Maricopa County Downtown Court Tower

[combusean]

Height: 277 - 289'
Floors: 16
Estimated completion: 2012
Project URL: http://maricopa.gov/courttower/
Budget: $340 million
LEED Silver or better

$86 million in projects cut to fund court tower
by Yvonne Wingett - Nov. 18, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors sacrificed $86 million in capital-improvement projects Monday, instead unanimously deciding to spend the money on a courtroom complex in downtown Phoenix.

The 16-story Criminal Court Tower could cost $340 million and likely will be the county's most expensive project, filling a block bounded by First and Second avenues and Jackson and Madison streets.

Most criminal cases are tried in the downtown Phoenix Superior Court Complex, but with 40,000 felony cases filed yearly and the number projected to grow, the tower is meant to handle ever-increasing caseloads.

In shelving other projects, the board hammered home that it is committed to the tower, despite slumping revenues, a gaping hole in its budget, and bleak briefings from economists who predict the economic situation will get worse.

"There will never be a better time to build that building than right now," said Republican Supervisor Max Wilson.

To help cover court-tower costs, the board shelved a $67 million plan to expand a regional court in Mesa, a $13 million project to build a sheriff's office 911 center and crime lab, and a $6.3 million plan to knock down First Avenue Jail.

For years, county officials have squirreled away money for the judicial complex, which will add 32 courtrooms. Now's the time to spend it, they say, when prices for labor and building materials are down.

"We consider it a business decision," County Manager David Smith said. "It's one that's made apart of the ups and downs of the current economy. We've been saving money for at least eight years, and it's the right way to do economic stimulus, with the 500 jobs (that will be added during) the next three years during construction. We're doing it with cash, we're injecting that savings account back into the economy, (and) that will circulate several times, all to local employees and contractors and so on."

Kenny Harris, an assistant county manager, said, "We're going to save money . . . because of the recession. As long as the economy struggles, it's the best time for government projects to step up.

"In order to keep their businesses open, (subcontractors) are willing to do the work and reduce their profit margins and their fees to do the work. It's better to stay in business and take less money than close your doors."

The county hopes to open the court-tower doors in early 2012.

Eighteen months ago, the board gave the go-ahead to design and build the tower, and authorized spending $342.4 million. Officials have spent about $11 million, and on Monday, reduced the project's funding to $339 million. The county will break ground on the project next month, starting with storm-sewer relocation and garage demolition.

The court tower is designed at 16 floors, including two underground floors. At 682,000 square feet, it would house 32 criminal courtrooms; 22 courtrooms would be built immediately; and 10 more would be finished later.

Plans also include a jury-assembly room for the entire criminal-court complex, state-of-the-art technology, and separate waiting rooms for victims and witnesses. The tower would include judges' chambers and restorative-justice services, in which people try to repair the harm caused by crime by working in the community.

[scottkag]

Maricopa County has posted this so you all may bitch about the beige-ness of the new Court Tower.

http://www.maricopa.gov/courttower/index.htm

[HooverDam]

Welp its pretty bland, ugly and institutional. I'm so glad to have more beige on the skyline. Ah well, as long as its good at street level (unlikely considering its use) I'll be happy.

[plinko]

If they actually use green accents and reflective glass, it might look pretty good. It is definitely government architecture though...

Didn't somebody have a height for this thing sometime back? Somewhere in the 240' range?

[Jsmscaleros]

I take it back... I do have one complaint - or observation, I suppose. This tower will be built on a block that is now a large parking structure; couldn't they build it on the block bordered by Jefferson/Madison, and 6th/5th avenue? That block right now is just a ground-level parking lot and is still connected to the government blocks.

Plowing down a large structure with hundreds of parking spaces so close to CityScape, US Airways Center, etc... doesn't seem like a good idea when the ultimate goal is to make downtown a more dense entertainment/living destination.

...and they're spending 340 million on it?! Let's get a Rem Koolhaas design for that price tag!

[combusean]

^ No, because it has to tie in with the existing facilities. There's an underground network of tunnels for prisoner transport that already exists between the jails and courthouses that this is *much* closer to. 5th Avenue is way the hell off the beaten path for something like this.

