Denton County approves Civil Courts Building design development; team expects construction to start this summer
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Summary
The Denton County Commissioners Court unanimously authorized HOK to advance the Civil Courts Building from design development to construction development, citing schedule milestones to start construction this summer and finish in late summer 2027 while preserving space for future growth.
Denton County’s Commissioners Court on Feb. 10 unanimously authorized architect HOK to advance the Civil Courts Building project from the design development phase into construction development.
The court heard a presentation from Carlos Guerra of HOK and Tammy Crooks of Burn Construction, who described adaptations of a five‑story building to house courtrooms, clerk offices, a district attorney suite and jury assembly space. Guerra said the site plan includes nearly 800 parking spaces with separate secure entries for judges and staff and public parking organized to preserve security and public access. "We're getting close to 800 spaces," Guerra said during the presentation.
The project team told the court the cost estimate had grown slightly but remained within the targeted budget range while the team continued to refine the estimate with the construction manager. The schedule in the presentation calls for preplanning approval by June, a construction start this summer, and completion in late summer 2027. The court noted the county has previously staged interim courtroom capacity at the Moore Street building to provide near‑term relief while the project proceeds.
Commissioner Falconer moved to advance item 13c; the chair seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Why it matters: The conversion of an existing structure is intended to meet urgent space needs without the expense of a ground‑up build. Court leadership argued the approach saves significant taxpayer dollars while providing room for future expansion; one member said the county was "saving tens of millions of dollars" by adapting the existing property.
What was decided: The court authorized HOK to move to the construction development phase and directed staff to continue cost and schedule refinement. Next steps include finalizing construction documents and issuing a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) request through Burn Construction.
Project details noted at the hearing: the site footprint is roughly 23 acres; design preserves a fifth floor for future build‑out; multiple hearing rooms will be provided, and several hearing rooms will be left unfinished initially to allow phased fit‑out. The team also described ADA upgrades, dedicated community rooms with separate access, and security screening infrastructure with space for two magnetometers (final configuration to be determined).
The court’s action leaves the county positioned to begin construction as early as this summer, subject to final estimates and GMP negotiations.
