Construction of the long-awaited new federal courthouse in downtown Greenville is expected to begin in 2018.
The project, which received initial funding all the way back in 2004, will take three years to complete, according to information given to the Greenville City Council Monday during a discussion about the city’s state and federal legislative agenda.
The General Services Administration earmarked nearly $93 million for site preparation, design and construction of a new courthouse and inside parking spaces across from the Greenville County Courthouse in its Courthouse Investment Plan last year. That’s on top of the $11 million earmarked for the Greenville project in 2004. In 2013, the federal government purchased 2.4 acres on East North Street.
Talk of a new federal courthouse in Greenville started in the late 1990s. Because the facility was too small, many agencies had to lease space in locations that were less convenient for the public and made court operations less efficient.
The new facility will be called the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Federal Courthouse in honor of the late Greenville native and South Carolina governor. The new courthouse is expected to be 10 stories tall and will contain seven courtrooms and nine chambers to accommodate nine judges. Other court-related tenants include the U.S. Probation, Federal Public Defender and U.S. Department of Justice agencies.
When the new courthouse is completed, the Clement F. Haynsworth Federal Building will be utilized by the Court of Appeals and Bankruptcy Court as well as federal agencies currently located in leased space in the area.
Mayor Knox White said the city is having discussions with the GSA’s Atlanta office in regards to design, parking and landscape compatibility issues.