County Jail

[Midtowner]

I lived a half mile from the current jail for almost 3 years and never had a single jail related issue. Sunset bar was bigger threat to my safety than the jail ever was.

I lived across the street for 5 years. No problems whatsoever. The worst thing the jail brings is a bunch of tacky bail bonds shops. Aside from that, there will likely be no issues.

[Pete]

I lived across the street for 5 years. No problems whatsoever. The worst thing the jail brings is a bunch of tacky bail bonds shops. Aside from that, there will likely be no issues.

When I lived at 8th & Shartel, I called it the Bail Bond District.

[Plutonic Panda]

VeloCity Article: https://www.velocityokc.com/blog/ins...ack=super_blog

[mugofbeer]

When I lived at 8th & Shartel, I called it the Bail Bond District.

Hmmm, catchy real estate moniker .... BaiBo.....

[Plutonic Panda]

It looks like they have revised some of the sites they will consider and that now includes the current site as well: https://freepressokc.com/advisory-bo...-plus-10-more/

[SEMIweather]

Reusing the current site would be a terrible mistake, IMO. I'm sure it was fine back in the early 90's when the current jail was built and Downtown OKC was in a state of disarray. But since then, areas around the jail have been revitalized and the current site can now be put to a better use.

[Plutonic Panda]

While redevelopment opportunities would be amazing I am more for keeping the jail downtown and closer to the courthouse. It just makes more sense. Many major cities have downtown jails and they work out.

[jn1780]

They may have included the current site, but the odds are pretty low that they would select it. Property size is a big issue and what would they do with the inmates during construction? Would they just build on the parking lot? That just leads to a multistory building which is one of the reasons why the jail has so many issues.

[HOT ROD]

I don’t get the “requirement” that the jail be 1-3 stories. … wherever the site is should dictate the rising.

I personally think they should sell the current site (which gets redeveloped and the tower repurposed) and a NEW TOWER is build closer to the courthouse. As mentioned earlier, plenty if not most other major cities have highrise jail towers downtown and close to the courthouse and are run just fine. I think that needs to be an option and we need to stop building everything so far away for the sake of it.

one other compromise could be a twin location option where we build/keep the downtown highrise with detention cells but also build an incarceration facility for long/er term stays outside of downtown. I believe LA and Chicago May work this way, but it’s probably forever “fix” the jail concern since not everything is constrained yet we still have the downtown location for court action. My thought is, defendants are initially booked and kept in cells downtown, they get hearings, then when sentenced they are bussed to the new location outside of downtime for “hard time” or longer processing. One at the new facility they could remain or then be processed to other facilities like Mac or return downtown for more court action. This idea offers the best flexibility and inmate experience while not overloading the system.

[SEMIweather]

Per post #47 in the Red Ridge thread, 4 potential sites for the new jail were eliminated on Tuesday. Does anyone know which sites are still in contention? A quick Google search turned up no new articles on this.

[Richard at Remax]

Per post #47 in the Red Ridge thread, 4 potential sites for the new jail were eliminated on Tuesday. Does anyone know which sites are still in contention? A quick Google search turned up no new articles on this.

There were the 4 sites that were eliminated:

2. 69 acres of land located at the northwest corner of I-35 and Britton Road and offered for sale by Oakes Technology Park, LLC
6. 89 acres of land located at NE 10th and I-35 and offered for sale by the Commissioners of the Land Office and the Oklahoma City Water Trust
7. 133 acres of land located at 5500 Lincoln Boulevard and offered for sale by the Commissioners of the Land Office
8. 51 acres of land located on the southwest corner of Portland Avenue and Memorial Road and offered for sale by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation

To add onto this, they also approved a motion to basically open it back up to receive new submissions from the public. As someone who is representing one of the pieces of land still in the running, this is a tad frustrating. I hear that they don't really like any of the sites and that's why this was made. I understand to an extent but this basically means that this process will drag on even longer.

[G.Walker]

I still say the old Pull A Part site is the best location...

[Canoe]

I hope you win Richard.

[jn1780]

I don’t get the “requirement” that the jail be 1-3 stories. … wherever the site is should dictate the rising.

