Proposed Jail Plot Now Becoming Nature Preserve

A plot of land meant for a jail will now become a nature preserve. The corner of Northeast 50th Street and Lincoln was a proposed location for the new Oklahoma County Detention Center.

Commissioners of the Land Office discussed the sale of more than 100 acres of land.

This space was being considered for a new county jail, but a philanthropic group won the sale of the property at an auction in July.

“The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC with a bid of $11.85 million,” Brockus said.

The Land Office commission approved the sale. Denyvetta Davis sees this as a step in the right direction. Neighbors in Northeast Oklahoma City have been telling officials a jail is needed, but not in their community.

“We attended four different meetings in four months,” Davis said.

County officials recently removed Northeast 50th Street and Lincoln and Northeast 10th Street and Interstate 35 from a list of proposed locations.

“You know you hear about the pipeline from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse, Douglass High School would've been right down the street from the jail. That would've just been a walk,” Davis said.

Davis is looking forward to what the Kirkpatrick Family Fund has planned for the greenspace. Elizabeth Eickman with the fund calls this the Red Ridge Project stemming from original owners of the property.

“It's a name that has stayed with that house and with the property over all of these years,” Eickman said.

Their goal is to preserve the property and make it a space for the community.

“We hope that there will be trails, we know that there's interest in some sort of bike trail through the property. I think the possibilities are endless,” Eickman said.

“That's exciting! We don't have a nature park per se so I think that will be great for northeast Oklahoma City,” Davis said.

The next step is to close on the property then they'll go out survey the land. For more information about the Red Ridge project click here.