Commissioners Approve Schematic Design for New Justice Center

3/25/2008

The Wake County Board of Commissioners Monday, March 24, 2008, approved the schematic design for the new Wake County Justice Center. The new Justice Center will be located at the intersections of McDowell, Martin and Salisbury streets in downtown Raleigh. The construction process is slated to begin in 2009.

"With rapid growth expected to continue in Wake County, we are planning a facility that will meet the long-term judicial, public records and county administration needs of our citizens," said Wake County Facilities Design and Construction Director Phil Stout. "With the Board of Commissioners’ approval of the schematic design, we will continue to move forward and stay on target for opening the new Wake County Justice Center in 2013."

Commissioners have participated in three public work sessions about the Justice Center over the past year, to discuss, review and obtain input on the goals and vision for the project. Community information sessions were held in February 2008 in Raleigh, Wake Forest, Knightdale and Cary to review schematic designs and receive public comment. A meeting was also recently held with the Wake County Bar Association and the Tenth Judicial District Bar to review and discuss the project in detail.

The new Justice Center will increase needed judicial capacity with new criminal courtrooms, Clerk of Court offices, and Public Defender and District Attorney offices. The new Center will also provide expanded space for County public records, including the Register of Deeds, Revenue and GIS mapping departments, as well as the County Commissioners' meeting room and County administration offices.

The Justice Center, with an estimated cost of $214 million, is one of five justice facilities outlined in the long-term Justice Facilities Master Plan. Other facilities in the plan include: the new 990-space Davie Street parking deck, renovations to the 40-year-old existing Wake County Courthouse, Phase II expansion of the Hammond Road Detention Center, and a new Law Enforcement Training Center in partnership with the City of Raleigh.

For more information about Wake County's Justice Center, please visit www.wakegov.com/projects/justicecenter. Citizens may make comments via voicemail by calling 919-856-7542.

To view the Board of Commissioners’ meeting live online, go to www.wakegov.com/commissioners and click on the "View Meetings" button. After the meeting, online viewers may click on an indexed agenda and "jump to" a specific point in the archived video and audio. The technology also provides keyword-search capability in archived Commissioners’ meetings.

 

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