On November 14th, 2017, the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pursue the construction of a new three-story courthouse on Morris Road in Brevard, North Carolina. This decision was the end of a process of study and careful consideration that has been a topic of debate in amongst Commissioners for over twelve years. This website will offer updates on the project as it proceeds as well as assemble for public review all previous deliberations of the County Commission regarding the expansion of court facilities in Transylvania County and related documents. In the quick links across the top of this page, you will find a link to the decision matrix, which listed the pros and cons of each possible decision and a compilation of frequently asked questions for your review.

At their June 25th, 2018 regular meeting, the Board of County Commissioners voted to suspend all further work on a courthouse replacement project at Morris Road.

At their December 9th, 2019 regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, the Board of County Commissioners approved a budget of $28,500 to commission further study from Moseley Architects to compare the costs, phasing and feasibility of four potential courthouse sites.

At their October 24th, 2022 meeting, Commissioners heard a historical presentation on the County Courthouse from the County Manager.

At their January 9th, 2023 meeting, the Board designated Morris Road as the official site for the construction of a new courthouse, subject to the receipt of updated project costs for a new facility at this site. 

At their January 23rd, 2023 meeting, Commissioners received updated cost figures for a new courthouse, with and without a third-floor shell for future expansion.

  • Option without third floor shell: $36,856,415.08

  • Option with third floor shell: $45,525,648.20

     

At their December 11th, 2023 meeting, the Board received an update on the Courthouse project. The Board of Commissioners authorized staff to go out to RFQ to hire an architect to build a new courthouse at the Public Safety Facility site on Morris Road. The RFQ resulted in three responses. Staff reviewed the responses and scheduled in-person interviews with all three respondents. Commissioners were notified they would be asked to award the architect contract for the design of a new Courthouse in the first quarter of calendar year 2024.

 

At their February 12th, 2024 meeting, the Board selected the firm Sizemore to design a new courthouse and directed staff to negotiate a contract with the firm. Commissioners directed staff to bring the contract back to the Board for approval.

 

At their April 22nd, 2024 meeting, Commissioners approved the contract and fee schedule with the architect Sizemore to design a new courthouse.  The negotiated fee schedule was as follows:

Cost of Work 

Basic Services + Predesign services 

Design fee (not to exceed) 

Supplemental Services Fee at 0.75% of Cost of Work if requested (Commissioning + Sustainability Services) 

FF&E Design if requested to be 10% of cost of FF&E package 

<$31M 

7.5+ 0.75% 

$2,712,500 max 

$232,500 

$310,000 

>$31M <$35M 

7% + 0.75% 

$2,887,500 max 

$262,500 

$350,000 

>$35M <$40M 

6.75% + 0.75% 

$3,100,000 max 

$300,000 

$400,000 

>$40M <$45M 

6.5% + 0.75% 

$3,375,000 max 

$337,500 

$450,000 

>$45M <$55M 

6.25% + 0.75% 

$3,850,000 max 

$412,500 

$550,000 

 

At their March 24th, 2025 meeting, the County Manager gave a presentation on the history of the courthouse in preparation for the upcoming capital workshop. This presentation included a detailed timeline of all Board discussions and actions related to the courthouse. Then representatives from Sizemore Architects, Axias, Remington and Vernick Engineers, and Fentress, Inc. presented four programming options for a new courthouse (Option 1A, Option 1B, Option 2A, and Option 2B) for Commissioners to consider.

At their April 28th, 2025 meeting, the Board approved moving forward with Courthouse Design Option 2B: 

  • 45,000 sq. ft. fully functional upfit courthouse

  • Two stories with partial basement

  • Layout allows for a future 45,000 sq. ft. two-story addition

  • Phased parking plan

  • Total Project Cost: $38.2 million

 

At their July 14th, 2025 meeting, Sizemore Architects presented two exterior elevation designs to the Board for consideration: Design 1 with a Cupula or Design 2 with a Tower. City of Brevard design guidelines require the building to have one of these two design features. The Board selected the tower option as the initial design. The architects stated they would be circling back to user groups for the courthouse regarding more details on their planned spaces in the coming weeks and have been working with county staff on details for maintenance and operational decisions.

At their October 13th, 2025 meeting, Sizemore Architects presented courthouse site plan adjustments to meet the needs of user groups and incorporate cost-saving measures requested by the Commissioners. Incorporating these changes, the architect recommended selecting the cupola external design option over the original tower design. Sizemore also presented a project budget estimate with a construction cost of $36,185,000. With FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) and IT/audiovisual equipment, the total overall cost was estimated at $40,287,000. The architect plans to have final permit drawings in May 2026.

For a brief history of this decision, please see the following links which outline major decisions undertaken by the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners regarding the Transylvania County Courthouse:

200520062007
200820092010
201120122014
201520162017
201820192020
2021