What the new Sussex County Family Court will mean for downtown Georgetown

The construction of a new Sussex County Family Court in Georgetown is more than an economic development vehicle for Georgetown — it's critical for the town’s economic stability.

Original plans had the state moving both the Sussex and Kent County Family Courts to one consolidated location in Milford, according to Georgetown Mayor Bill West.

“Once you do that the other courts are gonna follow. We weren’t gonna let it leave Georgetown,” he said.

Downtown Georgetown is centered around The Circle, which is dominated by the courts and government agencies. East Market Street businesses, such as Georgetown Family Restaurant, Jalapeno restaurant and Caruso’s Pizza and Pasta, rely on the patronage of the people who work in those buildings.

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The town presented the courts with multiple locations on which to build, West said, and they settled on the southeast corner of Market and North Race streets.

“By keeping it downtown, it gives every opportunity for our restaurants and businesses to be taken advantage of,” West said.

The current family court, located on the northwest corner of Market Street and The Circle, is dangerously small.

A 2006 study of southern Delaware’s court spaces and a 2012 U.S. Marshal’s Report highlighted the safety concerns associated with judges, detainees and the public circulating on the same paths throughout the buildings.

“You had judges walking over prisoners, prisoners and victims from the same case riding in the elevator together. Something had to be done,” West said.

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Construction of the new Sussex County Family Court, set to start in November, will bring more than 100 construction workers to Georgetown on weekdays for the next two years. Should they chose to buy lunch, potentially those workers could purchase about 500 lunches downtown each week.

The existing office buildings on the site, Domino’s Pizza and the former Caruso’s Pizza and Pasta building will be torn down to make room for the new three-story courthouse.

Tevebaugh Architecture designed the $105 million courthouse and called it “a transitional building that hearkens back to the neighboring historic buildings with the use of character, proportions and materials.”

The building will feature an abundance of glass to provide both natural light and lines of sight from inside and outside, including a large lobby with glass from floor to ceiling and a tower cupola.

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It will also feature Georgetown’s first parking garage, along East Pine Street, with 300 parking spaces.

The first floor of the building will be home to court administration, child services, defense services, a law library, intake and holding spaces and utility rooms.

The second floor will include four family courtrooms, a truancy courtroom, commissioners’ chambers and other offices.

Four more family courtrooms will be on the third floor, along with the judges’ chambers and more offices. Each floor will be equipped with bathrooms.

Plans for the old family court building are not yet final but it’s expected to be occupied by other state agencies, according to Delaware Courts spokesman Sean O’Sullivan.

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