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34 <br /> <br />In the spring of 2017, the County began to investigate alternative locations for the new <br />Detention Center after ground lease negotiations with the State failed to produce acceptable <br />lease terms on the Orange Correctional site. During the same springtime period, the Board <br />asked staff to investigate potential sites along the Highway 70/Cornelius Corridor (the area <br />around Highway 70 between West Hill Avenue and Saint Mary’s Road) for the Environment and <br />Agricultural Center as an alternative to remodeling the current facility. <br /> <br />The Detention Center site assessment initially included two sites in downtown Hillsborough, the <br />existing jail location and the parking lot adjacent to the Courthouse. However, preliminary <br />findings revealed several significant challenges related to those sites, so the assessment area <br />was expanded to include sites outside of the downtown area. Based upon this analysis and <br />recommendation, the County has entered into Purchase & Sale Agreements (Attachment 3) <br />with the owners of the parcels, subject to and contingent upon a rigorous examination period <br />and final BOCC approval to settle the transaction and acquire the property. <br /> <br />Jeff Thompson made the following PowerPoint presentation: <br /> <br />Multi-Purpose County Campus Site Update <br />January 23, 2018 <br /> <br />Purpose <br />• Ratify County Manager’s recommendation to pursue purchase of the “Hwy 70 Site <br />Assembly” that addresses multiple County Capital Investment Plan initiatives; <br />• Authorize the County Manager to continue site due diligence to include the pursuit of <br />necessary future land use and zoning amendments with the Town of Hillsborough <br /> <br />Background <br />• BOCC direction: <br />-Detention Project site study of downtown sites <br />-Environment and Agriculture Center Study (Cornelius Corridor) <br />-Expansion of Detention site study <br />• Analysis and recommendations discussions in late 2017 <br /> <br />Analysis and Recommendation Summary (pg. 1-3 of abstract) <br />1. Existing Detention Site <br />2. Site adjacent to Justice Facility <br />Both incur excessive costs, no expansion ability, challenging zoning compliance <br />and permitting process <br />3. Coleman Loop Site <br />Challenging sewer extension cost, expensive acquisition cost, existing facility <br />oversized, removal from commercial tax base <br />4. Hwy 70 Site Assembly (recommended) <br />– Shared, accessible infrastructure <br />– Site versatility, efficient location for operations <br />– Expansion capability, shared site and utility costs for multiple uses <br />– Supported by Hillsborough (see abstract attachment #2) <br /> <br />Ongoing Site Analysis (pg. 3 of abstract) <br />• Land Records Assessment <br />• Physical Investigations