"We're building for the future of this borough, even during these tough times for our economy," says Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a release. He adds that the courthouse project represents the city's biggest capital investment for a building in the borough's history. Bloomberg was joined at the ceremonial groundbreaking by state and city officials including state chief judge Judith S. Kaye and Staten Island borough president James P. Molinaro.
Currently a municipal parking lot, the four-acre site will contain the five-story courthouse building, a 660-car parking garage and a memorial green. The courthouse will replace facilities currently housed in separate buildings at 67 Targee St., 18 Richmond Terr., the Homeport and Borough Hall. It will contain six civil courtrooms and eight criminal courtrooms.
The five-story parking garage will include 500 spaces available to the public and 160 spaces for court personnel. Seventy-seven additional parking spaces will be made available on a section of the site that is being reserved for possible future development, according to a release. To minimize the impact of construction on the St. George area and maximize the amount of available parking spaces, the garage will be built first. Through January 2010--90 additional public parking spaces will be made available in a vacant lot that was converted into a parking facility and is operated by the city's department of transportation.
The city is aiming for LEED silver certification on the new building. It will feature three green roofs, solar panels, a storm water detention system and a public open space for passive recreation, along with a home for the Staten Island greenmarket. The building was designed by Polshek Partnership Architects.
The addition of the memorial green reflects the site's role in the city's history. For more than 50 years beginning in the late 18th century, the courthouse site was home to the New York Marine Hospital, also known as the Quarantine Hospital. In 2006, human remains were discovered on the site's northernmost portion, a former burial ground for mostly Irish and German immigrants who died at the hospital. After the remains were discovered, the city convened the Staten Island Courthouse Memorial Green Advisory Committee, which determined that the remains will be re-interred on-site. The committee will participate in the design of the memorial green that will be constructed where the remains were recovered.
When the new courthouse is completed, 18 Richmond Terr., also known as the Staten Island Supreme Courthouse, will be retrofitted to accommodate Staten Island Family Court which will vacate its home at 100 Richmond Terr.
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Paul Bubny
Paul Bubny is managing editor of Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. He has been reporting on business since 1988 and on commercial real estate since 2007. He is based at ALM Real Estate Media Group's offices in New York City.
