Gilbert offer for Wayne County jail site expected within days

Businessman Dan Gilbert and his top aides plan to make an offer to buy the Wayne County Jail site this week, bringing to a head the controversy over whether the prominent downtown property next to Gilbert's Greektown Casino is best suited for a soccer stadium or criminal justice use.

A statement attributed to Matt Cullen, head of Gilbert's Rock Ventures, says the Gilbert team has been working with architectural firm HOK and construction firm Barton Malow over several months to develop an offer for the jail site. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans has said he needs the offer by Feb. 10.

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"The timing requirements put forward by County Executive Evans are clear and fully understood by our team," Cullen said in his statement. "We have now completed enough of our initial due diligence that will allow us to submit our offer in advance of the county executive's deadline."

Cullen said the offer would consist of "a robust proposal based upon specifications prepared for and information obtained from the county."

Last April, Gilbert and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores jointly proposed a $1-billion development at the site of the stalled jail project that would include a 25,000-seat soccer stadium that could host a Major League Soccer franchise the pair hope to bring to Detroit. But so far, county officials have balked at giving up the site on the east side of downtown, citing the huge cost of relocating the jail project.

Evans has said that on Feb. 10 he will seek a proposal from Walsh Construction, the only qualified bidder to agree to take the job, to restart and finish the long-stalled jail construction project. "Finishing the jail at the Gratiot site is the quickest and most cost-effective solution to this long-standing challenge facing Wayne County," Evans said last week. "The county will not consider any alternative proposals after issuing the request for proposal.”

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Wayne County already has spent more than $151 million at the site to buy the property, clean up pollution, install foundations and girders and build some of the planned complex. The county expects to borrow another $200 million to complete the project there.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.