Okla County is back to square one for a jail location

-- Oklahoma City Council denies crucial zoning change request

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Council denied the needed zoning changes Tuesday that would allow Oklahoma County to put a new Jail at the controversial 1901 E. Grand location near Del City.

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The OKC City Council vote for the motion to deny the report/recommendations of the Planning Commission for the proposed Okla County Jail site on May 21, 2024. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

“I’m disappointed, but not surprised,” Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan told Free Press after the meeting. He said that from council members’ public comments, it seemed like the vote would turn out that way.

There were some ideas the county commissioners would need to explore, said Maughan.

“I think that we’ll have to entertain legal arguments about whether or not we have sovereign authority to pursue going wherever we go, without having to ask for city permission for zoning,” said Maughan. “It seems to me this will be the problem, regardless, whatever site we choose.”

Maughan said that they would need to put it on next week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting to discuss that and the fact that they only have a fraction of the funds needed to pay for the design their consultants have developed.

Motion to deny

The crowning blow to the measure before the City Council Tuesday was when Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone’s motion to deny the Planning Commission recommendations passed with a 7-1 vote, meaning that the plans forwarded to them to rezone the site for the jail were denied.

The one vote against the motion was Mayor David Holt, meaning he was for the plan to rezone the land.

Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher was not on the horseshoe during the entire presentation and debate. He recused himself because he is a partner in the law firm that has been retained by the City of Del City in a possible future lawsuit against the county over the matter.

Stone made the motion because of several problems he could see with the idea of the Jail being on Grand Blvd.

In his remarks from the horseshoe, Stone laid out some basics that caused him to question the direction of the project so far after what he said were “months, and months, and months” of discussions with county and city officials:

  • He has concerns about the idea because of “so many different answers from so many different people” which led to his confusion on the matter.
  • The land swap idea: Stone said, “I have no idea what that’s going to cost the county,” and, it’s not completed yet. He said he has no idea if the county intends to go through with the swap. “That’s a huge concern of mine,” said Stone. “It’s (proposed jail) right there next to the facility.”
  • The number of beds he has heard would be 3,800. He said when he checked around some said that they could make a “good profit” off of the jail with that many beds.” I don’t know why we would want to make a profit off of a jail.”
  • Funding: Commissioners have only identified 40% of the funding for the jail. But not the rest. He said that he heard that some commissioners want to increase the tax or establish a county sales tax.
  • People who get out of the jail have only one place to go and that’s the neighborhoods to the east.

Stone said that he has raised the idea of a “transition hub” downtown at the location of the current jail where you go into the jail and that’s where you come out.

Todd Stone, incentives
Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone (file, BRETT DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

“I think the process has to be reviewed,” said Stone. “I still think if you had a transitional facility located downtown in a small facility. I don’t think it would drive up the cost that much.”

He said that in that scenario, the only way that detainees could be at the jail site would be in a law enforcement vehicle.

Also, detainees would be nearer to transportation and mental health facilities if it’s appropriate to divert them.

After the meeting, Stone talked with Free Press about the idea of a transition hub.

How has the county responded to that idea?

“The only feedback I got was that would completely double their construction costs and operational costs,” Stone said.

Since Stone is a builder, we asked if it was believable to him that a transition hub would produce that much cost.

“No. It’s not,” he said.

Objections from residents

Many of the objections during an hour of public comment had been heard before and were anticipated.

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Jess Eddy argues against the rezoning measure that would allow a new county jail to be built near Del City. Supporters of Del City wore red at the meeting May 21, 2024. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)
  • It’s an isolated location and people released only have the Del City neighborhood to the east to walk to for assistance at night.
  • The land swap that is hoped for that would move the Crooked Oak athletic fields to another location has not been agreed to yet.
  • A nursing home and long-term care center for people with cerebral palsy is within easy walking distance from where the proposed location.
  • An elementary school is within an easy walk from where detainees would be released.

Responses from Del City officials

After that portion of the meeting, Free Press talked with Del City Mayor Floyd Eason about the outcome.

“I gotta say I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “But I am extremely happy with it.”

Are they planning to continue with their pursuit of a lawsuit against Oklahoma County?

“If they dropped the site and move away from the site, then we’re done,” said Eason.

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Del City Mayor Floyd Eason speaks to the OKC City Council encouraging them to not allow the site on Grand Blvd near Del City to be rezoned for a jail. (B.DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

State Representative Andy Fugate is a native son of Del City and represents that area of the metro in the Legislature along with parts of Oklahoma City.

“You don’t think about things in terms of winning the war. You think about In terms of winning a battle, and that’s what we did today was we won another skirmish,” Fugate told us after the vote. “I’m grateful to the members of the Council who made the correct decision today. And I’m absolutely proud to stand with the Mayor of Del City and so many folks in the Del City community who stood up today to say this is not the right place for the jail.”

“We need to be thinking about the people who live in that community, the people who’ve invested their lives in that community, the kids who are growing up in that community,” Fugate said.


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Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.