More than a week ago, Rock Ventures submitted a proposal to Wayne County, Mich., offering to buy a parcel of land currently home to the county’s half-finished jail project in downtown Detroit with the purpose of using the site for a future Major League Soccer stadium development, according to Curbed.
The proposal included provision for Rock Ventures to take on the construction costs to build a criminal justice complex for Wayne County about a mile from the original site. The complex would include a 1,632-bed adult detention facility, 160-bed juvenile detention facility, criminal courthouse Sherriff’s office and prosecutor’s office.
The day after the offer was made, county executive Warren Evans issued a statement on behalf of his team, saying, “Working with the County Commission, we’ll vet the offer thoroughly. We will take the same thoughtful, measured approach in vetting this proposal as we’ve done in every step in dealing with the County’s fiscal crisis.”
In an announcement this morning, county commissioners gave word that they have approved contracts with private firms to go over in detail the Rock Ventures proposal. In particular, commissioners are concerned about the terms outlined in the proposal wherein Rock Ventures would share in any cost savings generated for the county by the new facility.
“The Commission’s actions were critical to the dual track approach that gives us the best opportunity to determine which option is the most cost-effective for taxpayers and best for the County. The Commission’s leadership served us well through the County’s fiscal crisis and it was evident again today,” the statement read.
A final decision may not be forthcoming until May.
