trippropsjailplan.jpg

A rendering of Triple Properties' plan for the county jail site in downtown Detroit.

(Courtesy image)

DETROIT, MI - The Wayne County Commission will meet next Wednesday, Aug. 14 to review proposals for the partially finished jail site in downtown Detroit, but it still could ultimately decide to complete the construction it began there, according to June West, spokeswoman for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.

The county has received five redevelopment proposals for the site, including plans for a soccer stadium from the owners of the Pontiac Silverdome, and for a mixed-use development form Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services.

“That’s always an option,” West said of completing the jail project, rather than awarding any of the five submissions. She added that “there are a lot of moving parts to all of this,” with multiple facilities involved. “There is a lot there. It’s not like here’s one property for sale, what’s the best price?”

The county jail project at Gratiot and Madison has suffered from major budget problems, as projected costs have ballooned to about $65 to $100 million over budget. The project area spans about three blocks, encompassing the two county jails, the justice hall, the juvenile detention center and former Detroit Police headquarters on Beaubien Street.

Triple Properties, which also owns Penobscot Building and three structures adjacent to it, as well as the Silverdome, has submitted a proposal to Wayne County for a $1 billion development that would include condos, retail and a Major League Soccer arena at the site of a failed county jail project.

The development would create 1,000 jobs, including 500 "mid-income" positions and 500 high-salary jobs, according to Steve Apostolopoulos, a company principal. Construction work would add another 2,000 jobs.

Progress of construction as of June 3, 2013 at the site of the new $200 million jail that has gone well over budget and may be scrapped.

Apostolopoulos said the 25,000-seat stadium would be for an

MLS expansion franchise

, though it is not immediately clear if the pro soccer league would support such an expansion. He said he also envisions a public square in front of the stadium, with a giant LED screen showing the games, as an area where people could congregate.

Bedrock Real Estate Services has proposed a $500 million mixed-use development for a failed county jail site.

Eric Larson, managing partner of Bedrock Real Estate Services, told MLive last month the firm had been working with the state and the county - before the county asked for development proposals - to help redevelop not only five buildings downtown, but also a facility at Mound Road.

“I think the biggest sort of difference in our proposal and our conversations with the county is that we are in talks with the county and had been prior to them issuing an RFI, helping them through a more holistic approach not just to downtown but also to the jail site,” Larson said.

Larson said Bedrock’s proposal would create at least 5,500 jobs at the downtown site alone. Bedrock is also working to convince the county to consolidate all jail services at an abandoned prison on Mound Road – a site that had originally been offered by the state to the county for a mere $1.5 million two years ago.

In addition to Rock Ventures and Triple Properties, submission were made by CGL

Companies, Rose Auction Group and Todd Fenton, who is representing a group of investors.

The county still does not have a specific timeframe for when it will decide what to do with the property. West said that in addition to a presentation being made to the County Commission on Wednesday, the administration also needs to present plans to the building inspector next week.