A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Monday to commemorate the start of construction of the new Central Courthouse for the San Diego County Superior Court.
The ceremony will include remarks from California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, San Diego Presiding Judge David J. Danielsen and county Supervisor Greg Cox.
Officials said the building — the largest new courthouse in the state’s court construction program – would consolidate multiple facilities in the downtown metropolitan area, including the County Courthouse, the Family Courthouse and the Madge Bradley Courthouse, which are seriously overcrowded, unsafe, and inadequate for modern court operations.
The new courthouse will provide a consolidated facility for criminal, civil, probate, family court and small claims services.
The 22-story building will include 71 courtrooms in 704,000 square feet and feature significant improvements in security, with a secure vehicle sally port for the transportation of in-custody defendants, as well as better safety and improved access and efficiency for county residents.
The new facility, which utilizes sunlight to optimize interior lighting, will feature a three-story lobby atrium. It will connect to the nearby Hall of Justice, which will continue to be used for civil cases, via a pedestrian bridge.
The new courthouse is funded by Senate Bill 1407, using trial court user fees. Completion is scheduled for fall 2016.
— City News Center