FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — The Allen County Board of Commissioners (ACC) announced the landowner of the planned location for a new county jail on Meyer Road accepted and signed the purchase agreement Tuesday.

With the agreement, Allen County will purchase 140 acres of land with a large existing building whose future use is “still to be determined,” said an ACC spokesperson.

“We believe this site is the best solution for the community as a whole as a central location within the county for a new confinement center,” said Commissioner Nelson Peters.

Although the Commissioners have completed a major step toward building a new county jail, there are still many hurdles the Commissioners will have to deal with in the coming months.

Before closing on the land in the first quarter of 2023, the Commissioners will issue an Request for Proposal for a “construction manager as contractor,” or “CMc.”

The use of the land as a confinement facility will also go before the Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals in mid-January, where the seller will have 180 after closing to remove personal proerty from the buildings.

“This site selection is the result of an incredibly intensive, thorough process that had to take place in a very tight timeline,” Peters said.