Fresno County Superior Court could get a completely new building downtown if a plan from the Judicial Council of California gets a green light.

And if the plan comes to fruition, that would trigger a move for the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office headquarters to a new downtown location.

A workshop will be held Thursday to inform the public about details for the nearly $750 million project. On the agenda: proposed locations, a project description, and potential environmental impacts of new construction.

The judicial council’s ideal plan puts a new 11-story, 413,000-square foot courthouse yards away from the current one, where the sheriff’s office stands.

The current courthouse is 8 stories and opened in 1966 after the county’s original, neo-classical style courthouse was demolished. The demolition stirred controversy that still reverberates in Fresno today.

What would be 36 new courtrooms replaces the previous 35 for a building the council says is “substantially out of compliance with regulatory safety, seismic, accessibility codes, and Judicial Council space standards,” according to the state court website.

“Among its significant functional issues are its undersized lobby and space for entrance screening, too few elevators to accommodate the high volume of daily court users, undersized/lack of space for jurors to assemble as well as deliberate, lack of holding facilities, no secure attorney-client interview rooms, and no path of circulation for in-custodies separate from the public and judicial officers and staff,” the proposal states.

The proposal would consolidate the main county courthouse, the North Jail Annex, and the M Street Courthouse.

County communications director Sonja Dosti said that county leadership has had ongoing meetings with the state to weigh their needs.

Sheriff’s Office Would Have Ample Time to Select New HQ

Sheriff’s spokesperson Tony Botti said he first heard about a possible move for the sheriff’s office before the state faced its projected $18 billion deficit for the upcoming year.

While he has heard since then that the project is moving forward, it does not have a solid timeline. Being told ahead of time means the sheriff has time to plan and find a strategic location.

“The fortunate thing is, we have a lot of time,” Botti told GV Wire. “We heard this a while ago. It’s already in our minds that we should start looking at other options if and when the day comes.”

They have begun looking at other locations, but the county can’t just pick any building.

A new building would have to be fortified to meet the sheriff’s extensive security needs, Botti said. Unlike other county agencies, the sheriff’s office would want to remain downtown.

“Staying situated downtown is ideal because of the sheriff’s operations,” Botti said.

Bigger Lobby, Jury Services, Security Intake

On the two acres where the sheriff’s office and South Jail Annex are now, the 11-story building would go up. An enlarged lobby and bottom floor would have a new jury services room, an expanded intake, and space for food.

Courts would begin on the third floor. A system of tunnels currently connect the courthouse to the sheriff’s office and the Fresno County Jail on the north side of Fresno Street.

According to the project description, those tunnels would have to be rerouted. A parking subfloor would also be built beneath the courthouse.

An alternative plan locates the new courthouse along Van Ness Avenue rather than Fresno Street.