During a Jan. 7 work session that followed the Stearns County Board of Commissioners meeting, the justice center design team presented site plans and massing studies for a proposed project.

The presentation identified natural constraints on the site: a heavily forested area and mapped wetlands that influenced where the building could be sited. The team said the parcel totals 78 acres and that about 68 acres are considered buildable given wetlands and other constraints.

Designers highlighted a mandatory 100-foot setback from Highway 75 for portions of the site facing the road and explained that, because of high-speed traffic on Highway 75, the primary vehicle entrance would need to be located at County Road 134; the first 500 feet of intersection geometry was described as a factor that made a direct curve cut from Highway 75 impractical. Presenters described a massing approach that begins with a simple "box" and then carves the plan to create public-facing entrances and service areas while keeping much of the building form economical and durable.

Commissioners asked about long-term maintenance of materials and confirmed the acreage figures and property boundaries on the displayed diagrams. One commissioner asked whether the white line on the plan indicated county-owned property and the presenter clarified which parcels were inside the site boundary.

Ending: The presentation laid out constraints and initial design directions; the board will continue design review in future meetings, including discussion of access, site orientation and property boundaries.