Politics & Government

Courthouse Battle Heats Up In Mayoral Race

Mayoral candidate Matt Paxson released three different locations for the new courthouse that aren't in the middle of the historic downtown. Fred Howe also wants to change the scope of the project, while Mary K. Greenlaw supports the project as is.

Fredericksburg mayoral candidate Matt Paxson today proposed three other locations for the new courthouse facility that he said would expand the footprint of downtown, revitalize one of the city's entry corridors while preserving historic downtown.

Paxson said t and he would change the scope of the project to make it more "appropriately sized, priced and located" while working with the ARB to do it.

He said the new courthouse should be close to downtown, but it's not smart to limit the location to within three blocks of City Hall where the most commercially lucrative properties are located.

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"City Council lost sight of the fact the Jump Start plan called for redevelopment of the entryways into downtown, such as Lafayette Blvd., which would consequently expand the downtown footprint," Paxson said on his website. "The restricted siting of the courthouse represents a missed opportunity to jump start the very kind of revitalization the same council endorsed in the Jump Start plan."

He said there are at least two locations City Council has overlooked that would be closer to downtown's largest law firm and there is a third location that would be less than half the distance farther away from the same law firm. A map of these locations is attached to this article.

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Paxson also said he would scale the project to a smaller size because the city is not obligated to spend all of the $35 million in bond money that has already been issued.

"If the city assumes a penalty by spending less, which is less than the amount of savings that can be achieved by re-scoping the project and proceeding more prudently, we can turn this debacle into a win-win for Fredericksburg," Paxson said.

Paxson also criticizes his two opponents, Mary Katherine Greenlaw and Fred Howe, for bickering over the courthouse project instead of working together on a solution.

Howe, similar to Paxson, has been against the scope and location of the courts project. He voted against it on City Council with two other council members who failed to get a majority vote. .

Under the current plan, the General District Court would become the future home for the JD&R Court and the circuit and general district courts would be part of a new 78,000-square-foot facility downtown on Princess Anne Street.

An idea Howe released at his April 6 town hall meeting was the circuit or general district court would be in Renwick and a new, much smaller facility could be built for the other. But this new building doesn't have to be in the heart of downtown, either, Howe said. Instead, any new courts facility could be built near any of the city's entranceway corridors that he said need revitalization.

Greenlaw was one of the the four council members who voted in favor of the courthouse.

Greenlaw said constructing the new courthouse facility makes good use of the General District Court building as the future home of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Greenlaw also said the Renwick Building where Circuit Court is now cannot be renovated to meet the current and future needs for the city's courts system.

"It economically uses the Executive Plaza for associated court functions, while positioning the city to sell or replace it," she said.

Greenlaw has also criticized Howe for overstating the true cost of the courthouse project. She said the city got a historically low interest rate on the bonds and delaying this project could end up costing the city more in the long run.


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