With Nevada County’s courthouse to be moved out of downtown Nevada City, city and county officials are gearing up to make sure it doesn’t sit vacant too long. Mayor Doug Fleming says they’re going to be collaborating on what’s called a “best use study”. He says that refers to the most profitable and legally and physically permissable use of the property, at the top of Church Street…

click to listen to Mayor Fleming

Last year, the State Judicial Council determined that it would be more expensive to build a new courthouse on the same site, due to the added cost of setting up a temporary facility while the work is done. Fleming says a new use must also replace the economic engine that has been the courthouse, with its many visitors and employees. A Council study estimated that moving it could result in an estimated six-percent decline in downtown economic activity, which is currently around one-point-nine million dollars a year…

click to listen to Mayor Fleming

Fleming says a new courthouse won’t likely open before 2028 or even 2030. He says the Judicial Council is considering sites along the Highway 49 corridor. That includes near the U.S Forest Service office, the Rood Center, the old Juvenile Hall, and the Tech Center.