The project has finished under budget and ahead of schedule. The building will be occupied and begin operating this month. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for November 21.

Upon occupation the state has full ownership of building and site and pays back on an annual basis the project' s capital costs as well as annual operating and maintenance expenses over 35 years.

The Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) of the Judicial Council of California announced Monday 28th, June 2010, that Long Beach Judicial Partners (LBJP) consortium was selected to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the new court building. Meridiam Infrastructure, which led development of the LBJP's proposal, has invested $49 million towards the courthouse.

On 21 December 2010, Meridiam reached financial completion for the project. Meridiam Infrastructure raised 100 percent of the $492-million debt-equity project financing required to complete the project.

Long Beach Judicial Partners LLC contracted with Clark Design/Build of California, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clark Construction Group, LLC, as the project's design-builder. Clark in turn contracted with AECOM as the courthouse's architect-engineer of record.

Financial advisors included KPMG and BNP Paribas. Fulbright & Jaworski LLP provides legal counsel to Meridiam and LBJP.

The project

The courthouse will provide for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County's high volume of criminal, traffic, civil, and family judicial proceedings. It will house 31 courtrooms, court administrative space, detention facilities, offices of related county justice agencies, and compatible retail space. A nearby parking structure has been renovated with the project. Surrounding streetscapes have been improved. The building's courtyard has been created to provide a secure interior open space.

The new facility replaces one built in 1959 that suffers from fundamental functional and security flaws, is overcrowded, and fails to meet accessibility requirements.

Source: AECOM