Tracy Press - New Stockton Superior Court closer to reality

Tracy Press

New Stockton Superior Court closer to realityew Stockton Superior Court closer to reality

by Denise Ellen Rizzo / Tracy Press

Mar 20, 2012 | 754 views | 1  | 3  |  | 

A significant step was recently made to build a new superior courthouse in Stockton, with the acquisition of two final parcels to complete the site process.

On March 9, the state Public Works Board cleared the state Administrative Office of the Courts to purchase two privately owned parcels to the west of Hunter Square Plaza, the site of the new courthouse at 222 E. Weber Ave.

The two final parcels in the project, which are less than a quarter acre, will enable the design team to create a landscaped entry plaza along East Weber Avenue, allow for safer circulation of buses used to transport in-custody defendants, and place certain building systems on the site instead of within the building, according to AOC spokeswoman Teresa Ruano.

“It was the last thing we needed to do in order to complete the site acquisition to complete architectural design,” she said.

The 13-story courthouse will have 30 courtrooms totaling 306,000 square feet, making it the tallest building in Stockton.

Ruano said the acquisition process was long and difficult.

“So everyone is happy we’re moving forward at this point,” she added.

The preliminary plans are far along, and officials hope to have them completed by mid-year. Working drawings will be completed in 2014, when construction gets under way. The courthouse is slated for completion by mid-2016.

Tracy’s branch of the court system was closed in 2011 because of budget cuts.

The new Stockton courthouse is being funded by the State Court Facilities Construction Fund, which is made up of court fees, penalties and assessments, rather than taxpayer revenues in the state general fund. The cost of the project is $272.9 million, officials said.

Another PWB approval on March 9 moved forward a renovation project for the San Joaquin Juvenile Justice Center in French Camp. Officials said the board’s approval enabled them to begin the project’s final architectural design phase.

The juvenile site project involves improvements to the existing facility and a 4,000-square-foot expansion that will add a third courtroom to the juvenile courthouse. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2013 and be completed in

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