State presents plans for new Rochester courthouse at 296 Rochester Hill Road; project under way

State representatives told the Rochester Planning Board on Aug. 18, 2025, that a new courthouse at 296 Rochester Hill Road is under construction and is expected to consolidate the district, family and probate functions currently split between downtown Rochester and the Strafford County complex. The project is a two‑story building with a partial basement totaling about 32,000 square feet, officials said, and is funded by a state capital appropriation of $17,500,000 from the FY 2024‑25 biennium; the state reported the project was approved by the Governor and Executive Council on March 12, 2025. The briefing mattered because the site is adjacent to Rochester Airport, includes holding cells and a sally port, involves wetlands and stormwater controls, and will change how people travel to court, city staff and the state said. Sarah Lineberry, superintendent of the Bureau of Port Cities Facilities for the New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services, said the building will include four courtrooms, public-service counters, clerk’s offices, judges’ chambers, separate public and staff parking, a security check at the front entrance and a lower-level cell block for detainees. “The new Rochester circuit court is currently…