STAUNTON, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – The City of Staunton officially broke ground on the new Staunton Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (J&DR Court) in the former Chestnut Hills Shopping Center in Staunton’s West End.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held in front of the former Heck’s department store, which sits roughly on the footprint of the future courthouse. A rendering of the new courthouse, designed by Moseley Architects, was on display.

The ceremony brought together key players in the design and construction of the project along with judges, the sheriff’s office, and staff who will work out of the new facility. The event included remarks from Mayor Stephen W. Claffey and City Manager Leslie Beauregard, as well as representatives from the architect and contractor.

“This is a signature project for the City of Staunton, and I am incredibly proud of the team of city staff that has been working on this new facility,” said Beauregard. “This project was mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia and completion is on a tight timeline, and city staff and our partners have risen to the occasion for one of the city’s largest projects in decades.”

The courthouse will be constructed by Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., who were contracted to build the facility for $18.8 million.

Staunton’s current J&DR District Court shares a facility with the Augusta County J&DR District Court, located at 6 East Johnson St. in Staunton. In September 2021, the Commonwealth declared that the court facility was not in compliance with the requirements of the Virginia State Code.

In November 2022, Augusta County voters approved a referendum to relocate the County’s Circuit and District Courts to a new facility to be constructed in Verona. As a result of the referendum, the City of Staunton needed to establish its own, separate J&DR District Court.

When completed, the new J&DR facility will be a two-story brick building totaling 34,330 square feet of space. The design offers two courtrooms, secure program areas for the City Sheriff’s Office, Court Clerk’s Office, Court Service Unit, satellite office space for the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, Office of the Public Defender, and mediator/victim advocate services.