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About the Project

Morris County Government in coordination with the New Jersey Trial Courts serving Morris County (part of Vicinage 10) are designing a new criminal courthouse to occupy the open air parking lot and portion of the pocket park at Washington Street and Schuyler Place.  The project goals are to provide criminal court space that is safe and accessible for both the court staff and visiting public.

Community participation and stakeholder coordination is integral throughout the project.  Local officials, community stakeholders and the public will have an opportunity to provide comments and questions for consideration. Please see the section below for more details on the current project.

Project Background

Location: Town of Morristown

About the existing Courthouse:
The existing Morris County Courthouse referred to as the “Court Complex” consists of multiple connected buildings/additions built between the years 1827 and 1970.   It is located at Washington and Court Streets in Morristown, NJ just northwest of the Morristown Green.  The Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.  In the 2016 Historic Structure Report and Master Plan by Connolly and Hickey, indicates that the period of significance for the entire courthouse as being the period from 1827 to 1955 (Connolly and Hickey 2016:256).

For further information of the existing Courthouse’s history, please visit:

Morris County Heritage Commission https://mchc.morriscountynj.gov

Currently, the connecting buildings/additions have presented an issue with circulation between spaces and a discontinuity of accessible routes.  The Complex is no longer meeting the growing needs of the Morris County Courts System.

Project Steps

Community Outreach

Local officials, community stakeholders, agency representatives, and the general public will have an opportunity to provide comments and questions for consideration throughout the project. The primary tasks of stakeholders include the following:

  • Assist in the development of conceptual alternatives
  • Assist in the recommendation of the Preliminary Preferred Alternative (PPA) based on the project goals
Learn more about Community Outreach

Project Approach

• Maintaining and monitoring the project schedule and budget
• Identifying all the stakeholders and review agencies for approvals
• Communicating effectively with the county’s project manager
• Mobilizing the team at critical milestones throughout the project to maintain the sequence of activities
• Coordinating with all the disciplines to develop a seamless sequence of activities for seeking approval

• Analyzing the Space Needs and Facilities Assessment that was previously prepared
• Updating the overall master plan as a framework for the development of the programming phase
• Developing a program that balances the functional needs with the county’s budget

• Working with the Morristown and the County on site planning issues
• Continuing the urban streetscape that has been implemented by Morristown to our site
• Seeking approvals for the various aspects of the project
• Identifying cultural and archaeological features on the site
• Providing legible way finding system to parking and courthouse departments
• Developing a design that balances the functional needs with the county’s budget Courthouse Design

• Developing a design that is sensitive to the historic character of Morristown
• Building consensus with the community groups on the design of the garage structure and courthouse
• Designing a Courthouse Expansion that responds to the unique features of this high-volume court including
public security/queuing, durable finishes, and in-custody defendant handling

• Phasing the project to take advantage of the economy
• Managing the project phases to prevent the disruption of the court operation
• Informing public during construction to minimize disruption in traffic flow and noise mitigation

Timeline

Schedule may be impacted by Covid 19