Escondido High-Rise May House Courts Someday

A plan for a privately constructed $30-million high-rise courthouse in Escondido that could meet North County’s courtroom needs into the 21st Century was unveiled Thursday.

Under the proposal, Lusardi Construction Co. of San Marcos would build a 200,000-square-foot, 10-story structure to accommodate 50 courtrooms and an adjacent $20-million office tower on property across from the new Civic and Cultural Center now under construction in downtown Escondido.

The project, which San Diego County and Escondido officials emphasized is still in a preliminary stage, also would include a 1,600-vehicle parking structure--which, depending on how it is divided between county and general usage, could alter the cost figures for both the courthouse and office building.

The county then would lease the courtroom space from Lusardi for an estimated $5 million annually--a cost that is subject to negotiation and could be partly offset by additional tax revenue generated by the project.

Still a Long Way to Go

“It’s a very intriguing possibility, because it’s a way for the county to solve its courtroom problem without a lot of up-front money,” said Nancy Allen, executive assistant to County Supervisor John MacDonald. “But you can bet the numbers are going to be worked over a lot. There’s a long way to go before this thing is a done deal.”

County officials plan to take the proposal to the Board of Supervisors for preliminary review next week. If the supervisors conceptually approve the proposal, negotiations on a contract between the county, the City of Escondido and the Lusardi firm could be concluded in about three months, according to Richard Jacobsen, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer.

Planning and construction of the courtroom-office building project would take about three years, Kenneth Lounsbery, Lusardi’s vice president and general counsel, said. The proposed 10-story courthouse would be the tallest building in Escondido, topping the nine-story Palomar Memorial Hospital tower.

While cautiously noting that the proposal’s financial arrangements remain to be ironed out, Allen characterized the project as one that “potentially allows everyone--the county, Escondido and Lusardi--to win.” The county would obtain a financially feasible way to obtain new courtroom space, Lusardi could build a high-profile, profitable project and Escondido would get the downtown office tower that city officials covet for their redevelopment area.

“It’s exactly what we’re looking for--that type of office use has been the goal for the past 10 years,” Escondido Mayor James Rady said.

Marilyn Whisenand, executive director of Escondido’s Community Development Commission, also pointed out that both the office tower and courthouse could produce a daily influx of visitors to downtown Escondido who would provide an economic base for restaurants, stores and other businesses.

City’s Obligation to County

In addition, the project would enable Escondido to meet a $6-million financial obligation to the county that the city incurred when it established its 3,161-acre redevelopment area in 1985. To compensate the county for lost tax revenue used to finance projects in the redevelopment area, Escondido officials agreed to give the county $6 million, a 60,000-square-foot office building or the city’s old police station, Jacobsen said.

Escondido officials now want to amend that agreement so that the proposed courthouse project would fulfill the commitment, Whisenand explained.

Under Lusardi’s proposal, the North County courtrooms currently situated in Vista--where there now are 20 judicial positions--would be relocated in Escondido. However, Jacobsen noted that the court offices could be split between Vista and Escondido, though such a change obviously would entail a major restructuring of the deal proposed Thursday.

Based on a 1985 study of the county’s criminal justice needs, the proposed 50-courtroom Escondido project would meet North County’s needs until the year 2005, Jacobsen said. Lusardi officials have proposed that the county rent the court facilities from the construction company under a 50-year lease.

The site proposed for the project, at Broadway and Valley Parkway, is occupied by a handful of small businesses, including an auto repair shop, a photo finishing lab, a bar and a small mobile trailer park. Lusardi Vice President Lounsbery, a former Escondido city manager, said the firm has acquired the rights to some of those parcels and that the remaining property owners are expected to “participate with us subject to some financial discussions.”

Although the $50-million project appears to satisfy both the county’s court needs and Escondido’s redevelopment goals, most officials familiar with it emphasized that the complexity of the three-party agreement means that tough negotiations lie ahead.

“We haven’t finished the race,” Whisenand said. “We’ve just started it.”