Public Facilities

Tulsa County Correctional Facility

The Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority, composed of four mayors and the county's three commissioners, hired Cinnabar to manage the land buyout and to relocation of displaced property owners, tenants and businesses in an area designated for construction of a new county jail. The seven-month time line for the acquisition of 63 parcels and the relocation of 59 occupants (10 commercial) was quite aggressive. In addition, the demographics and condition of existing housing in the area made finding replacement housing one of the most difficult aspects of the project. Many brick apartment buildings dated from the early 1900s, and one wood residential structure was built in 1898.

The site was a mixed-use area immediately north of downtown Tulsa. Land use included single family and multi-family residences, apartment complexes as well as commercial and industrial businesses. The area had been considered blighted for many years and real estate prices were substantially depressed. A number of the tenants spoke only Spanish and large families living in two-bedroom dwellings were common. Crack houses, prostitution, and convicted sex offenders added to the challenges associated with the project.

The acquisition and relocation phase for the 507,000-square-foot, 1,500-inmate facility, which was paid for by a county-wide sales tax, was completed on time and more than $400,000 under budget.