NEW ROCHELLE, NY — After two decades of talk and more talk, the Westchester Family Court has a new home, the same as the old home, the City of New Rochelle.
Once officials from Westchester County and the Office of Court Administration agreed to move forward at a location at 26 Garden Street, the actual construction was completed in just 14 months, despite a pandemic that kept all but the workforce at home.
“You can’t build a building in your living room”, said The Stagg Group President Mark Stagg who considers the new building “the finest courthouse facility anywhere within 200 miles of New Rochelle”.
Spearheading the effort was 9th Judicial District Administrative Judge Kathie E. Davidson, a New Rochelle resident, who was given the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
“I am thrilled to join with County Executive Latimer in cutting the ribbon on this beautiful, new Family Court,” said 9th Judicial District Administrative Judge Kathie Davidson. “This state-of-the-art facility will better serve the modern-day justice needs of our local families, with its proximity to public transportation and major roadways making for easier access to the courthouse. I want to thank George Latimer and the court system’s other partners in county and local government for their hard work and support in bringing this project to fruition.”
Before cutting the ribbon, Judge Davidson cited the efforts of the NAACP New Rochelle Branch for their tireless advocacy, in particular, current and past Presidents Minister Mark McLean and Dr. Carla Woolbright.
“The NAACP was very active in making sure the Family Court stayed in New Rochelle,” said Judge Davidson.
“Today is the culmination of a long protracted battle to preserve a family court facility in New Rochelle, to service families and residents in lower Westchester County,” said Minister Mark McLean, President NAACP New Rochelle Branch. “I am extremely proud of the role that the NAACP New Rochelle Branch played in ensuring that this vital resource remained in our beloved City of New Rochelle.”
The ribbon cutting ends years of wrangling over the location of a new home for the New Rochelle Bureau of the Westchester Family Court or whether to close it and consolidate it with the Yonkers Bureau.
“It was complicated,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, visibly relieved to see the vision turned into reality.
“Located in the heart of New Rochelle’s burgeoning downtown and in immediate proximity to the New Rochelle Transit Center, the Family Court is ideally positioned to provide essential services to our city and region in a state of the art, modern facility,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson. “I am grateful for the County Executive’s strong commitment to this priority, the steadfast support of our County legislators, the impassioned advocacy of the bench, the engagement of community leaders, and the skilled partnership of the development team.”
The new courthouse will house not only the New Rochelle Bureau of Family Justice but a local bureau of the Westchester County Department of Probation and The Office for Women, a partner in the Westchester County Family Justice Center Collaborative which provides services for individuals who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The facility is a brand new 35,000 square foot space at 26 Garden Street in New Rochelle. The location is a few blocks from the New Rochelle Metro-North train station and a few yards from Exit 16 off the New England Thruway.
The cost of the lease is $55.5 million over 30 years.
“This was a public private partnership that — most of all — made sense for the litigants who deserve the right to have their cases heard is a setting that exudes dignity and respect,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “Family Court deals with some of the judicial system’s most sensitive clients, and this new state-of-the-art family court, for the people of this County, will stands for decades to come as a symbol of the power of what can be accomplished if we work together.”
The developer was Simone Development Companies with construction by The Stagg Group.
Simone Development Companies President Joseph Simone, a childhood friend of Latimer said: “I must give credit and thanks to County Executive George Latimer, his administration and The Stagg Group for doing such a tremendous job. I am very proud to be able to provide for our County such a wonderful facility that is just across the street from a major transportation hub. It is a privilege for us to be able to create something that looks so beautiful in a location that has everything going for it. You could never find a better location for a courthouse than right here,” he added.
The Family Court occupies the third and fourth floors of a six-floor building and has two courtrooms, three hearing rooms, judge’s chambers, offices for non-judicial staff as well as for staff from the Office for Women, Department of Probation and other County agencies.
The judges’ chambers are spacious with access to a private patio area that runs the full-length of the North side of the building.
The facility boasts the latest technology and equipment, from assisted-listening capabilities to HVAC systems.
New Rochelle Family Court is one of three family courts in Westchester County, along with courts in White Plains and Yonkers. These courts hear cases involving children and families, including child neglect, child custody and support, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, adoption and guardianship, among other matters.
New Rochelle’s location serves residents in the city, Mount Vernon, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Eastchester, and Pelham.
New Rochelle Family Court moved last week from its former location at 420 North Avenue which was in notoriously bad repair. The court was at the former location since 1985.
A 2010 audit report by the Office of Court Administration (OCA) noted the building had not undergone a major renovation since the early 1980s. The building experienced “heating and cooling failures,” and “water leaks” due to failing window seals with partially collapsed ceilings throughout the building.
