County jail
Also earlier this week, commissioners authorized the sale of $45 million in bonds that will provide the cash the county needs to acquire land and start to plan and build the new facility.
From the least to most expensive offers, here’s what we know about the locations.
Highway access key to this possible 60-acre jail location
• Owners: David and Toni Hennessey
• Address: 17501 NE 150
• Size: 59.886 acres h Currently zoned: Agricultural
• Asking price: $1,077,948
• Generally speaking: This wedges-hape property in the southeast section of a square mile bordered by Triple X Road, Peebly Road, NE 164 and NE 150 is close to access to and from the Turner Turnpike inside of Oklahoma City.
19-minute travel time to courthouse defines this possible jail location
• Owner: The Ted Eckroat and Pat Eckroat Revocable Trust
• Address: 7501 N Midwest Blvd., Oklahoma City
• Size: 132 acres, with option to purchase 80 acres of the land also included
• Currently zoned: Agricultural, with a smaller portion of frontage zoned for future urban growth
• Asking price: $3 million for 132 acres, or $2 million for 80 acres
• Generally speaking: This mostly square-shape property is in the northeast corner of land bordered on the north by Wilshire Boulevard and on the east by Midwest Boulevard and is located about 4 miles east of Interstate 35. The landowner estimates it would take 19 minutes to get from the property to the downtown courthouse under normal traffic conditions.
Urban Oklahoma City setting offered as this possible jail location
• Owner: Garrett & Co. Resources and Willowbrook Investments LLC
• Address: 1901 E Grand Blvd., Oklahoma City
• Size: 71 acres h Currently zoned: Industrial
• Asking price: $5.415 million, or zero dollars if the county were to agree to deed land where the current county jail is located to the sellers after the jail is demolished.
• Generally speaking: This mostly square-shape piece of land is in an industrial-zoned area on Grand Boulevard’s west side, just south of SE 15 and west of Bryant Avenue. The site is within two miles of access to both I-35 and Interstate 40. It is the closest property being offered by a landowner in terms of its proximity to Oklahoma County’s courthouse.
This possible jail location offered in growing area near new turnpike
• Owner: Tsalagi Development, LLC
• Address: 18437 SE 29, Harrah and unincorporated land
• Size: About 63 acres, with option to purchase just 50 acres also included
• Currently zoned: Mostly residential, except for frontage that is zoned commercial
• Asking price: $7,531,197, or $5,989,500 for 50 acres
• Generally speaking: This T-shape property is bordered by SE 29 on the south and the Kickapoo Turnpike on the east, with access to the turnpike from SE 29 adjacent to the location. The property is catty-corner to a piece of land on the other side of the turnpike zoned commercial and residential that is bordered by SE 29, Luther Road, the turnpike and SE 44.
Hot I-35 industrial corridor defines this potential jail location
• Owner: Oaks Technology Park LLC, (Intervest Development Limited Partnership, WWT Investments LLC)
• Address: Northwest corner of Britton Road and Interstate 35 Frontage
Road, Oklahoma City
• Size: 69.4 acres
• Currently zoned: Part residential, part agriculture, with process underway to change the zoning to a planned unit development
• Asking price: $37,788,300
• Generally speaking: This land is located along a stretch of properties on I-35’s west side that owners have aggressively been redeveloping into warehouse types of operations over the past decade. The property itself is bordered by Bryant Avenue on the west, Harriet Street on the north, the frontage road on the east and Britton Road on the south. The land has been unused since 1979. Between then and 1937, a small farm operated on the western part of the property.
What county commissioners said about jail location offers
Commissioners on Friday expressed appreciation for landowners’ willingness to engage in the process of finding a new home for the county jail.
District 1 Commissioner Carrie Blumert also said receipt of the five offers is a payoff of sorts for the hard work put in by the county’s staff to bring the jail replacement project as far along as it has.
“I am anxious to hear recommendations from our Citizen Bond Oversight Committee before I form any personal opinions about site selection,” she said.
District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan said he, too, is interested in how the offers will be evaluated.
“We are anxious to see what the citizen oversight committee thinks of the submissions to help us know how best to move forward,” Maughan said.
District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson said the county’s elected leaders were not sure what they would receive in the way of offers.
“Clearly, we are very thankful there were five. While ideally there would be a whole lot more, we were actually worried there might not be any,” Davidson said.
“I am looking forward to seeing what some of the government entities can provide through some partnerships. If we could find a spot where Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County and the state of Oklahoma could all work together, that would be ideal,” he said.