Want a say on the $750M courthouse project in Fresno? Here’s your chance
Residents in the Fresno area have been asked to weigh in on a $750 million project to build the next Fresno County Courthouse.
The nearly 60-year-old courthouse on Van Ness Avenue between Fresno and Tulare streets has been deemed risky to earthquake damage, as well as overcrowded and less than ideal for the daily needs of Fresno County.
The new one is set to be about 413,000 square feet and have 36 courtrooms on a parcel of more than 2 acres, but officials in Sacramento have not ironed out all the plans and needs of the project.
Officials must hold a public meeting and take input for the Environmental Impact Report to be compliant with the California Environmental Quality Act.
To that end, the Judicial Council of California has set a public meeting 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 11 at the courthouse, 1100 Van Ness Ave. They’ll meet in the Jury Assembly Room on the first floor.
The new project will consolidate the main court building with the North Annex Jail, M Street Courthouse, B.F. Sisk Courthouse and Juvenile Justice Court, according to the plans. The M Street location is leased, but the other properties are owned by the state.
The older courthouse, built in 1966, is also in need of about $42 million in deferred maintenance, according to the Judicial Council.
The courthouse can fill up quickly on a busy court day. It is common for passersby to see a long line stretching from the metal detectors inside the courthouse lobby to outside into the quad northeast of the building. The aging structure also has too little space for jurors and those waiting for an elevator, the project plans note.
The lack of space can be an issue for deputies working inside. The structure has a “lack of holding facilities, no secure attorney-client interview rooms, and no path of circulation for in-custodies separate from the public and judicial officers and staff,” the plans say.
The preferred site for the new courthouse, according to the council, would be towards the northern end of the standing courthouse. That project would mean the demolition of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office on Fresno Street.
The secondary site would set the new courthouse in the corner of Courthouse Park closest to Fresno Street and Van Ness.
The proposal has construction planned to begin in 2028 and done in 2031.
The Judicial Council will also take comments in the mail if they are sent to Alex Cervantes, senior facilities analyst, Judicial Council of California, Facilities Services 2860 Gateway Oaks Drive, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95833-3509. Emails can be also be sent to Cervantes at alexandra.cervantes@jud.ca.gov.
Old courthouse and new construction
The county’s original courthouse was built in 1875 and became a symbol of the city for many as it saw expansions for 90 years. The building with is dome and copula were torn down in 1966 as the newer court came online.
The ‘60s era design has not won the courthouse many beauty contests as it’s often called a “honeycomb,” and was earlier this year called one of the top 15 ugliest buildings in the country by the New Jersey Real Estate Network.
