The new courthouse will be built on what is now a parking lot next to the Grand Opera House
Read more: State, The Bibb County Commission, Build, Downtown, Macon, Voters, New, Courthouse, Built, Grand Opera House
(AP) -- The Bibb County Commission has agreed on an $83.6 million plan to build a new courthouse in downtown Macon, close to the current courthouse.
If voters approve a sales tax increase, the new courthouse will be built on what is now a parking lot next to the Grand Opera House.
The current courthouse would converted to government office space. A separate Juvenile Court building would be built near the jail.
Earlier, most commissioners supported putting the new courthouse elsewhere. Developer Tony Long says if the courthouse had moved, restaurants and stores in the area would have closed, hurting downtown Macon.
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