The Allen County Board of Commissioners will soon own 140 acres in the 2900 block of Meyer Road.
The property, once part of the historic International Harvester Corporation, will likely house a new Allen County jail. It consists of a large building and acres of undeveloped land.
County officials announced an executed purchase agreement for the property.
Commissioners have been eying the property for weeks as a home for a new jail as they work to combat overcrowding, violence, and other issues at the current Allen County Jail downtown.
Earlier this year, a federal judge ordered the county to correct problems at the jail after a class-action lawsuit was filed in 2020.
The potential design of the new jail includes increased space for mental health treatment and medical care, as well as expanded recreational areas and more beds.
In a release issued Wednesday afternoon, Commissioner Nelson Peters said that the new site will help the county consolidate its footprint.
There are many steps that must take place before the site becomes a new jai, including Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals approval of a contingent use for the site.
