The federal General Services Administration has identified a new potential site for a federal courthouse to replace the aging Abraham A. Ribicoff United States Building and Courthouse at 450 Main St. in Hartford.
The 10-acre property being considered is at 61 Woodland St. in the city’s Asylum Hill neighborhood, and is currently home to a state office building.
It’s one of three locations the federal government is considering. The other sites are at 154 Allyn St., which is currently a surface parking lot, and 201 Hudson St., a surface parking lot with an auto detailing shop on it.
According to the Federal Register, the GSA would own and manage the new building, which would be occupied by various federal agency tenants, with the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut as the main tenant.
The GSA is preparing an environmental impact statement analyzing the potential impacts of the project.Â
A public scoping meeting for the environmental impact statement will be held on June 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Park Street Library, 603 Park St., Hartford, in the Lyric Community Room.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut currently operates three courthouses, which are in Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven. According to the GSA, long-range plans show operations in Hartford are projected to increase, and the court headquarters will at some point in the future move from New Haven to Hartford.
The Ribicoff Building and Courthouse, constructed in 1963, does not have the space, functionality, security and building systems to meet the current and projected needs of the court, according to the GSA.
The new courthouse would span a total of 281,000 square feet, with 11 courtrooms, 18 judge chambers, offices for other federal agency tenants and 66 secure parking spaces.
The GSA expects to begin designing the courthouse this year, with construction starting in 2026. It should be ready for occupancy by 2029.
The federal government has authorized $334.97 million for the site acquisition design and construction, and the Federal Judiciary has identified a new courthouse in Hartford as a top priority across the country.
The current courthouse complex is named after Abraham Alexander Ribicoff, a former representative, senator and governor from Connecticut.
