Staunton staff present conceptual plan for JNDR courthouse site emphasizing pocket park, ADA access and future expansion

Rodney Rhodes, the city community development lead, walked Staunton City Council through a high‑level conceptual site plan for the remaining JNDR (juvenile and domestic relations) courthouse property on March 12.

Rhodes said the concept — funded in part by a Brownfields assessment and with master‑planning money under ARPA — prioritizes a pocket park, pedestrian connections and open flexible space in front of the courthouse that can host small events. "What we heard and wanted to include in this conceptual plan was a public square/slash pocket park/slash green space at the JNDR site," Rhodes said, and staff also requested that the concept accommodate future courthouse expansion and a stormwater management approach for the entire site.

The concept shows a roughly 26,000‑square‑foot footprint reserved for future courtroom expansion and approximately 160 parking spaces at the site’s front; Rhodes described the parking number as "above and beyond" current code requirements but noted permeable surfacing could be used if additional parking is built. Staff also highlighted bioretention curb cuts, native plantings and landscaping that exceed zoning requirements as measures to reduce runoff and provide habitat.

A central design element is an ADA‑compliant route that ties the site into Birch Street and surrounding neighborhoods; Rhodes said a western trail is steeper and not ADA‑compliant. Councilors raised concerns that proposed grading and an ADA ramp could consume developable land where concrete pads from prior buildings remain, and they suggested alternatives such as switchbacks or shifting an exit to preserve more flat, buildable area. Rhodes said previous plans had proposed different alignments, but the site’s topography and building conditions changed earlier assumptions.

Staff also noted recent safe‑routes and crosswalk work near Grubert and said the plan proposes to tie new ADA routes into that infrastructure. Rhodes said the city still holds Moseley Architects under contract and that ARPA funds earmarked for a more detailed master plan remain available but must be expended by December. Council thanked staff for the concept and offered guidance on access, landscaping and maximizing future development potential.

Next steps described by staff were further refinement of the concept, coordination on access/grade challenges, stakeholder outreach (including property‑adjacent businesses), and use of ARPA funds to develop a full master plan before the stated funding deadline.

Ending: Staff will return with refinements informed by council direction and will begin work toward a detailed master plan using existing ARPA funding.