County and state support new downtown SLO courthouse 

The wheels are in motion for the San Luis Obispo Courthouse Annex to undergo a major overhaul.

Come December 2029, court operations and courtrooms in the Monterey Street annex and two offsite staff office locations will be replaced or consolidated by a new 12-courtroom courthouse spanning 145,000 feet. The annex is the SLO Superior Court's largest facility, but it's riddled with flaws, according to the Judicial Council of California (JCC).

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• File Photo
• DEFICIENT The SLO Courthouse Annex is the largest facility of the SLO Superior Court but lack of space and overcrowding compelled the Judicial Council of California to prioritize it for updating.

For starters, the annex is rated as a Federal Emergency Management Emergency high-risk seismically deficient building.

"[It] is substantially out of compliance with regulatory safety, seismic, accessibility codes, and Judicial Council space standards," JCC's project overview read.

Other issues illustrated are an undersized lobby and limited space for entrance screening for the volume of daily visitors. The courtrooms are too small, with inefficient layouts and cramped space for jurors to gather and deliberate. Attorney-client interview rooms aren't secure either, according to the JCC. The general lack of space and subsequent overcrowding caused the court to place a portion of its staff within two offsite offices.

The project requires 2.5 acres of available land in the city of SLO. On July 11 and 18, the county Board of Supervisors and the SLO City Council, respectively, supported the JCC acquiring a county-owned parcel of land in downtown SLO where the new courthouse is proposed to be constructed. The county identified that piece of property as 1144 Monterey St., which is the Kimball Motors site. According to county Administrative Analyst Zachary Lute, following negotiations, Kimball Motors will vacate and move to a new location a block down the street.

The project budget is estimated to be almost $292 million provided by the state. It's part of a statewide JCC effort to prioritize courts in different California counties to receive funding from state legislation to improve facilities.

"This project is in the 'immediate need' priority group and consequently is one of the highest priority trial court capital-outlay projects for the judicial branch," JCC's project website said.

With the generous budget, city, county, and state officials hope to improve security measures; relieve overcrowding; provide safe internal circulation that maintains separate zone for the public, staff, and people in custody; create adequately sized public waiting areas; and have ADA accessible spaces.

The proposed courthouse creation project is currently in the acquisition phase. The performance criteria phase is expected to begin in January 2025, with construction to start in January 2026. Δ