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We're finally getting a federal courthouse

4,378 Views | 51 Replies | Last: 2 days ago by Captn_Ag05
Brian Alg
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10:12a, 9/2/26
This is legitimately a really big deal with respect to economic development. I hope the CoCS makes sure this happens good and quick:

40 years in the making: Federal courthouse will land in College Station after President's signature
Brian Alg

My words are not intended to be disrespectful to any of the staid and venerable members of College Station City Council
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Rexter
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12:21p, 9/2/26
Maybe CoCS could sell the Macy's building to the feds. Plenty big enough with lots of parking, and get that monkey off the city's back.
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EMY92
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In reply to Rexter • 1:24p, 9/2/26
AG
Rexter said:
Maybe CoCS could sell the Macy's building to the feds. Plenty big enough with lots of parking, and get that monkey off the city's back.

City will never get rid of all of that potential tax revenue.
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AgGunNut
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In reply to Brian Alg • 1:29p, 9/2/26
AG
I agree this is badly needed, but what exactly is COCS's role in making it happen good/quick?
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woodometer
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1:32p, 9/2/26
AG
Why does it have to be in College Station?
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rocketscience
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In reply to woodometer • 1:41p, 9/2/26
AG
woodometer said:
Why does it have to be in College Station?

The bill to make it happen edits the law that organizes the federal court system to specifically add College Station (in addition to Houston) as a location for court to be held for the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas.
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earwigfly
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1:46p, 9/2/26
With my luck, I'll be summoned to Houston (again) just before this is up and running.
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doubledog
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1:52p, 9/2/26
Maybe they can build the courthouse on either side of Texas Ave, so that CoCS can have a skybridge too. ; )
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mason12
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4:29p, 9/2/26
AG
I vote for the corner of Texas and Krenek Tap.

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MarkPro
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4:44p, 9/2/26
Maybe the state could purchase the Momentum Bank Building (Adams Building) on University, and convert it to the Federal Courthouse.
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AggiePhil
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In reply to MarkPro • 4:48p, 9/2/26
AG
MarkPro said:
Maybe the state could purchase the Momentum Bank Building (Adams Building) on University, and convert it to the Federal Courthouse.

You mean the fed.
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woodometer
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6:47p, 9/2/26
AG
They should build it in Downtown College Station
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Aggie_Fire
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In reply to woodometer • 5:15p, 9/3/26
AG
woodometer said:
They should build it in Downtown College Station

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EBrazosAg
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In reply to Aggie_Fire • 6:21p, 9/3/26
AG
Midtown would be better. Next to the waterfront…. They could have perp walks with a gondola.
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FlyRod
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6:43p, 9/3/26
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.
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doubledog
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In reply to FlyRod • 6:51p, 9/3/26
FlyRod said:
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.

Judges, lawyers, clerks, security, etc. Think of it has a large office building filled with professionals.
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FlyRod
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6:53p, 9/3/26
Oh I know, just was curious if the number is big enough to make a difference.
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oklaunion
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In reply to FlyRod • 7:42p, 9/3/26
FlyRod said:
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.

You're getting kind of personal there, aren't you?
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FlyRod
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9:05p, 9/3/26
Some people see judges as wizards. I'm not getting personal, you're going into the gutter.
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mason12
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9:06p, 9/3/26
AG
If a new building is built, I'm curious if the GSA will have all the federal agencies in the county move to a centralized federal building instead of leasing space.
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Captn_Ag05
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In reply to FlyRod • 9:42p, 9/3/26
AG
FlyRod said:
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.

At a briefing I went to on this over the summer, there was a study referenced that it is expected to bring a few million a year in economic activity based on courthouses of similar sizes in similar markets. Trials can drag on and you will have litigants, attorneys, experts, and witnesses in town for hotel stays, restaurants, etc.

That is in addition to the staffing of the court. There will be one judge initially and potential for growth. But with one judge, you still have quite a few staff and support plus security.
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FlyRod
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9:47p, 9/3/26
Thanks for that. Makes more sense now.
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Captn_Ag05
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In reply to FlyRod • 9:53p, 9/3/26
AG
There is also some that think it could spur some additional economic development from businesses that may have wanted to locate here but didn't want to subject themselves to venue in federal court in Houston. Those businesses can potentially have venue of a federal court in Brazos County, Texas in their contracts. Personally, I think that is a lot more tenuous of an argument.
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Koko Chingo
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In reply to FlyRod • 9:56p, 9/3/26
AG
FlyRod said:
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.

I have the same thought.

Sure they add some employees. A paragraph from the KBTX article:

"West said the change would benefit more than just attorneys. He said the presence of a federal courthouse can be a factor for businesses deciding whether to relocate to a community, since companies often want to know where legal disputes would be settled before setting up shop."

I don't really think that's a factor. Aren't the attorneys needed for these issues are in the bigger cities.

I will be happy if I ever get a federal jury summons. Everyone i know that has gotten one for Houston hated the experience.
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EBrazosAg
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10:09p, 9/3/26
AG
I think the biggest impact on me will be yet more courts to call me for jury duty. Let's not even talk about the time commitment to a Federal Grand Jury ……
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Captn_Ag05
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In reply to Koko Chingo • 10:13p, 9/3/26
AG
Koko Chingo said:
FlyRod said:
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.

