May 22, 2013 -- Working closely with judges and other court officials, County Executive Robert P. Astorino on Wednesday announced a plan to move the Yonkers Family Court into a nearby building that will improve services and save taxpayer money.
By law, the county government must provide adequate space for courts. The county has been working with officials of the New York State Unified Court System to address the issues of overcrowding, lack of parking, security and accessibility at the Yonkers Family Court branch, now located at 53 S. Broadway.
Under Astorino's proposal, the court will be moved into 22,775 square feet of newly renovated space in the i.Park Hudson Complex I Park building at 131 Warburton Ave., just a few blocks away. Because the county already has a long-term lease for the Warburton building, the county will save about $600,000 in annual rent once the South Broadway property is fully vacated.
The main Family Court will continue to be located in White Plains, with another branch in New Rochelle that will remain fully operational.
"This new site is an excellent location for the Family Court," Astorino said. "It ensures that members of the public who go to court have a comfortable, safe building. It fits the dignity of the court. I thank our court officials for working so closely with me on the site."
Justice Alan D. Scheinkman, administrative judge for the 9th Judicial District, said that the new home for the court was worked out as a result of a team effort among a variety of agencies.
"A modern Family Court in Yonkers is essential for the provision of justice to the families and children of the state's fourth-largest city," he said. "It has been my privilege to work closely with County Executive Astorino, Chief Administrative Judge A. Gail Prudenti, Family Court Supervising Judge Kathie E. Davidson, and the staff of both the county and the Office of Court Administration in the State, in developing a state-of-the-art facility to support the critical work of the Family Court ."
Astorino's proposal was sent to Prudenti, who is chief administrative judge of the United Court System of the State of New York. The next step is that the proposal be reviewed by the state's Court Facilities Capital Review Board. This board reviews capital items related to the court system.
Astorino said he is working with Scheinkman to finalize the design for the new space. The renovations will begin when final plans are drafted and approved by the court and all building permits are in place. The project will take six to nine months to complete once it begins.
Among the attributes of the new location:
- This location is in the heart of downtown Yonkers, close to the Metro-North train station, the Yonkers Public Library, and several Bee line bus stops. The site can readily be reached by car via the Saw Mill River Parkway and other routes.
- The county already has an existing long term lease for the space.
- In addition to the 22,775 square feet designed for the Family Court, additional space will be provided for the ancillary services that serve the Family Court provided by the Department of Probation, the Office for Women and the County Attorney. In all, more than 30,000 square feet will be provided for the Family Court.
- The court will be located in space adjacent to the county Department of Social Services.
- The new location will increase by more than 50 percent the amount of space available to the Family Court, an expansion made possible by reconfiguring the pre-existing DSS operations.
- Family Court personnel will have a non-public entrance to the floor. Public access to the Family Court will be through the building's common area waiting area, and Family Court patrons will pass through two security check points.
- There will be three court rooms, three hearing rooms, chambers and offices for judicial support staff, as well as a children's center and attorney-client conference rooms.
- There is ample parking.