Los Angeles County, Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse, Long Beach

Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse rendering

Completion Date: 3rd Qtr 2013
Occupancy Date: September 9, 2013
Gross Square Footage: 531,000 (416,000 sf for the court and 115,000 sf for non-court entities)
Total Courtrooms: 31
Total Capital Project Cost: $307.2 million for the court space ($346.7 million less $39.5 million to construct the 115,000 sf for non-court entities and to renovate the parking structure)
Project Company: Long Beach Judicial Partners LLC, a single-entity company owned by Meridiam Infrastructure, established to finance, design, build, operate, and maintain the project
Consortium Partners: Long Beach Judicial Partners LLC was composed of Meridiam Infrastructure, Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, AECOM, Clark Construction, and Johnson Controls Inc.
Architectural/Engineering Firm: AECOM Design
General Contractor: Clark Design/Build of California, a subsidiary of Clark Construction Group, LLC
Project Delivery Method: Performance-based Infrastructure
Project Financing: Meridiam Infrastructure
Fund for Annual Service Fee Payment: State Court Facilities Construction Fund/Senate Bill 1732/Senate Bill 1407
Initial Funding Year: FY 2007–2008

Awards and Recognition

  • Americans for the Arts: 2014 Public Art Network Year in Review, Best in Public Art Projects
  • American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Justice: 2012 Citation Award, Justice Facilities Review
  • Certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council for:
    • Building Design and Construction (BD+C)
    • Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M)
  • Construction Management Association of America, Southern California: 2014 Contractor Quality Partner Award
  • Bond Buyer Magazine: 2011 Deal of the Year Awards; Nontraditional Financing
  • Engineering News Record, 2014 Global Best Project Award, Government Building
  • ENR California, 2014 Best Government/Public Building
  • Euromoney/Project Finance: 2011 North America PPP Deal of the Year
  • Los Angeles Business Journal: Commercial Real Estate Award, 2014 Best Public Project
  • Partnerships Awards: 2012 Highly Commended, Best Accommodation Project
  • Urban Land Institute, 2014 Global Excellence Award

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.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance

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

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.

 

Contact Info

Judicial Council of California
Facilities Services

455 Golden Gate Avenue
8th Floor
San Francisco, California
94102-3688

E-mail
Facilities@jud.ca.gov