I have the same thought.

Sure they add some employees. A paragraph from the KBTX article:

"West said the change would benefit more than just attorneys. He said the presence of a federal courthouse can be a factor for businesses deciding whether to relocate to a community, since companies often want to know where legal disputes would be settled before setting up shop."

I don't really think that's a factor. Aren't the attorneys needed for these issues are in the bigger cities.

I will be happy if I ever get a federal jury summons. Everyone i know that has gotten one for Houston hated the experience.

It isn't that. It is the thought that College Station will be a more business friendly venue than Houston. Same thought as to why no business wants to agree to California for venue in their contracts.
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Captn_Ag05
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10:21p, 9/3/26
AG
It will be interesting to see where they put both the temporary location and build the permanent courthouse.

GSA will oversee that site selection process. Just as a point of reference, a new federal courthouse being built in Hartford, CT has been in the site selection and bid process since 2023. Construction for that courthouse will kickoff in 2027 and is expected to be operational in 2031. Congress allocated $345 million for the construction of that courthouse.

I'd expect the College Station location to have a budget around $200 million when all is said and done.

This is the timeline for the Hartford courthouse.



https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/ongoing-construction-projects/hartford-courthouse

In reviewing the discussion and decision making of Hartford, GSA was looking for locations that could be made secure first (understandably) and then close to amenities like hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. After that consideration for being close to other government buildings was factored in.
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Smeghead4761
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In reply to Captn_Ag05 • 5:57a, 9/4/26
Why does it take 4 years to build a courthouse?

The Pentagon was built in 16 months. I'll grant that WWII going on probably made it a high priority, but it was the largest office building in the world until 2023. A courthouse is tiny by comparison.
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BQwolf05
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6:55a, 9/4/26
AG
Where do we think it will get located? Wild theories are acceptable.
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doubledog
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In reply to Captn_Ag05 • 7:11a, 9/4/26
Captn_Ag05 said:
FlyRod said:
How does a federal courthouse add to the economy? Do they have large staffs? Genuinely curious.

At a briefing I went to on this over the summer, there was a study referenced that it is expected to bring a few million a year in economic activity based on courthouses of similar sizes in similar markets. Trials can drag on and you will have litigants, attorneys, experts, and witnesses in town for hotel stays, restaurants, etc.

That is in addition to the staffing of the court. There will be one judge initially and potential for growth. But with one judge, you still have quite a few staff and support plus security.

I have been an expert witness on several federal cases (IP). Each side will bring a dozen lawyers, plus staff. They will rent a war room and place even more people in it. The trial may go on for weeks (in some cases), which means hotels, meals etc. Lots of people, like an small aggie home game. The best place for the courthouse will be somewhere along University.
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EFR
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In reply to doubledog • 8:10a, 9/4/26
"Like a small Aggie home game"???
We are talking about possibly dozens of people there for a trial, not tens of thousands. And that is for the bigger cases. Most cases are really no bigger than any district court.
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doubledog
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In reply to EFR • 8:39a, 9/4/26
EFR said:
"Like a small Aggie home game"???
We are talking about possibly dozens of people there for a trial, not tens of thousands. And that is for the bigger cases. Most cases are really no bigger than any district court.

I did not say which team was playing. ; )
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PS3D
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9:17a, 9/4/26
Maybe Woodville and Highway 6, plenty of space there.

It was the location I had in mind when people were whining about the skywalk at the county courthouse, and I was going to use it as an example because there would be just as much complaining if they moved it out of downtown Bryan. ("why can't they expand the old courthouse?", "county courthouses should go downtown", "the parking lot is too big", etc.)
Curator of [url=http://csroadsandretail.blogspot.com/]Brazos Buildings & Businesses[/url], the area's premier local history site.
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rocketscience
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10:39a, 9/4/26
AG
Based on the text of the bill, I think it has to be in College Station (the bill adds College Station specifically as a location for court to be held for the Houston Division). I'm not sure how much flexibility the law allows for the courthouse location.

The KBTX article suggests near the university, so maybe Century Square for its temporary location? Possibly the corner of University and College for a permanent location since Midway hasn't moved on that yet. Unless it ends up further away from the university, there's probably a few sites on Texas or University that could be redevelopment options.

In terms of economic development, below is a map showing the divisions of the Southern District of Texas. It's assumed that Brazos County cases will take place in the new College Station courthouse but there may be cases from surrounding counties as well. If surrounding county cases are held in College Station (especially from a large county like Montgomery County), there could be a measurable economic impact (I won't speculate on how large or small though).

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Aggie_Fire
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In reply to doubledog • 11:05a, 9/4/26
AG
doubledog said:
EFR said:
"Like a small Aggie home game"???
We are talking about possibly dozens of people there for a trial, not tens of thousands. And that is for the bigger cases. Most cases are really no bigger than any district court.

I did not say which team was playing. ; )

I think it's more like the equivalent of the other team that shows up!

Overall I think it's a big deal. It further establishes College Station has a growing and thriving community. Reminds me of playing SimCity as a kid. We now can purchase a federal courthouse for our City! LOL
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