Richland County committee reviews campus master-plan options, law-enforcement and justice center siting

The Richland County Campus Reconfiguration Committee on an unspecified date discussed next steps for a campus master plan that could add a law-enforcement center and a new justice center, renovate existing courthouse space and evaluate downtown and off-site locations for future county facilities.

Committee members heard from Corey of Venture Architects, who said additional building assessments for three buildings (ambulance, Pine Valley and the assignment center) were approved and that the firm will proceed with those assessments. “If you pull the trigger now for design of facility, you're probably 12 months out there, and then you're probably depending upon it, you might be, 2, 2 and a half years out from that for construction,” Corey said, placing an estimated first-phase timeline at about 3½ years.

The nut graf: The conversation centered on whether to expand at the existing downtown county campus — possibly by closing a street and buying adjacent properties — or to pursue an off-site build on industrial land. Committee members pressed for cost comparisons between renovating/adding to the downtown campus, adding floors to a new law-enforcement building, building a parking ramp, and building a wholly new off-site facility.

Corey showed conceptual diagrams of the downtown campus layout that included a single-story law-enforcement center connected to courts, a two-story justice center, and potential additions to the existing government center to address accessibility and egress issues. He noted the existing courtroom has safety and accessibility issues and could be repurposed as a county boardroom if courts move to a new justice center.

Committee members asked about parking and whether a two- or three-level parking ramp or purchasing a nearby “basement property” for surface parking would be preferable. Corey said he would provide updated capacity and cost estimates for specific parking options at the committee's next update.

The committee discussed an off-site option in the North Industrial Park; Corey said Venture Architects would evaluate specific parcels if the county provided property information and GIS data. Trish said she would contact the city administrator to obtain property details. The committee also discussed other county-owned parcels (Pine Guy Manor area) and found some county land is not readily buildable due to site constraints.

Corey cautioned that any justice center built outside the county seat would require annexation. “That's a legislative requirement,” he said when explaining why the county seat limitation matters for court location.

Members asked for updated cost comparisons between incremental downtown additions and a new off-site facility; Corey said each concept would carry different pricing and that he would update those figures, including the cost implications of adding floors to a law-enforcement building versus expanding horizontally.

The committee reviewed scheduling: Venture Architects will proceed with the additional building assessments, and the group set a follow-up meeting for June 4 at 5 p.m. to receive a site evaluation and additional parking/cost information.

No formal votes were taken on siting or construction at the meeting; the group directed staff and consultants to return with more detailed estimates and parcel-specific analyses.