State officials assured a group of Ellsworth residents Tuesday night that the judicial branch will abide by all local and state land use regulations if it decides to build a new courthouse on Route 172.
People who live on or near Surry Road, which is the local name for the route, have started a campaign to dissuade the state from building a new $55 million courthouse next to Josie’s Country Store. Opponents to the project, which is still in the planning phase and has not yet received any permits, say a large new courthouse would worsen traffic on the road and change the character of the mostly residential neighborhood.
About 100 people — including neighborhood residents and officials with the state, city and county — met to discuss the project Tuesday night at the current courthouse on State Street, less than a mile from the proposed building site. The purpose of the meeting was for Valerie Stanfill, chief justice of the state Supreme Judicial Court, and other officials to hear directly from local residents.
Some project opponents criticized the state for purchasing the 17-acre property before fully vetting if it was suitable for a courthouse. Critics said a stream on the property could make the portion closest to the road too small to build on, and that the state should have conducted a thorough traffic study before buying the lot.
“Didn’t you put the cart before the horse?” Jim Pendergist, a resident of Joy Way, asked Stanfill.
Teri Sargent Smith, of the newly formed Surry Road Neighborhood Preservation Association, said that residents were “disappointed” the state bought the property before asking neighbors for feedback on developing the site, but added that she and other opponents understand the limitations of the existing courthouse for safety, space, and ease of use.
“We are not debating that we need new space,” she said. “We are arguing it doesn’t belong at 120 Surry Rd.”
Stanfill acknowledged that the state could have done a better job of communicating with nearby property owners before it purchased the site in March, and that state officials are open to suggestions about how to move forward.
The chief justice added that the state has been considering options for upgrading its Ellsworth court facilities since 2019, and that since then it looked at roughly 20 possible locations in the city before buying the Surry Road property. The state only looked at properties that are within Ellsworth’s densely developed neighborhoods in and around downtown, where there is access to public utilities and infrastructure.
“We’ve been looking at properties for five years,” Stanfill said. “We weren’t trying to hide anything.”
In more than one location, the state found wetlands that would prevent building projects, and other parcels in the commercial High Street corridor would have been considerably expensive to buy, she said.
Stanfill said that the state will go through the city’s planning board to get local approval for the project, and that residents will have more opportunities to weigh in. In addition, the state will conduct a thorough traffic study and will abide by all setback regulations in finalizing its development proposal.
“We haven’t gotten to that point yet,” she said.
