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The Judicial Council of California confirmed Thursday it’s still in the land-acquisition phase for its more than half-billion-dollar, eight-story courthouse being planned for a property across the street from the Valencia Town Center.
The plan to consolidate the region’s legal services and replace two outdated courthouses — one in Downtown L.A. and Santa Clarita’s — with a full-service “justice hub,” has drawn concern from some city leaders.
Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda said he was not a fan of the plan in a phone interview Friday, saying such an edifice “would be a humongous monster” that would dwarf the neighboring City Hall in a comical way.
Mayoral worry
Miranda said he had a few concerns: He was “a little taken by surprise” at the plans, which he said he found out about when he read the news in The Signal, reiterating staff comments that the city was not notified prior to the announcement last week.
“No. 2, you’re talking about an eight-story building that would be by far the tallest building in all of Santa Clarita, and I don’t know if we’re ready for that,” he said. “And by ready for that, I mean even the simple things like fire safety, OK?”
He also alluded to a potential public safety concern.
“The other issue is: Do we really want people coming in from all of North L.A. County, many of them, because they have been arrested or indicted, coming in and visiting our city right in the middle of our town center, OK?” he asked rhetorically. “I mean, I’m not suggesting anything other than the possibility of having a lot of people who may or may not be involved with crime.”
He also said that none of these concerns would be considered “game-enders,” but they’re all factors that concern him.
He recognized there are a lot of areas where “the state can bully us,” he said.
“You certainly want to get the council involved at some point, usually earlier than where we are right now, and to get an opinion,” he said Friday. “But it seems like they’ve just determined to do whatever they’re going to do, and that’s the end of that. And I don’t know that we’re going to let that happen again. I didn’t say it was a game-ender, but it’s not a slam dunk, either.”
Jason Crawford, the city’s director of community development, confirmed this week the state has its own approval process in terms of project planning and permits.
History of the property
The address given for the project is 26501 McBean Parkway, formerly the home of the popular miniature golf course known as “The Greens.”
That puts it next to the McBean Regional Transit Center, and across the street from a major investment for Centennial Real Estate Corp., the Valencia Town Center. The 111-acre mall parcel was sold by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield for $199 million in September 2023.
Centennial purchased the mall property with plans to “re-vision” the location with new stores, a new layout and a “mixed-use” element adding 2,200 homes.
Residents are expected to receive more information during a discussion of the plan on Wednesday night at the Santa Clarita Activities Center.
The state’s Judicial Council declined to make staff available for questions ahead of the meeting, and did not answer several questions regarding its procedures as of this story’s publication.
Prior to The Greens’ closure in 2010, the 3.75-acre property had been eyed for a nearly 80-foot-tall, 200-room hotel. That plan was brought to the city in 2008, which was publicly noticed in The Signal in August 2009 by Valencia Brisam LLC.
After those plans were scuttled, the property eventually fell into disarray, becoming a nuisance for the city, which called for a demolition of the buildings on the grounds in 2015.
Assessor records indicate it’s now controlled by a Delaware LLC called Valencia Hotel Suites tied to Asset Property Management, a San Diego-based firm that manages retail and residential property.
The land’s recorded price in 2016 was just over $3 million, but the property is worth significantly more now, real estate professionals told The Signal.
Miranda said he hoped to attend the community meeting next week when the plan would be discussed.
Project benefits
The Judicial Council last week gave a few details about its plans, but not how it plans to make them happen, other than “the project will require acquisition of a site of approximately 4.53 acres.”
The plans will consolidate the court’s operations and courtrooms currently in the Santa Clarita Courthouse, Santa Clarita Administrative Center and Sylmar Juvenile Courthouse, and it will replace courtrooms in the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.
It notes seismic structural concerns about Stanley Mosk, and similar but slightly less significant ones about the Santa Clarita Courthouse, which shares a frontage with the Valencia Library.
The benefits listed for the project include “an accessible, safe, efficient and modern courthouse in the city of Santa Clarita,” which would “improve security, relieve overcrowding and improve operational efficiency and customer service through consolidation,” according to the project’s website.
The region is considered the county’s fastest-growing, which is another listed need for the facility.
A meeting on the project with representatives from the Judicial Council is scheduled for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Santa Clarita Activities Center, which is at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway.
