Planners OKs courthouse

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The new Delaware County courthouse is a step closer to being constructed after the city’s planning commission on Wednesday unanimously approved rezoning, vacating a street and development plans for the five-story building.

The 92,145 square-foot courthouse would be just south of the Hayes Building at 110 N. Sandusky St. The commission approved rezoning the two-acre property from one-family residential to a central business district.

A street vacation (abandoning) of Marshall Court right of way and right of way along the southeastern portion of the site were also approved. Marshall Court is located between where the Hayes Building is and where the courthouse would go. Marshall Court “was never vacated in the Hayes Building development approvals in 2000,” states the staff report.

The report also discusses the planned parking garage. There would be three access points to three separate levels of parking for a total of 170 new parking spaces. The 77 spaces on the first level and 58 spaces on the second level are for prisoner transport, as well as county, police and judicial staff; and 35 spaces on a parking deck would be for jurors. The levels will be gated.

Before the vote, commission member Colleen Tucker-Buck asked that signs saying who can park in the garage should be placed before vehicles reach the garage. Architect Tom Potts of Silling Associates agreed.

In addition, seven on-street spaces in front of the courthouse on North Sandusky would be eliminated “to create an approximate 40-foot clear zone of defensible space to ensure compliance with federal judicial security regulations,” said the staff report.

The courthouse legislation will next go before City Council. The next council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 14.

There were no public comments about the courthouse, despite a full house at City Hall. They were on hand for the Speedway case (see related story), which was heard later.

By Gary Budzak

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Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0904 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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