Local Architect Presents Plan for Renwick Building

 has created a YouTube video to present his idea on how the city could use the historic Renwick Building downtown for its $35-million courthouse project.

The city's current courthouse plans, by design-build team First Choice, do not have a use for the Renwick building, located at 815 Princess Anne St., where Circuit Court is held today. . The city is moving forward with renovating the Executive Plaza to house the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

"[The video] was intended to simply explain a far better solution that spends money more wisely and is millions of dollars cheaper, since it utilizes the Renwick building," Herlong said. "One thing not mentioned in the video is that a smaller scale Circuit Court-only building on the old Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court site will allow the inclusion of juror and some employee parking. Because there is no juror parking, the current design, approved by a majority of council, does not even comply with the state requirements listed in the Virginia Courthouse Facility Guidelines. This is inappropriate, since non-compliance with this state standard was used as a significant reason to build new courts facilities."

. He said he made the video as a private resident who has lived in the city for a long time and has concerns about the project's scale and cost.

"This is great work by our local talented architect—Herlong and Associates, summarizing the current Courts situation and analyzing the issues and options, available to us the taxpayers to get the most bang for our tax dollar – this is something that should have been done before we purchased the bonds as I have said many times over," said City Council member Fred Howe, who is one of three council members who voted against the project.

. One idea that has been discussed is if they can find a way to save $5 million, it might be possible to build a second parking garage in the downtown area.

Kelly posted Herlong's video on his Facebook page with the caveat that he's not endorsing the concept; he just posted it to get feedback.

"It does, for the first time, consider the issue of size and space between existing and proposed facilities," Kelly said. "Since the beginning of the decade the feds have been reevaluating court space and needs to put a check on escalating costs. None of this has been incorporated into the existing plan. Some work still needs to be done."

On his Friends of Matt Kelly Facebook page, Kelly said he has met with courthouse stakeholders, staff, a majority of council members, and incoming Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, who voted in support of the project. Kelly said the current proposal is too big and it doesn't make any considerations for parking. He met with city staff and the design-build team this week, and presented the following questions that he said are based on conversations with stakeholders, members of council and individuals familiar with the operations of the courts and in current building design practices.

Questions for City Staff:

1. Has the city received confirmation that First Choice is not currently spending money on the courthouse design?

2. Exactly how much has been spent on the design of the new court facility to date?

3. Can we get some indication from bond counsel regarding flexibility in use of the bond funds? Can they be used for Renwick renovation if a court use is maintained or for other uses? Can they be used for a parking facility so that the courts do not overwhelm visitor parking downtown? Can the funds be used for digitizing court records to save on storage space in the new facility?

4. If we do not use all the bond funds what are the options for the balance?

5. Can we get a definitive answer as to whether a significant change to the court plans requires re-bidding the project?

6. Can we get a definitive answer as to the impact on changing the court plans on the First Choice contract?

Questions For First Choice (Design Team):
1. I’d like to look at plans for the most recent court facility built by this firm in Virginia. And also the oldest plans available by this firm for a court facility in Virginia.

2. How were the spaces allotted to each function in the court determined?

3. The GSA in the construction of public buildings, including courts, has been reevaluating and reducing space needs. What efforts have been made to incorporate this thinking into this project?

4. Court design now looks at shared court space and smaller court rooms. Why has this not been considered in the current design?

5. I’ve been advised that in the next 10 years or so, courts in Virginia will be paperless. Are the tech plans for this facility taking into consideration advances in technology?

6. How can technology be used to affect space usage? Has this been discussed/incorporated into this project?

7. Are tech improvements in lighting, plumbing and HVAC being incorporated into this project?

8. Are cost/space savings moving Sheriff to General District Court building?

9. Can the Renwick building be renovated to continue to serve a court function?

10. What are the projected parking needs for the current facility?

11. Taking the courts' needs issue off the table, in your professional opinion what size structure is appropriate for the current site?