New County Courthouse

[spartanburgh]

Soil borings were done at the site today. Hopefully, we'll see some action on this in the coming months.

[westsider28]

The new courthouse will be going before the DRB for preliminary review on March 5.  It will be interesting to hear the DRB members' opinions on the plaza.  I'll also be interested to see what the "back" of the building (St John / DMA corner) looks like.  Good to see this process moving along.

Edited February 25, 2019 by westsider28

[spartanburgh]

I didn't think it had to go through the review since its a government building?

[westsider28]

Nope, no exceptions for government buildings (except federal buildings, I believe).  However, there are different standards for civic buildings vs private buildings (e.g., a plaza is allowed).

[westsider28]

Here's an article with more details on the courthouse parking deck.  It will be 5 stories (+ a partial lower level) and 770 spaces.  Demolition of buildings on the site will happen this summer, with deck construction starting immediately after.  The deck should be done a year after that (summer 2020).  The parking deck design will complement the federal-style look of the new judicial center. 

I think the parking deck also needs to go before the DRB, which I don't think has happened before.  It will be interesting to see how it's handled.

Edited February 27, 2019 by westsider28

[Spartan]

I hope they put office space on the lower floor.

Did anyone go to the DRB tonight?

[westsider28]

I was there.  This presentation was informational; no votes.  The more detailed site plan they presented is below.  The parking deck is 5.5 levels, ~60 feet tall at it's tallest point.  There's surface handicap parking and a drop-off closer to the courthouse.  And there's an "energy plant" to power the place that is partially below grade / walled off.  Daniel Morgan is definitely the back / service side.  I'm sure there will be more scrutiny of the curb-cuts / sidewalk there later on in the process.

Landscape design for the plaza out front is underway (not shown here).  This design will be key to an effective space, IMO.

Some companies mentioned that are on the development team include Kimley Horn, Stevens & Wilkinson, and Whiting-Turner (alongside Justice Planning Associates and MPS).

It was also mentioned that the courthouse will be 118 feet tall at the front, and 138 feet tall at the back (because of site slope + basement level).  And 300k+ sq ft, of course.  So it will be quite large.

[Spartan]

Thanks for that info! I can't wait to see the plaza design!

[Spartanburg Guy]

For reference, Emporis lists the Montgomery Building as 137.8 ft tall.  A height of 138 feet is a few inches taller and would make it the new second tallest building in Spartanburg.  118 feet is about the same height as Church Street Lofts (minus the penthouse).

Edited March 8, 2019 by Spartanburg Guy

[westsider28]

I think officially it will be 118 ft, since basement levels don't typically count. For example, the AC Hotel (128ft) has a basement that adds 14 ft on the pool side, so you could argue it's 142 feet tall.  Either way, the new courthouse will make a big impact and join a crowd in that height range.

[westsider28]

Figured I'd put this here, since it's being caused by the new City/County building (but not in that funding package).  The City will need a new central fire station.  They are considering purchasing the old Integral Solutions building at 450 Wofford St and renovating it for this purpose.  That would cost $9 million for a 66,000 sq ft space, versus $12.5 million for a new building half the size (34,000 sq ft).  Even the cheaper option would require a 3-mill tax increase to fund it.  But since a new fire station has to happen, you take the cheaper option and bite the bullet on the tax increase, IMO.

[Spartan]

I don't disagree with you, but for the sake of argument - I do like the idea of core government functions being located in downtown. I would put a Fire Dept HQ in that category. I realize there's no guarantee the new building would be downtown, but a general statement that's what I would like to see happen.

[westsider28]

I agree in principle, but this is very close to downtown.  And there are big negatives to a fire station in downtown: primarily noise.  As I understand it, the downtown core is not really being considered.  A new-build station would likely be on City-owned land right across Wofford St, from what I saw from the City Council meeting live-tweet.  Many cities seem to be moving away from downtown central stations.  The land is more valuable for private development (and noise issues, as I mentioned).

Edited May 15, 2019 by westsider28

[Sparkleman]

More tax increases coming I see.

Its nice being just outside the city limits.

[spartanburgh]

And that's why we read the annexation post by Main on Main and go back to, annex these people when you get the chance. The City residence

also pay their full portion of County tax, but how often do you see our roads paved by the $25 road fee? The list generated this week, listed no City

streets, even though we pay the fee just as the County residence do. Maybe the City is able to take its portion of that fee and choose for its self, but

I've never heard if that is true, or not. The best situation I know of is Jacksonville Florida. The County and City limit is the same, so everyone gets taxed

the same. We will never achieve that, but the more we can annex the closer you get to that scenario and you gain access to other properties that may

someday be desirable to annex. 

[westsider28]

I was doing some Googling and came across this project page for the Courthouse from Stevens & Wilkinson (architects & engineers working with MPS).  Once you scroll down, there are several renderings from different angles than I've seen before.  Gives a fuller picture of the building design.  Roof looks a little clunky, but I'm glad to see that the "back" looks good.

[Spartan]

That's a damn fine looking building if you ask me.

[westsider28]

Update on the main fire station situation: City Council voted to purchase the Wofford Street property tonight for $4.3 million (down from $4.5 million previously).  The intent is to renovate the existing building for the new fire station, however, the method of funding has yet to be decided.  Several council members remain against a tax increase.  Funding will be worked out over the next few months.  I'll be interested to see what they come up with.  (Reminder: the fire station must be moved to free up land for the new City/County Admin Building)

Also, that purchase price actually includes several parcels in the area, not just the existing building (see below).

[Spartan]

Im interested to see what they do with the rest of those parcels!

[CLT_sc]

When is this supposed to start construction? 

[westsider28]

23 minutes ago, CLT_sc said:

When is this supposed to start construction? 

Probably late-2020.  An early schedule I saw said Q2, but I think they may be a few months behind that.  Parking deck has to be built first, as the new CH is going on the current parking lot.  The deck should start later this year and take about a year to complete. Courthouse construction will follow.  Whenever the project comes back before the DRB, we should get an official update.

[westsider28]

A revised notice for the October 1 DRB meeting in the paper today mentioned that the courthouse parking deck will be up for preliminary review.  However, that means they still need conceptual and final approval at 2 other meetings, so it isn't likely to start until the new year.  That puts them about 6 months behind their original schedule (deck was supposed to start this summer).  Sigh... At least we finally have some movement again...

[Historyguy]

I notice that the City Council meeting packet for Monday night has some information about the location of the new police department - staff is recommending the purchase of some properties near the intersection of St. John and Forest St., and the new department would be on the northwest corner of that intersection - with proximity to the new fire department.  The city will be reimbursed for the purchase price of this land from the capital projects sales tax fund. 

http://www.cityofspartanburg.org/cms_assets/airport/9.23.19.City Council Agenda Packet. 9.23.19.pdf

 

[westsider28]

Update on Courthouse (etc.) timeline in this H-J article.  County officials point to leadership changes (ie: County Admin) and relocating departments as reasons for the delay.  Buildings on courthouse parking deck site are now empty.  Asbestos abatement should take 6 weeks, demo in December, and deck construction in January (assuming timely DRB approvals).  Then energy plant, then jail annex demo, then new courthouse construction.  Instead of being ready for occupancy by mid-2022, the judicial center should be ready to open by late-2022 or early 2023.

[Spartan]

Thanks for keep[ing us up to date on this! I'm glad t his one is moving along...