Property options secured for Augusta County Courthouse expansion

Augusta County has secured purchase options for nine properties surrounding the Augusta County Courthouse in Downtown Staunton.

The purchase of these properties will enable the county to develop a functional and secure space for the court systems while preserving the historic 1901 courthouse as an important focal point for Downtown Staunton.

The properties’ location will also avoid the new courts facility from being developed in a FEMA-designated floodplain.

At the next regular Augusta County Board of Supervisors meeting on Sept. 23, the board will consider amending an existing contract with Moseley Architects to include services for schematic design, environmental studies, surveying, and structural analysis for the courthouse and its expansion.

The board hired Moseley Architects in 2018 to design facilities in Downtown Staunton that would comply with the state law that limits the county to building a courthouse on the current site or adjacent property.

That move came after a 2016 referendum to build a new courts complex in Verona was defeated by a 2-to-1 margin by county voters.