Monday, November 14, 2011
Page 3
Site Selection Approved for New Santa Clarita Courthouse
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The State Public Works Board has approved selection of a site in the Santa Clarita Valley for a new Los Angeles Superior Court facility, the Judicial Council announced on Thursday.
Located near the intersection of The Old Road and Henry Mayo Drive, close to the interchange of the Interstate 5 and SR-126 freeways in unincorporated Castaic Junction, the proposed 6.1-acre privately held parcel is situated close to a planned development west of town., a council spokesperson said.
Site selection approval allows the state Administrative Office of the Courts, which is managing the project, to undertake further due diligence and an assessment of the contraction’s environmental impact.
The environmental review and site acquisition, which also require SPWB approval, must be complete before architectural design of the new courthouse can begin, the spokesperson said.
Acquisition is scheduled to be completed by late 2012, and the architecture firm of Moore Ruble Yudell has been selected to design the new courthouse.
The planned facility will house four courtrooms in approximately 54,000 square feet, with available space for future expansion of up to six additional courtrooms. It is slated to replace the existing Santa Clarita Courthouse and Annex.
Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2014 and be completed in early 2016, the spokesperson said.
This project was ranked as an “immediate need” in the judicial branch’s capital-outlay plan, making it among the branch’s highest-priority infrastructure projects.
It is funded by Senate Bill 1407, enacted in 2008 to provide up to $5 billion in funding for new and renovated courthouses using court fees, penalties, and assessments rather than the state’s General Fund.
The spokesperson explained that the cuts enacted by the state Budget Act for fiscal year 2011-2012 have resulted in reductions to the account that funds SB 1407 projects., which may cause delays for future projects, but are not expected to delay this project’s progress in the current fiscal year.
Copyright 2011, Metropolitan News Company