Court case

The city’s plan to move Austin Municipal Court – currently located on East Seventh Street – has seen a shift that could see the eventual landing spot changed slightly from its assumed new location while the city saves more than $1 million over a 10-year lease. The Austin Business Journal reports that last month City Council approved a resolution opening up negotiations with the owners of Bergstrom Tech Center, located on Burleson Road almost adjacent to MetCenter II, whose owners appear to have secured the court relocation deal in May. The fate of the municipal court has become something of an odyssey over more than a decade, during which time the city has purchased multiple parcels for the explicit purpose of building a combination facility for the court and a police substation in Northeast Austin. Meanwhile, concern has grown over the court’s current location because of structural and safety problems and a lack of parking.