How does demolishing a 2 story ugly garage (that was never public anyway) at all inhibit anything? Granted, it's very much more of the same--more courtrooms downtown means more lawyers downtown and thus a demand for more office space ... as opposed to entertainment and living ... but I'll take the injection of capital to build a critical infrastructure project as tall as possible. They are limited to 289' in that block, and it's going to be just that tall.

Plus when they originally announced the criminal court tower a private owner saw that as a good cue to announce a condo/office tower complex on one of the adjoining blocks. Didn't quite go anywhere as it was very much late in the boom.

[HX_Guy]

Speaking of the Maricopa County Courts Tower, an FAA height request appeared today for 277 ft.

[Vicelord John]

how can you tell from those renderings if it is overpriced or not?

To me it looks like outdated architecture that is typical of what the county builds. The city of Phoenix is doing a nice job of building nice looking buildings. The city and county though, suck like a high school girl on prom night; fast, hard, and bad.

[KEVINphx]

Originally Posted by Vicelord John

how can you tell from those renderings if it is overpriced or not?

To me it looks like outdated architecture that is typical of what the county builds. The city of Phoenix is doing a nice job of building nice looking buildings. The city and county though, suck like a high school girl on prom night; fast, hard, and bad.

Seriously! Looks like someone found this design (particularly, the podium) in a desk drawer after it was lost in 1963.

I kind of like the look of the podium though! Very 60s, call me crazy

[somethingfast]

that building really has no business costing $340 million. wtf? another fat, short, brown building for phoenix, yay.

[kingofleos]

Originally Posted by KEVINphx

I kind of like the look of the podium though! Very 60s, call me crazy

But isn't that our problem in Phoenix anyway? It feels like we're stuck in the 60's. I'm still having to pinch myself everytime I see the lightrail.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. We need to change the culture around in our great city. Phoenix has the unfortunate task of becoming the 5th largest city while being the youngest of the top 5. We need to play catch up instead of resisting change (such as the Trump Tower fiasco).

[Evil Empire]

Originally Posted by kingofleos

But isn't that our problem in Phoenix anyway? It feels like we're stuck in the 60's. I'm still having to pinch myself everytime I see the lightrail.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. We need to change the culture around in our great city. Phoenix has the unfortunate task of becoming the 5th largest city while being the youngest of the top 5. We need to play catch up instead of resisting change (such as the Trump Tower fiasco).

That's the tune I've been singin' for a long, long time now...I think I mentioned in another thread that we'll just have to wait for a lot of people in the Valley to die lol and hopefully their ideals and mindsets of the city to die with them.

[HX_Guy]

Just stopped by the site and yes two tower crane bases have been put in. I will post pics later.

[combusean]

Originally Posted by Evil Empire

That's the tune I've been singin' for a long, long time now...I think I mentioned in another thread that we'll just have to wait for a lot of people in the Valley to die lol and hopefully their ideals and mindsets of the city to die with them.

That's so sad but so true. Hearing some of these battle axes at meetings makes me proud to outlive them.

[HX_Guy]

Back to the Courts Tower, I gotta say I love how informative the website is. I hope they keep it up as the projects moves along.
They have a section on current activies and upcoming activities (such as tower groundbreaking in April).
It looks like the plan is to have the building complete in November 2011, though I'm guessing it will be topped out much sooner, probably early 2011?

They also have a link for a webcam but it's not currently active.

[HX_Guy]

Great...looks like another project will be held up in court bullshit...

Sheriff investigates Board's $340-million court tower project

16 comments by Yvonne Wingett - Mar. 27, 2009 07:04 PM
The Arizona Republic

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the County Attorney's Office are investigating the Board of Supervisors and top county administrators as part of a probe into a planned $340-million court tower project.

A joint statement from the two offices on Friday is the first public acknowledgement they are conducting an investigation into "funding and contracts" for the tower.

However, according to the statement, the Superior Court has blocked a grand-jury investigation. Thomas' office has appealed.

The tower has been planned for years, and the supervisors last year decided to move forward with the project. It would add 32 courtrooms to downtown Phoenix.

The sheriff has submitted public requests for documents related to the project, and communication between county officials and public-relations and consulting firms - likely as part of the investigation.

In the statement, Arpaio said the investigation would continue.

Tom Irvine, a private attorney representing the board responded: "This is a grand jury matter that Maricopa County will comment on next week when we are sure that the secrecy veil has been lifted."

