Reservations were voiced loud and clear at Thursday night
’s public workshop on the county courthouse proposed for the
downtown area. Neighbors of the Creekside area, east of Butterfield
and near El Toro School remained unconvinced that the center will
not irretrievably change the neighborhood – for the worse.
Reservations were voiced loud and clear at Thursday night’s public workshop on the county courthouse proposed for the downtown area. Neighbors of the Creekside area, east of Butterfield and near El Toro School remained unconvinced that the center will not irretrievably change the neighborhood – for the worse.
The City Council voiced some reservations at a workshop earlier in the day but liked the building’s look better than at the design’s previous outings.
On Wednesday the council will review the draft EIR (environmental impact report) on the Santa Clara County Justice Center project and take more public comment.
This flurry of activity comes on the heels of a public disagreement between county and city officials over the courthouse design process. The council said the design discussions had taken place without them; the county said the city missed planning meetings.
The matter was hashed out at the council meeting on March 19 with Kevin Carruth, director of the general service agency, relating the process in detail. Architect Charles Drulis of RossDrulisCusenbery described the design features of the buildings. Council rebutted with its difficulties about the project and a truce was called.
The neighbors denied that the center would enhance the area or reflect Morgan Hill’s current architecture.
“This building looks like it belongs at First and Hedding,” said resident and courthouse neighbor Andy Walton, referring to the county building in downtown San Jose.
“This building will change the feel of our downtown,” said Nancy Domnauer, another neighbor.
Many nearby residents have opposed the courthouse since its location was announced.
Project Manager Alicia Flynn introduced architects Chuck Drulis and Mallory Cusenbery, who went head to head with the neighbors concerned also with drainage, parking and the center’s security. Drulis asked for photos the neighbors brought showing the site flooded from the December rains.
“Will prisoners be released at the courthouse?” asked neighbor Jacqueline Cortis.
Both Flynn and Judge Kenneth Shapero, a Morgan Hill resident who would hold court in the new building, assured her that prisoners are only released from the downtown (San Jose) jail and never from the courthouse.
“They are transported back to the jail in San Jose or Milpitas,” Shapero said, “for processing and paperwork.”
Flynn also reassured the neighbors that prisoners will arrive in the morning in a jail bus that will enter a secure, enclosed “sally port” between the two buildings. Prisoners would be unloaded underground.
The 80,000-square-foot, $40 million, two-building 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. A smaller one-story building on the north would house district attorney, probation and public defender offices.
Six courtrooms, a holding facility for prisoners, jury rooms and related offices would occupy a 35-foot high building on the south side.
The center is designed with two separate buildings because the state plans to take over the court system by 2007 and, Carruth said, an already-divided center would ease the transition.
The City of Morgan Hill agreed to contribute $7 million of its Redevelopment Agency funds to the courthouse project in return for the county not challenging, legally, the extension of the city’s RDA. The county is abandoning the San Martin courthouse because it has outgrown the site and the existing building is so riddled with mold inside and out that it had to be closed. Court is currently held in trailers on the site.
At the March 19 meeting, the council objected to the apparent plainness of the court building and the way the building was set on the site. Drulis emphasized that council would be more impressed when the three-dimensional model and color images were available, as they were at Thursday’s workshop. He claimed the bays and setbacks would add nuance and interest to the structure and the rough limestone blocks would add something close to dignity.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy said he was pleased with the workshop and much of the design and hopes that the council’s concerns will be incorporated in the final design.
“It was a good meeting,” he said. “We should have done it earlier.” He did still want a few changes.
“I think there’s a lot more that can be done to make it (the architectural design) fit Morgan Hill better than the current design,” he said. “I’d like to see it more translucent so it doesn’t have such a massive effect when people drive by. There are ways to break up the mass.”
Kennedy said that, while he could now see the building’s beauty, he still had a serious problem with the primary entrance on Diana, 180 degrees away from what he considers the ideal spot.
“I believe it should be closer to our pedestrian walkway,” Kennedy said.
The Butterfield land was chosen by the city (and approved of by the county) because of its proximity to the downtown area with shopping and restaurants. It is also on major bus lines and next to the train depot, served by morning and afternoon commute trains though Caltrain’s current schedule would only serve Gilroy and San Martin residents.
However, the building’s entrance on Diana faces away from the pedestrian walkway, under construction at the end of Third Street, just south of the Depot building. At the afternoon workshop Kennedy suggested turning the site plan around so the entrance will face north. The courthouse project manager Alicia Flynn pointed out the city’s intention to build a fire station there and commented that fire stations, while beneficial to the community, are noisy.
Kennedy asked if the county would entertain turning the buildings if the north plot would, instead, become a green belt leading to the pedestrian crossing. Yes, Carruth said, the county would gladly entertain such an idea.
The city still intends to build a fire station somewhere on the property; it would need approximately half and acre.
“We were hoping to acquire the land where the (interim) skate park is with fire impact funds,” Kennedy said. The land is between the Butterfield site and the Caltrain lot. “Maybe there would be room on the southern part of the site. It will be quite a challenge to make it all fit.”
Another workshop on the courthouse design has been set for Wednesday, April 9. If the present schedule is followed, the justice center will be occupied by December 2005.
The complete Council agenda in full is available at the City Clerk’s desk in City Hall. City Council and/or the Redevelopment Agency meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: 779-7271. Council meetings are broadcast live on cable access channel 17. The city’s website is www.morgan-hill.ca.gov
