Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse

Project Info

The old Long Beach courthouse was one of the worse in the state. Built in 1959, it suffered from fundamental flaws, was overcrowded, and failed to meet accessibility requirements, making it incapable of meeting the growing demand for court services in the Long Beach area.

When a project to replace the old courthouse was first planned, redevelopment in the city's Civic Center near the old courthouse made a replacement courthouse a good candidate for Performance-Based Infrastructure (PBI), an innovative delivery method that involves engaging a private team to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the court building.

This courthouse is the first major civic building in the U.S. to be delivered through this unique type of public-private partnership, in which the developer makes a substantial equity investment, and the public sector makes availability payments, allowing for deductions if the infrastructure does not perform to set standards.

The new courthouse is located on a site of six acres northwest of the former courthouse, bounded by West Broadway, Maine Avenue, West 3rd Street, and Magnolia Avenue. The Judicial Council of California (JCC) acquired the site from the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency in exchange for the former courthouse and its land.

The project, completed under budget and ahead of schedule, provides for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County's high volume of criminal, traffic, civil, and family judicial proceedings. It houses 31 courtrooms, court administrative space, detention facilities, offices of related county justice agencies, and compatible retail space. A nearby parking structure has also been renovated, and surrounding streetscapes have been improved. The building's courtyard provides a secure interior open space.

In keeping with the cityscape, the design features a low-rise scheme in an L shape, one section of 4 stories, the other of 5 stories, surrounding the secure courtyard, a spacious lobby, and courtrooms with access to natural light. It extends along West Broadway, and the greatest height and bulk of the building is along West Broadway where it intersects with Magnolia Avenue. The development has a lower scale and larger setbacks along Maine Avenue and Third Street.

The courthouse was also designed for sustainability, with numerous features, including good solar design, innovative, energy-saving systems for heating and cooling, automated light-harvesting systems, and water-conserving landscaping, as well as good access to mass transit. Originally designed to achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the project went on to achieve LEED Gold certification at no added cost, because of the shared sustainability goals of the JCC, Long Beach Judicial Partners, and the court.

The new courthouse opened for business on September 9, 2013.

The PBI arrangement made it possible to deliver a much-needed civic building with design excellence for the long term despite the lack of funds to pay for the project up front. Under the agreement, the state paid nothing until the building was occupied. The state has full ownership of the building and site and pays back on an annual basis the project’s capital costs as well as annual operating and maintenance expenses over 35 years. Deductions can be made if the facility fails to meet certain performance criteria. Expansion room for six to eight additional courtrooms will be leased to Los Angeles County for the next 15 years, with the State benefiting from the revenue and the private sector carrying full responsibility unless or until the State chooses to occupy it.

Background

May 22, 2009, to June 22, 2009: Draft Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration circulated. The draft study evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and recommended mitigation measures.

June 10, 2009: Public meeting held.

In response to public comments, the JCC completed a Final Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (4.6 MB)
Appendices Part 1 (3.2 MB)
Appendices Part 2 (2.9 MB)

The Final Initial Study includes refinements of the project description, stakeholder comments, the JCC's responses to comments, and other information.

On August 10, 2009, the JCC filed a Notice of Determination, thereby completing the CEQA process.

CEQA

The JCC was the lead agency for preparation of an environmental report to comply with CEQA.

Awards & Recognition