New Bel Air Courthouse Planned; State Seeks Up To 8 Acres Of Land

BEL AIR, MD — State officials are looking to acquire 7 to 8 acres of property in Bel Air where they can build a new multipurpose building and district courthouse for Harford County.

The courthouse will be 120,000 gross square feet, according to the request for proposals from the Maryland Department of General Services.

According to the request, the land can be improved or unimproved but must be within the town of Bel Air. It can be no further north than Hickory Avenue, no further west than Broadway, no further south than Tollgate Road and no further east than East MacPhail Road.

Courthouses are state entities in Maryland, and building a new one will enable the state to bring the Harford County District Courthouse into compliance with modern security standards calling for secured hallways and a protected parking facility, officials said.

“This new state-of-the-art court facility will allow Maryland’s judicial system to preserve freedom, equality and justice for Maryland citizens,” Maryland Department of General Services Secretary Ellington E. Churchill Jr. said in a statement released this week.

The new courthouse will include the following, according to the request for proposals:

• Four courtrooms with the possibility of up to six courtrooms
• On-site public parking
• Protected 325-car parking facility

“I sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Department of General Services to secure an appropriate parcel of land so we can ensure access to justice for the citizens of Maryland,” Chief Judge John P. Morrissey said in a statement.

Site improvements and access roads will be part of the project, officials said, and the new facility will enable the District Court of Maryland to vacate the state-owned Bel Air Multi-Service Center.

Proposals are due by June 9, and a virtual pre-proposal conference is slated for May 17.