Oklahoma National Stockyards Expressing No Interest In Selling Land For New Jail

Oklahoma National Stockyards said they have no interest whatsoever in selling land that would be used as a portion of a new jail site.

Oklahoma National Stockyards President Jerry Reynolds told News 9 that the area in question - an undeveloped piece of land directly west of the stockyards and bordered by South May Avenue - is "critical to ongoing operations."

Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson, who represents District 3, said that piece of land would be combined with the land directly south of the stockyards to create a site for a new jail. The land directly south of the stockyards is bordered by Exchange Avenue to the north, South May Avenue to the west, Southwest 15th Street to the south, and the railroad tracks to the east. 

Davidson said the area is viable for a new jail because it is relatively close to the courthouse. He also said the land is unincorporated, which means the county does not have to ask Oklahoma City for zoning and does not have to pay the city for permitting.

But Commissioner Brian Maughan, who represents District 2, said the land directly south of the stockyards is occupied by several property owners. He said the ones he talked with have no interest in selling their land.

"So if that continues to be the case, the only way that site location would work is to explore eminent domain, it seems to me. And that's not something I'm comfortable with pursuing, personally," said Maughan. "I think that it's an extraordinary measure for government to go and take away people's land and businesses. It has to be for a really, really, really unique reason."

However, Davidson said it's too premature to rule the area out. "We don't even know what the land's worth. We don't even know what we're willing to offer them yet," said Davidson. "What they think it's worth and what we offer them may be markedly different to the point where they're thinking, 'Hey, thank you for giving us this money so we can get out.'"

Davidson said when the new jail is built, it will not look like a detention center from the outside. Rather, he envisions that it will resemble a modern building, like a library, and could help revitalize the surrounding area. "I would just tell you to look at the current jail - the economic development, the real estate development, Jones Assembly, 21c Hotel, five-star restaurants - all of that has happened around the jail," said Davidson.

Meanwhile, Maughan said he's hopeful that one of the 10 other locations proposed by Oklahoma City would be viable for a new jail. He said he has been looking for additional sites as well. "I just think that most of the problems that we have remaining in the existing site are directly tied to the fact that it's a high-rise 13-story tower jail. So I want us to go to a one-level jail. That's one reason we need so much land," said Maughan.

Another piece of land that is being considered for the new jail is the area at Southeast 29th Street and Kickapoo Turnpike. But Maughan said the site is too far away and the surrounding mayors have expressed concerns about the lack of resources to support the new facility. 

 A piece of land near Will Rogers World Airport was also being considered, but the Oklahoma City Airport Trust rejected Oklahoma County's offer.