How the new Kent County Family Courthouse and parking garage can help downtown Dover

The planned Kent County Family Court building could solve problems for people who use the court on weekdays but also for people who shop and attend events in downtown Dover on the evenings and weekends.

That’s because a 378-space parking garage is included in the plan – a garage open to the public after court hours that could help parking shortcomings downtown.

Here's the basic information about the new structures:

• Location: South Governor’s Avenue and Water Street, two blocks west of the Kent County Courthouse. The existing court at 400 Court St. and River Road is about five blocks east of the county courthouse.

• Size: 106,711 square feet, compared with the existing court’s 35,000 square feet

• Cost: $117.7 million

• Construction timeline: The groundbreaking ceremony was held Sept. 22. Buildings on the property have been demolished. Construction is set to begin this winter and be completed in late 2025.

Reasons for a new building

The current Family Court was built in 1989. Since then, the court’s caseload has doubled while security concerns have increased. Current issues include elevators shared by staff and inmates, small courtrooms and limited space for security checkpoints and waiting areas.

“The matters in Family Court are emotional and there are safety concerns in many cases, particularly in domestic violence cases, although tensions run high in other matters, too,” Delaware Family Court Chief Judge Michael Newell said. “They may feel unsafe by how close they are to the other party.”

The new facility will have:

• More courtrooms, eight compared with the current six.

• Larger courtrooms, 1,400 to 1,800 square feet compared with an average of 600 square feet in the existing courthouse.

• Lobby before the security checkpoint.

• Larger security checkpoint area.

• Larger waiting area allowing more space between participants and more privacy for discussions.

No plan has been announced yet for the existing Family Court building after the new facility opens.

More:Delaware had 6 child abuse deaths, 63 near-deaths this year. Fixing issues is a challenge

How it can help downtown Dover

Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen has campaigned for years for a parking garage in downtown Dover.

"To some people, it's a four-letter word," he said, "but this doesn't look like a parking garage. It blends with the architecture downtown."

Nearby businesses could benefit from additional customers going to and from the courthouse. Then after court hours, customers and people attending downtown events will have 378 more parking spaces.

"It's a win-win situation," said Christiansen. "I'm really excited they're going to build this. It should generate a lot of activity downtown."

More:Downtown Dover is plagued by vacancies. Why city leaders are optimistic about a comeback.

Planned for an area that was mostly vacant buildings and dilapidated homes, the new courthouse and parking garage could be the "southern anchor" of downtown, Christiansen said, listing the other anchors as:

• North Dover, the former Wesley College campus, now Delaware State University, called "DSU Downtown."

• East Dover, the state office complex including Legislative Hall.

• West Dover, the new post office.

Diane Laird, executive director of the Downtown Dover Partnership, said the new courthouse and parking garage will "dovetail nicely" with the parking plan the partnership completed last year with input from residents, business owners and city leaders.

"This will be increasingly important as we anticipate growth in the downtown district, including more residential units, and restaurants and retail shops open later into the evenings and on weekends," Laird said.

Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate, housing and development news. Reach him at rmace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Kent County Family Court and parking garage could boost downtown Dover