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Municipal Courthouse Project

Wide View - Westminster Municipal Center - City Hall-Police-Library

Municipal Courthouse Project

The City is designing a replacement Municipal Courthouse. The current Municipal Courthouse is more than 60 years old. Originally constructed as two smaller buildings, which served as City Hall and the police station, the two buildings were merged to form the existing facility over multiple renovations and additions. 

Because it wasn’t purpose-built as a courthouse, the Court faces many challenges in its daily operations. It lacks the modern safety and security features required in today’s courthouses, and its accessibility is insufficient, as much of the structure predates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These deficiencies hinder the Court’s ability to meet contemporary standards for safety, security, and accessibility. 

Our goal is to design a courthouse that is safe, secure, and accessible for visitors and staff, and can meet the needs of our community now and into the future.  


Join Us For Our Next Open House – October 24 

Our next open house will be on October 24 at the Westminster Swim and Fitness Center, upstairs in the new community room. Learn about the project and share your thoughts on the proposed design of the new building, including playground improvements. 

There will be family-friendly Halloween and Día de los Muertos art activities for all ages. Wear your costumes and trick-or-treat through the open house!  

Date: Thursday, October 24 
Time: 6-8 p.m. 
Location: Westminster Swim and Fitness Center (3290 W. 76th Ave.) 

If you can't attend the open house, a virtual open house will be available after the event at westminstermunicipalcourtproject.com


What's happening now?

In November 2023, the city selected an architectural team to design the new courthouse, which is currently in the design phase. Design will continue through 2024, and we anticipate construction beginning in early 2025.  

In February 2024, the project team convened a community advisory team (CAT) of nearby neighbors, residents, and community leaders. The CAT has been advising the project team on the aesthetics, appearance, and community amenities of the new building and surrounding site. This ensures that the community is informed and has a voice in the building design.  

In addition to the CAT, the city held an open house in May for the greater community to learn about the project and provide feedback on the building’s design. For those who couldn’t attend the May open house in person, view the online open house below.  

View the online open house


Project Timeline

Graphic of schedule

How did we get here?

A Municipal Court study was conducted in 2022 to evaluate the building and determine the improvements needed to bring the building up to modern safety, security, and ADA standards, while also meeting the operational needs of the court.

At the December 12, 2022 City Council Pre/Post Briefing Meeting, Westminster City Council received a briefing on the study and was presented with three options for the future of the court: 

  • Continue to operate the Municipal Court as-is
  • Begin design of a major renovation to the courthouse
  • Begin design of a new purpose-built courthouse

Based on the information presented from the study, City Council gave staff direction to move forward with the design of a new building. More information about this decision can be found in the Documents section below.

 

Location

The new Court is anticipated to be designed on the existing courthouse site.  

Current Municipal Court address: 

Westminster Municipal Court
3030 Turnpike Drive
Westminster, CO 80030

Google map image of current Municipal Court location

Building History

  • The Municipal Court was originally constructed as two separate buildings in 1961 — City Hall and the police station.
     
  • In 1972 an addition was constructed to the north of City Hall, which also included a courtyard between City Hall and the addition.
     
  • In 1974 an infill project converted the courtyard between City Hall and the Municipal Center into additional interior offices.
     
  • In 1991 an addition connected the Municipal Building to the police station, and the entire building was repurposed for its current use as a Municipal Court. Holding cells were also added to the basement during this period.

Documents

Second Reading of Councillor's Bill No. 38: Authorizing Certificates of Participation
August 28, 2023
Agenda

First Reading of Councillor's Bill No. 38: Authorizing Certificates of Participation
August 14, 2023
Agenda

Potential Inclusion of the Community Reach Center in the New Municipal Court
July 24, 2023
Agenda

Contract Delivery Method Selection
June 5, 2023
Agenda
Agenda support documents: 

Artaic Group – Owner's Representative Contact
May 8, 2023
Agenda
Agenda support documents: 


Financing Options
May 1, 2023
Agenda
Agenda support documents: 

Court Study Presentation
December 12, 2022
City Council Post Meeting Agenda
Agenda support documents: 

Community Advisory Team flyer - distributed to near neighbors January 29 - February 8

Open House summary from the May 22 project open house

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