its ultimate redevelopment," city manager Kathy Millison said. "It is an important parcel that could significantly anchor more retail activity south of Fifth on Pollasky, adding to the success of Old Town."

A former plan to build townhouses and offices fell through earlier this year, but the city is still pursuing a similar project such as mixed-use retail, office and residential.

Customers began lining up outside the new DMV an hour before it opened Aug. 8.

Art Valle, of Clovis, watched the ribbon-cutting ceremony as he waited to get vehicle tags. "I thought this would be faster, but no, it's the same as the old place," he said in a line of about 50 people.

Kimble Robinett, in line to get his driver's license, was more optimistic about the new location. "I like it," he said. "It's a lot bigger and has a lot more room. The old place was too crowded."

The $3.8 million facility has about 150 parking spaces and a 12,300-square-foot office.

The building may be the first "green building" the state of California has ever leased. The project is in the process of being certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) facility by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council rates projects based on how much they use recycled materials during construction, implement natural light and conserve water.

The Clovis facility was constructed with recycled materials, recycled 50 percent of construction waste and consumes 40 percent less water than similar buildings because of efficient plumbing and drought-tolerant landscaping. Two retention ponds will gather rain run-off to avoid taxing the city's storm drainage system. Even the cleaning materials used in the upkeep of the building will be biodegradable.

"It's very exciting to have the first leased building that was built for the state that will become LEED certified," said Daniel Burgoyne, sustainability manager with the state of California's Department of General Services Green Team. "I think it's something the region will be proud of and it certainly will set an example."

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