New Westchester County Family Court Facility Finally Opens

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — After a number of false starts, elected officials celebrated the opening of a new Westchester County Justice Center in New Rochelle.

At a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Westchester County Executive George Latimer and New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson recounted the long road to opening the doors of a new Westchester County Department of Probation and New Rochelle Bureau of Family Justice. The long-awaited new Family Court site is located on Garden Street in New Rochelle.

"This was a public private partnership that — most of all — made sense for the litigants who deserve the right to have their cases heard is a setting that exudes dignity and respect," Latimer said officially opening the new center. "Family Court deals with some of the judicial system’s most sensitive clients, and this new state of the art family court, for the people of this County, will stands for decades to come as a symbol of the power of what can be accomplished if we work together.”

The New Rochelle Family Court occupies the third and fourth floors of a six-floor building in the city. The facility has two courtrooms, three hearing rooms and judge’s chambers. The center will also house staff from the Office for Women and the Department of Probation.

New Rochelle Family Court is one of just three family courts in Westchester County, including family courts in White Plains and Yonkers. These courts hear cases involving children, including child neglect, child custody issues, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency and adoption.

"Located in the heart of New Rochelle's burgeoning downtown and in immediate proximity to the New Rochelle Transit Center, the Family Court is ideally positioned to provide essential services to our city and region in a state of the art, modern facility," Bramsom said. "I am grateful for the County Executive's strong commitment to this priority, the steadfast support of our County legislators, the impassioned advocacy of the bench, the engagement of community leaders, and the skilled partnership of the development team."

The Westchester Board of Legislators has approved a 30-year lease for the new family court and justice center.