I personally think they should sell the current site (which gets redeveloped and the tower repurposed) and a NEW TOWER is build closer to the courthouse. As mentioned earlier, plenty if not most other major cities have highrise jail towers downtown and close to the courthouse and are run just fine. I think that needs to be an option and we need to stop building everything so far away for the sake of it.

I think the 1 -3 stories requirement is out of fear that the new jail will be built to crappy standards again if built taller.

[BoulderSooner]

I think the 1 -3 stories requirement is out of fear that the new jail will be built to crappy standards again if built taller.

it also deals with the fact they this will not be in the down town area

[Dob Hooligan]

I don’t get the “requirement” that the jail be 1-3 stories. … wherever the site is should dictate the rising.

I personally think they should sell the current site (which gets redeveloped and the tower repurposed) and a NEW TOWER is build closer to the courthouse. As mentioned earlier, plenty if not most other major cities have highrise jail towers downtown and close to the courthouse and are run just fine. I think that needs to be an option and we need to stop building everything so far away for the sake of it.

one other compromise could be a twin location option where we build/keep the downtown highrise with detention cells but also build an incarceration facility for long/er term stays outside of downtown. I believe LA and Chicago May work this way, but it’s probably forever “fix” the jail concern since not everything is constrained yet we still have the downtown location for court action. My thought is, defendants are initially booked and kept in cells downtown, they get hearings, then when sentenced they are bussed to the new location outside of downtime for “hard time” or longer processing. One at the new facility they could remain or then be processed to other facilities like Mac or return downtown for more court action. This idea offers the best flexibility and inmate experience while not overloading the system.

It would be political suicide to suggest a tower. The city population knows "tower bad", and never gonna okay another one. At least not as a direct replacement.

[jdg78]

There is absolutely no doubt this will end up in one of the South OKC sites. This is total BS and a joke.

[Plutonic Panda]

it also deals with the fact they this will not be in the down town area

I just knew you would say something like this. How did I know? I need to play the lottery today. . .

[PhiAlpha]

There is absolutely no doubt this will end up in one of the South OKC sites. This is total BS and a joke.

where would you rather it be?

[jdg78]

It can go on Britton for all I care. However, South OKC shouldn’t be the catch all for every ****ty project the city doesn’t want. I.e., land fills, trash centers and jails. The fact of the matter is this all pre determined and there is political clout that will always ensure these projects never end up north. Optics absolutely ensures these projects will never end up in NE OKC. I hate the BS talk of ONE OKC but one side of town with ZERO political clout gets consistently crapped on. Additionally, this could easily go NW or West okc.

[SouthSide]

It can go on Britton for all I care. However, South OKC shouldn’t be the catch all for every ****ty project the city doesn’t want. I.e., land fills, trash centers and jails. The fact of the matter is this all pre determined and there is political clout that will always ensure these projects never end up north. Optics absolutely ensures these projects will never end up in NE OKC. I hate the BS talk of ONE OKC but one side of town with ZERO political clout gets consistently crapped on. Additionally, this could easily go NW or West okc.

It's only one OKC when it comes to paying taxes and election time.

[Jersey Boss]

So what sites are in contention?

[stlokc]

This whole thing is is so strange to me. Obviously the jail should be downtown. It should be close to the courthouse, close to the highest concentration of attorneys, close to where the bus lines converge (as many of the visitors are likely carless), in the geographic center so as to make it as equitable as possible for the highest concentration of people. As much as is possible, all civic uses should be downtown.

95% of county jails in the country are in urban environments, many of which are very close to gentrified districts.

I haven't followed this closely, but I understand that much of the problem with the current jail is shoddy construction. So build the replacement in a non-shoddy manner. But it just doesn't make geographic sense for this to be stuck in one directional part of town or the other.

[BoulderSooner]

This whole thing is is so strange to me. Obviously the jail should be downtown. I.

this is not "obvious" and this is not what is going to happen ..


look at cleavland county and where that jail is ... and then apply that to OKC

[catch22]

Proximity to the courthouse and government institutions should be a factor. Not right next door but closeby I would think. It's not a super-max. No one wants a jail near them, but someone has to lose...