The City Council Wednesday participated in an hour-long workshop
for the new courthouse that reviewed designs and exterior color
schemes. Wednesday
’s meeting, held at the Council Chambers, was basically a
show-and-tell session where representatives from the county were on
hand to present the designs and to answer questions. The tone of
the meeting was calm. Unlike some past meetings, the city and
county representatives were amicable discuss
ing the designs and their possibilities.
The City Council Wednesday participated in an hour-long workshop for the new courthouse that reviewed designs and exterior color schemes.
Wednesday’s meeting, held at the Council Chambers, was basically a show-and-tell session where representatives from the county were on hand to present the designs and to answer questions.
The tone of the meeting was calm. Unlike some past meetings, the city and county representatives were amicable discussing the designs and their possibilities.
The new court building will have offices for the public defenders and district attorneys. There also will be a holding area for prisoners who appear in court.
The 80,000-square-foot, $40 million, two-building justice center is planned for Butterfield Boulevard and West Diana Avenue on a site next to the railroad tracks and south of the Caltrain park-and-ride lot.
The site will be linked by pedestrian walkways.
The city has been working to acquire the land to the north of the site to house a fire station. They have also been working with the Valley Transit Authority to purchase land for a parking lot.
The city agreed to contribute $7 million in RDA funds to the courthouse project in return for the county not challenging an extension of the RDA.
Next on the agenda for the courthouse is a completion of the plans, according to Kevin Carruth, director for the county General Services Agency.
He says that the project is in the construction document phase where the plans are laid out and reviewed. The project is scheduled to go to by August 2004.
In reviewing the design Mallory Scott Cusembery, a principal for RossDrulisCusenbery Architecture Inc, said the courthouse will have many windows that can see straight through to the other side.
The design will have deep indents from the windows, that are planed to be a terra-cotta color.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy expressed some concern with the design, but he believes that this can be worked out.
“I personally disagree with some of the design,” Kennedy said. “Others on the council felt it was fine. It is an issue of architectural and artistic approach. What looks good to one does not look good to another.”
Kennedy’s described the roof as looking too boxy. He preferred a moe rounded look.
There were three different color designs for the exterior presented: a French Gray, Terra-cotta and a yellow. The council was able to look over the colors. The color scheme will be decided later.
During the meeting, Kennedy expressed concern that the colors were not warm enough, but Cusembery said that they would be able to adjust it to meet the council’s wishes.
Overall, the design was sold as a place that will be inviting, with shade in the walkways. The fences will be made solid with the possibility for vines to grow up the sides.
Despite problems in past meetings, both sides felt the meeting was positive.
“The county was very responsive to our recommendations,” said Kennedy. “(The meeting) was positive with a lot of cooperation. It was a good working meeting with good dialogue between the two bodies.”
Like Kennedy, Carruth, described the meeting as going well. He says that good ideas have been exchanged and the county’s relationship with the city is good.
“The city’s impute has been positive the last several months,” said Carruth. “We’ve felt that we have done everything they have asked for.”
Along with the courthouse, the city has purchased the land to the north of the site to put in a new fire station.
