KevinFromTexas
Feb 28, 2007, 6:45 AM
Possible highrise here. It should be with 250,000 square feet. Also courthouses tend to have high ceilings.
From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/27/27courthouse.html
County wants new civil courthouse
Commissioners say current building is too old and too small.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Barely a year after Travis County voters approved $150.9 million for a slew of land-buying and construction proposals, the county government is preparing its next pitch: a new courthouse that probably would cost tens of millions of dollars.
The courthouse would handle noncriminal matters, such as divorces and contract disputes. Several judges and lawyers say it is necessary because the old courthouse, at 1000 Guadalupe St., is too small and too old to handle modern judicial needs.
"It's just not suitable for 21st-century litigation," said state District Judge John Dietz, who is pushing for both a new courthouse and a renovation of the old one.
Although the county would not put the idea to voters until its next bond vote, in 2009 or 2010, preparations are under way. Today, county commissioners are scheduled to discuss how to proceed.
No opposition to the courthouse proposal has surfaced, although the case has not been made publicly.
Some questions are largely settled. The county staff says a building of about 250,000 square feet is needed, and the commissioners are leaning toward a downtown location. They are favoring two pieces of land that the county owns, both of which are adjacent to Wooldridge Park, at Ninth and Guadalupe streets, and near other courthouses.
The county has even hired a consultant, Broaddus and Associates, to decide which of the properties would work better. One is now a parking garage for county employees. The other, which is adjacent to the Governor's Mansion, has two small buildings and a parking lot.
A preliminary report from the consultant found that both have severe limitations.
Dietz said voters should support the plan because the old courthouse is 76 years old, more than two decades past its life expectancy.
He said the building is too small to accommodate the county's growing court needs. It held 11 courts in 1975. It now houses 18 courts. He said 26 courts will be needed by 2040 because of population growth.
Preliminary data gathered by the County Auditor's Office backs Dietz's assertion that more courts are needed.
The number of cases in the civil courts has been rising steadily, according to the county auditor's office, even after the Legislature in 2003 passed restrictions on how malpractice lawsuits could be filed.
In 2002, 25,026 cases were filed with the civil courts in Travis County; in 2005, 32,056 were filed.
But Mike Wichern, who is analyzing court needs for the auditor's office, said population growth and the number of cases filed are not the only factors to consider in determining how many courts Travis County needs.
For instance, most tax cases take only minutes to resolve. An increase in those cases would not put the same strain on the courts system as would a rise in the number of contested divorces, which can take days to resolve.
County Auditor Susan Spataro said her concern is that, if the numbers do show that a new courthouse is needed, the county won't spend the money for a large enough facility and will face a costlier problem of altering the building later.
"The worst thing we could do is go with (a new courthouse) and then underbuild," she said.
If the project is approved, it would add another layer of debt to taxpayers in Travis County. In the past three years, voters have approved more than $1 billion in bond projects among the City of Austin, the Austin school district and the county.
In the county's 2005 bond vote, voters approved $150.9 million for roads, parks and a jail expansion. Some county officials are saying the jail will need another infusion of cash soon.
The particulars of a new Travis County courthouse will not be settled for some time. The difficulties at the downtown properties that the county is favoring include height restrictions the Legislature has imposed on parts of downtown to preserve views of the Capitol.
The commissioners have been considering asking the Legislature for an exception to those restrictions but have been reluctant to follow through after several historical preservation societies objected.
Several alternatives were raised at a commissioners court hearing last week, including building part of the courthouse underground, which probably would add millions to the cost.
Building outside of downtown was also suggested because of potential savings, but that would separate the building from the lawyers' offices and courthouses downtown.
From the Austin American-Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/27/27courthouse.html
County wants new civil courthouse
Commissioners say current building is too old and too small.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Barely a year after Travis County voters approved $150.9 million for a slew of land-buying and construction proposals, the county government is preparing its next pitch: a new courthouse that probably would cost tens of millions of dollars.
The courthouse would handle noncriminal matters, such as divorces and contract disputes. Several judges and lawyers say it is necessary because the old courthouse, at 1000 Guadalupe St., is too small and too old to handle modern judicial needs.
"It's just not suitable for 21st-century litigation," said state District Judge John Dietz, who is pushing for both a new courthouse and a renovation of the old one.
Although the county would not put the idea to voters until its next bond vote, in 2009 or 2010, preparations are under way. Today, county commissioners are scheduled to discuss how to proceed.
No opposition to the courthouse proposal has surfaced, although the case has not been made publicly.
Some questions are largely settled. The county staff says a building of about 250,000 square feet is needed, and the commissioners are leaning toward a downtown location. They are favoring two pieces of land that the county owns, both of which are adjacent to Wooldridge Park, at Ninth and Guadalupe streets, and near other courthouses.
The county has even hired a consultant, Broaddus and Associates, to decide which of the properties would work better. One is now a parking garage for county employees. The other, which is adjacent to the Governor's Mansion, has two small buildings and a parking lot.
A preliminary report from the consultant found that both have severe limitations.
Dietz said voters should support the plan because the old courthouse is 76 years old, more than two decades past its life expectancy.
He said the building is too small to accommodate the county's growing court needs. It held 11 courts in 1975. It now houses 18 courts. He said 26 courts will be needed by 2040 because of population growth.
Preliminary data gathered by the County Auditor's Office backs Dietz's assertion that more courts are needed.
The number of cases in the civil courts has been rising steadily, according to the county auditor's office, even after the Legislature in 2003 passed restrictions on how malpractice lawsuits could be filed.
In 2002, 25,026 cases were filed with the civil courts in Travis County; in 2005, 32,056 were filed.
But Mike Wichern, who is analyzing court needs for the auditor's office, said population growth and the number of cases filed are not the only factors to consider in determining how many courts Travis County needs.
For instance, most tax cases take only minutes to resolve. An increase in those cases would not put the same strain on the courts system as would a rise in the number of contested divorces, which can take days to resolve.
County Auditor Susan Spataro said her concern is that, if the numbers do show that a new courthouse is needed, the county won't spend the money for a large enough facility and will face a costlier problem of altering the building later.
"The worst thing we could do is go with (a new courthouse) and then underbuild," she said.
If the project is approved, it would add another layer of debt to taxpayers in Travis County. In the past three years, voters have approved more than $1 billion in bond projects among the City of Austin, the Austin school district and the county.
In the county's 2005 bond vote, voters approved $150.9 million for roads, parks and a jail expansion. Some county officials are saying the jail will need another infusion of cash soon.
The particulars of a new Travis County courthouse will not be settled for some time. The difficulties at the downtown properties that the county is favoring include height restrictions the Legislature has imposed on parts of downtown to preserve views of the Capitol.
The commissioners have been considering asking the Legislature for an exception to those restrictions but have been reluctant to follow through after several historical preservation societies objected.
Several alternatives were raised at a commissioners court hearing last week, including building part of the courthouse underground, which probably would add millions to the cost.
Building outside of downtown was also suggested because of potential savings, but that would separate the building from the lawyers' offices and courthouses downtown.