Monday, May 16, 2011
Page 3
Public Works Board Approves Location for Santa Clara Courthouse
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The State Public Works Board yesterday approved the acquisition of a parcel of land in downtown San Jose as the site of a new family justice center for the Santa Clara Superior Court, as well as the selection of a potential location for a new Tuolumne Superior Court facility.
Santa Clara Superior Court Presiding Judge Richard J. Loftus Jr. remarked that acquisition of the 1.8 acre site—across from the Downtown Superior Court and the Historic Courthouse, currently owned by the Valley Transportation Authority—is “a critical step in bringing this desperately needed courthouse to this community.”
Architectural design for a 20-courtroom, 233,906 square foot Santa Clara facility is currently underway, according to a release from the Judicial Council. Construction is slated to begin in 2013, and be completed by 2015.
The new building, estimated to cost $240 million, is intended to replace six leased facilities and consolidate all of the court’s family-related services into a single facility, which will include a self-help center, family court services, a child waiting area, and space for justice system partners.
A 4.33 acre site off Highway 108, just beyond the Sonora city limits, has been approved by the board as the potential location of a 66,700 square foot facility, housing five courtrooms, a jail, offices for the Sheriff and California Highway Patrol, and juvenile facilities.
The property, currently owned by Tuolumne County, is expected to be acquired by the Administrative Office of the Courts before the end of the year, a Judicial Council spokesperson said.
Funding for these project comes primarily from Senate Bill 1407, which was enacted by the Legislature in 2008 to authorize up to $5 billion for 41 court facilities identified by the Administrative Office of the Courts as being the highest-priority infrastructure projects.
Copyright 2011, Metropolitan News Company