A decision on where a $335 million federal courthouse will be built in Connecticut isn’t expected until next year, but a new draft report takes a close look at the two sites under consideration.
One option calls for the demolition or reuse of a state office building in Hartford’s Asylum Hill neighborhood.
The report issued by the federal government focuses on how the construction at the two sites would affect the environment, such as air quality, environmental justice and traffic. But the report also gives a glimpse into preliminary plans for each option.
Construction of the new courthouse is expected to break ground in 2027, with completion expected in 2030.
In Asylum Hill, the 6-story, state office building at 61 Woodland St. could be torn down or reused in constructing a new federal courthouse that would replace the 60-year-old Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and Courthouse on Main Street.
The office building, at the corner of Woodland Street and Asylum Avenue, was identified as a possible site for the new federal courthouse as part of the state’s broader plan to consolidate space for its office workers.
According to the report, issued by the U.S. General Services Administration, a new courthouse on Woodland Street could have up to two levels of underground “secure” parking, secure surface-level parking or a combination of both. Public parking would be created by using some of the existing parking on the 10-acre site, and the federal government — which would operate the new courthouse — would seek to lease other parking for the public.
This parking lot at the corner of Allyn and High streets is the middle of a corridor with the XL Center to the east and Union Station to the west. The site is under consideration for a new federal courthouse. (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant)
The second option, a parking lot at 154 Allyn St. in downtown — just west of the XL Center — would likely contain the same amount of underground parking as the Woodland Street alternative. There is more public parking available at the downtown site, the report noted, but more may be leased.
The parking lot is owned by Shelbourne Global Solutions LLC, of Brooklyn, N.Y., downtown’s largest commercial landlord.
A public hearing on the report is scheduled for Nov. 13, from 6-8 p.m. at the Lyceum Center, 227 Lawrence St., in Hartford.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
In 2022, the GSA received authorization for $335 million to purchase a site, design and building a new, 281,000 square-foot federal courthouse. All funding for the project has now been appropriated by the U.S. Congress.
A new federal courthouse in Hartford has been discussed for years, and in 2020, the courthouse was listed as the top one needing replacement across the country.
Two sites previously under consideration have been withdrawn. Those were the parking lot at the corner of Capitol Avenue and Hudson Street in the Bushnell South redevelopment area, and another parking lot, at 10 Ford St., the site of the now-demolished Parkview Hilton.
The Bushnell South location drew stiff opposition, with critics arguing a courthouse would not fit in with the mixed-use development planned for the area. The lot has since been acquired by a private developer, now converting the historic, 55 Elm St. into apartments.
The Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and Courthouse on Main Street, Hartford is expected to be replaced by a new courthouse in 2030. (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant)
The draft report compares environmental effects during the construction, including traffic and transportation.
The Woodland alternative would mean added traffic at a site that already can be congested. Lane closures, detours and construction vehicles will add to existing conditions. The Allyn Street site, the report notes, does not currently experience congestion but would see some of the same construction-related delays as Woodland Street.
Construction of a new courthouse is seen as needed to tackle significant, ongoing security, space and building condition problems, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, has said.
Prisoner movement is through public corridors and through public entrances of each courtroom because the layout of the building does not allow for separation of public, prisoner, judge and staff movement.
The sally port where prisoners are transported to and from the court isn’t big enough. The location of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in the building are also a problem, the office said.
The existing courthouse now has eight courtrooms and 11 chambers, many of which do not meet modern size standards. A new courthouse would have 11 courtrooms and 18 chambers for 18 judges.
It is likely the Ribicoff building, built in 1963 and named in 1980 after a former governor and U.S. senator, would still be used for a consolidation of federal offices if a new courthouse is built.
Written comments also can be submitted to the GSA and must be received by Dec. 16. For more information, visit here.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at [email protected].