The space, approximately 11,000 square feet, was deemed inadequate with County officials later estimating need for a minimum of 32,000 square feet (the Garden Street location is 35,000 square feet).
The audit report observed there was no privacy, no attorney/client rooms, an extremely small waiting area, no client parking, and no waiting area for children.
The same audit report faulted the Yonkers family court facility as well.
In 2012, District Administrative Judge for the 9th Judicial District of New York Alan D. Scheinkman and Mayor Noam Bramson were actively discussing the closure of the New Rochelle Bureau and consolidation of the New Rochelle Bureau’s cases at a new Yonkers Bureau facility.
Judge Lyndon Williams was then the Vice Chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators and Chair of the Sub-Committee for Capital Projects. Williams repeatedly pushed for a new family courthouse to be located in Mount Vernon.
“Safe court facilities for children, families and other residents should not be looked at as a luxury in Westchester,” said Williams, at the time.
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, at the urging of the NAACP New Rochelle Branch, strongly opposed moving the family court building out of New Rochelle.
In the years that followed, a number of locations in New Rochelle were considered. Multiple potential sites were examined, but all found to be inappropriate for varying reasons. By 2018, pressure increased when the landlord at 420 North Avenue informed Westchester County it would not extend the lease which was set to end in March 2019.
One of the proposed location was 366 Pelham Road, the former site of an A&P grocery store.
On August 9th, 2018, a Community Hearing was held at 40 Willow Drive. Present were New Rochelle City Councilmen Ivar Hyden and Albert Tarantino, as well as Westchester County Legislators Terry Clements and Damon Maher. The audience was decidedly hostile to the 366 Pelham Road site, with prepared signs and opening comments reflecting opposition to the Family Court coming to the planned location.
Councilman Hyden announced that no member of the City Council was in agreement with the 366 Pelham Road site, including Mayor Bramson.
“Pelham Road is the wrong location for the Family Court, which can better serve our community and region at a more central site with easier transit access,” said Bramson in a statement after the meeting.
Terry Clements announced her opposition to the Pelham Road site, blaming the choice on Judge Davidson. Damon Maher said he supported keeping the Family Court in New Rochelle but was unsure about the Pelham Road site. He was interrupted by loud boos.
Dr. Carla H. Woolbright, then-President of the New Rochelle Branch NAACP attended the meeting along with other NAACP members including Minister McLean.
In a subsequent letter to City officials including members of City Council, Woolbright stated “the group shouted several loud derogatory comments with multiple persons saying that they didn’t want “those” people in “their” neighborhood, and that many of them did their banking and would be afraid to have money on them, one woman described one of “them” running down the street near her trying to catch a bus, and it was a good thing a police officer was there to flag down the bus for him, there were several questions from them as to why they had to have a court near them, “with 17-year-olds” that were bigger than them.”
Dr. Woolbright said when Minister McLean attempted to respond to questions, there were shouts of “throw him out”. The moderator attempted to snatch the microphone from McLean.
“This behavior was reminiscent of scenes depicted in Mississippi or Alabama in the 50s and 60s instead of right here in New Rochelle,” wrote Dr. Woolbright. “There was no attempt on the part of the elected officials present to allay the fears or correct their unfounded assumptions clearly based on racial biases.”
Some argued that the location was out of the way.
“The location is not accessible by public transportation at all,” said James O’Toole. “There’s only one bus that runs that route.”
O’Toole was the first to reach out to the developers of the 26 Garden Street site as an alternative site.
In July 2019, the Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously approved a 30-year lease for the new site at 26 Garden Street.
From there, things moved quickly as consensus formed around Garden Street.
One concern never addressed was the location of the new building, directly across the street from the New York State Division of Parole Region 3 Re-Entry Office at 3 Cottage Place. The Parole office manages post-release supervision for sex offenders throughout Westchester County.
Every week registered sex offenders from throughout the area walk past the location of the new family courthouse and queue up across the street to report to their parole officer.
Some have questioned why Westchester County needs three family court locations.
Of the 62 counties in New York state, only Westchester has more than one Family Court, even much larger counties like Nassau and Suffolk.
Others have questioned how the Family Court remained at the 420 North Avenue locations more than two years after the lease ended or why other County agencies took up residence at the location and remain to this day such as the Westchester County Veterans Service Agency.
Questions aside, the new Garden Street facility is a significant upgrade over the North Avenue site, the employees who work at the court were beaming, litigants will be sure to appreciate the amenities. And the grand opening puts an end to twenty years of debate over where to re-locate the New Rochelle Branch of the Westchester County Family Court system.
The answer is New Rochelle now and for the next three decades.