WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – The dormant Wayne County Jail construction site on Gratiot Avenue might be the hottest sliver of real estate in Detroit.
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said the site is where the county's new jail will be built, but Dan Gilbert said it's the only spot where he wants a Major League Soccer stadium to be built.
Gilbert's willing to pay a king's ransom for the land.
Evans said it's time to vet Gilbert's proposal, which came at the 11th hour. Gilbert offered to build Wayne County a new criminal justice complex, including adult and juvenile detention facilities, as well as a new criminal courthouse.
Gilbert is offering to give Wayne County the criminal justice complex in exchange for the land that had been slated for the jail site. Gilbert and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores want to build a Major League Soccer stadium and entertainment district on the Gratiot Avenue site.
The new criminal justice complex would instead be built near Forest Avenue and I-75.
The county estimates finishing the jail project at Gratiot Avenue would cost $300 million. Gilbert offered to build the new criminal justice complex worth $420 million if the county pays the same $300 million it is planning to spend to finish the current job.
Evans has been dealing with the jail project for two years, cleaning up the county's finances to get to a point where it can afford to finish the jail.
Wayne County officials said they're in the position to finish the project now and that there won't be a fire sale of the property. The county said it's in a good position to negotiate the best deal.
Evans released the following statement on Gilbert's proposal:
"Since Day One we’ve put the interests of our residents, communities and taxpayers first. We’ve spent two years getting our fiscal house in order. This allowed us to be in position to finish the Gratiot jail.
"Four days before my deadline, Rock has submitted an alternative proposal that is much better than their previous offer. It is unlikely this improved offer would have come without all the fiscal progress we’ve made in Wayne County. 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."
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