It has been 17 years since Congressman Sam Johnson (R-Richardson) and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) have been pushing for a new courthouse in Plano. It took multiple tries to pass through the House and then the U.S. Senate. Finally in 2003, President George W. Bush signed the measure into law. On March 12, 2007 ground was broken at 7490 Preston Road, just north of the new Children's Medical Center and down the street from the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. The 74,000 square feet building cost an estimated $17M to complete. The Federal government signed a 15-year lease on the building at an estimated $185,000 per month for rent.

Before the Plano federal courthouse was built, Collin County residents had to drive to the Eastern District courthouses in Sherman or Tyler to handle their federal legal matters, making the Eastern District the largest federal district in the country without a courthouse at the time. This long overdue courthouse will serve the growing population of 800,000+ people in Collin and Denton counties, allowing the Eastern District to split cases between Plano and Sherman. The Eastern District is comprised of courts in six eastern Texas cities, with Plano being the seventh.

On August 18, 2008, the Plano federal courthouse officially opened and court sessions commenced. Eastern District court veteran Judge Richard Schell will serve as the head judge. A new FBI office will be opening just one mile north of the courthouse, making the decade long process appear seamless.

Content and photos by Janus Real Estate Group. All rights reserved. Copyright 2008.