Advisory group for new Fresno courthouse looking at many sites. Thankfully, all downtown | Opinion

Fresno County’s new $750 million courthouse, still in the early planning stages, won’t be built far from the current one.

Despite whispers to the contrary — that certain developers are trying to lure the facility to north Fresno or Clovis — the Judicial Council of California squelched any such talk when I inquired about the site selection process.

“Only sites in downtown Fresno within a ½-mile of the existing courthouse are being considered for this project,” came the reply from a Judicial Council representative.

I took that as excellent news. If only because losing the Fresno County Courthouse, and all the ancillary traffic it produces, would be a crippling blow to downtown.

Especially now that enthusiasm over the economic benefits of high-speed rail surely must be tempered.

Opinion

The Judicial Council’s broad description for the new home of Fresno County Superior Court envisions a 413,000-square-foot building with 36 courtrooms occupying about 2.1 acres of land that still need to be acquired. The project has an authorized budget of $749,369,000 and an estimated opening of January 2031.

The site selection and acquisition process for new judicial branch facilities in California is outlined in a 13-page report authored by the Judicial Council’s administrative office.

During the acquisition phase, a local advisory group made up of county judges, court officers and others affected by the court facility does most of the heavy lifting. Its role at this stage is to identify potential sites and evaluate them against a specific set of criteria.

The site selection checklist includes 52 evaluations in 16 different categories. These range from required acreage and location preferences (i.e. near pre-trial holding facilities, district attorneys, public defenders, social services and public transit) to sustainability, neighborhood character, visibility, environmental concerns and budget.

More than 20 potential downtown Fresno sites have been identified, according to the Judicial Council spokesperson.

Fresno’s Project Advisory Group consists of Fresno County Superior Court Presiding Judge David Kalemkarian, Judge Houry Sanderson, Judge Gabriel Brickey, Judge Leanne LeMon, Judge Jeff Hamilton, court CEO Dawn Annino, court facilities director Fenix Batista, Fresno County assistant administrative officer Greg Reinke and Fresno city manager Georgeanne White.

The group’s regular, approximately monthly meetings are not open to the public.

Site that ‘best serves the community’

Once all the site evaluations are completed, Judicial Council staff prepares a report and presents a summary of the options at a future public meeting (in San Francisco) of the council’s Court Facilities Advisory Committee. The committee typically selects a primary site and a backup for further evaluation.

Judge Brad Hill, presiding justice of the state’s 5th District Court of Appeal and chair of the Court Facilities Advisory Committee, said his body accepts the local advisory group’s recommendations “if everything looks good.”

“We look for a site that best serves the community as a whole and makes all the court operations run efficiently,” Hill said.

Once the desired site is chosen, the Judicial Council still needs the State Public Works Board’s approval. That decision officially triggers the site acquisition phase, a process that includes further site analysis, real estate due diligence and purchase negotiations. The sale’s final terms and conditions must then return to the public works board for its purchase approval.

As soon as that happens — July 2024 is the estimated timeline — the project shifts to a 12-month performance criteria phase after which about five additional years will be required for design and construction.

It is difficult to imagine the new courthouse being located anywhere besides Courthouse Park. As I’ve previously written, there appears to be enough space along Van Ness Avenue directly in front of the existing courthouse to erect a new building — then demolish the nine-story cheesegrater to reclaim some open space.

Since Club One moved and the Radisson Hotel closed, the number of unoccupied buildings and vacant lots along Van Ness has grown. If certain adjacent parcels were combined, maybe one of those would be suitable. Perhaps a location north of Fresno Street on the opposite side of the county jail. Or even Old Armenian Town.

At this point, the possibilities are numerous. Thankfully, they don’t extend beyond downtown.