Albemarle County Board of Supervisors statement on court study resolution

On Wednesday, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution requesting County staff, within 60 days, to prepare a public presentation that investigates relocating only the General District Court to the County Office Building and investigates alternative locations of the County Office Building in the County.  Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville are continuing their discussions to seek a solution for future court needs.  This investigation is intended to provide information that can help to determine a mutually beneficial course of action.

The County is eager to insure complete clarity about the resolution and the reasons for this investigation.  The need for additional parking related to an expansion of the downtown County General District Court location has been publically acknowledged. The Board, as steward of county taxpayer dollars, is compelled to explore all reasonable options for the courts solution.  The County is committed to partnering with the City of Charlottesville to promote the overall welfare of our shared community.  A solution that would keep the General District Court in downtown Charlottesville while also creating positive economic activity to benefit County taxpayers through relocation of county administrative operations to a county location deserves full investigation and consideration.   The option of using a new administration building as the focal point for economic development in the County is a scenario that will be considered, with a public private partnership as one possibility.

This resolution does not propose to move the Circuit Court operations out of the historic courthouse where they are located, and will preserve this very important community asset.  Also, moving General District Court operations into the current Albemarle County Office Building would continue to protect the historic Old Lane High School which currently houses County operations.

The Board’s intent is to investigate a possible scenario, one that could have broad and mutual benefits, to help clarify the best outcome for the future of County court operations and the location of the County’s major administrative offices.  The public presentation sharing the outcome of staff’s investigation will be advertised and open to any interested attendees.