[HooverDam]

More on the court tower situation:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...tmove0526.html

Mesa courts will move to Phoenix
Criminal-division cases to be heard in centralized area to cut expenses
22 comments by Jim Walsh - May. 26, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Maricopa County's top judge plans to move all Superior Court criminal divisions based in Mesa to Phoenix by the end of this year to improve efficiency, reversing a trend toward bringing justice closer to residents.

Presiding Judge Barbara Rodriguez Mundellsaid the move will save money spent on transporting inmates from Phoenix jails to Mesa and reduce the risk of escape.

"It's money. I don't think anyone envisioned the recession we're having," she said.

"If you keep it downtown, you can enhance public safety and cut costs."

Although long-term plans have called for moving the Mesa criminal courts to Phoenix in 2012 when a controversial criminal-court tower opens, Mundell's plan to accelerate the move caught County Attorney Andrew Thomas off-guard.

Thomas said he has no room downtown for the 45 prosecutors now based in Mesa.

He added that the regional courts in Mesa work efficiently and that he is concerned by the inconvenience to East Valley victims, police and witnesses.

"This affects the whole community," Thomas said. "It will cause havoc. For our office, for crime victims, it's a shame."

The Southeast Regional Court Center in Mesa opened in 1991. The Superior Court followed up by opening other regional facilities in northeast Phoenix and Surprise, but those operations do not have criminal divisions.

Mundell said that consolidating the criminal courts downtown will allow the centralization of interpreters and court reporters.

It also will create a larger pool of judges to expedite trials under a new scheduling system, she said.

But Thomas said Mundell could get the same efficiencies through administrative changes without moving anyone.

"Not only is the system working well, but these changes will be damaging and will affect the lives of thousands of people," Thomas said.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio was skeptical about cost savings from consolidation.

"They're building a plush, $350 million court tower. I wonder what the real reason is. Is it to justify that?" he said.

Superior Court handles felonies. The move does not affect county Justice Courts and Municipal Courts, which handle misdemeanors.

Mesa's southeast courthouse currently has five criminal judges, while 22 are based downtown, although several are designated for special assignment.

Superior Court statistics show that the Mesa facility accounted for 25 percent of felony-case filings during fiscal 2008, with 10,690 cases filed in Mesa and 42,611 filed countywide.

The move starts in July with the retirement of Judge Silvia Arellano.

Her Mesa criminal division will be transferred to Phoenix. Arellano will be replaced by a civil or family-court judge in Mesa.

The judicial game of musical chairs will continue later this year, with family and civil court judges in Phoenix swapping courtrooms with the five remaining criminal-court judges in Mesa.

A criminal Regional Court Center and Early Disposition Court will remain open in Mesa to handle low-level felonies and drug cases.

[plinko]

^You guys wailing on about the price understand that government office type buildings (particularly courthouses) are amongst the most expensive of urban building types to build right?

Requires oversized floor plates and heights (thus structure), extra security measures and program, fully outfitted offices and courtrooms (as opposed to a 'warm shell and core'), etc. And this particular structure requires alot of underground infrastructure.

A question, where is the funding coming from? Is it just coming right off the top of the County General Fund or did they sell bonds at some point? Or is it like Phoenix City Hall, which was funded through a couple of public mechanisms?

It's an important point, because it might be that this isn't just 'your tax dollars at work', in which case...who cares if it costs $350M?

[scottkag]

Originally Posted by plinko

A question, where is the funding coming from? Is it just coming right off the top of the County General Fund or did they sell bonds at some point? Or is it like Phoenix City Hall, which was funded through a couple of public mechanisms?

Look back to the first post in the thread for your answer. In short, the county saved up their pennies over the years specifically for this purpose and now they're paying [more or less] in cash. Who ever heard of such a thing?

[plinko]

Originally Posted by scottkag

Look back to the first post in the thread for your answer. In short, the county saved up their pennies over the years specifically for this purpose and now they're paying [more or less] in cash. Who ever heard of such a thing?

In which case, kudos to the County for thinking ahead, planning for the long term, and getting what they need. Good.

Too bad they didn't do the same thing to build a centralized County Administration Building (a la Plaza de Maricopa). That would have been sweet.