Road Ranger halt plans for travel stop in Del City
Del City is looking to sell property near I-40 and Scott St. File photo
City accepting new proposals for 19-acre site near Scott St. and I-40
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
Del City is putting property it owns near Scott St. and I-40 back on the market.
Plans for a Road Ranger travel stop at the site recently fell through forcing city officials to search for potential businesses.
City manager JD Hock said the company backed out of the deal due to concerns about ODOT’s plans to rebuild the Scott St. bridge and potentially relocate ramps in the area.
“The amount of work that ODOT is planning over the next year years was going to mess up their business model and make it difficult to get semitrucks in and out,” Hock said.
Road Ranger planned to develop a travel stop that would include fueling stations, a convenience store featuring Oklahoma products, and three fast-food restaurants. The Illinois-based company agreed to buy the property for $2.625 million in August of 2022.
Progress was slow on the project. Early this year, city officials received an update on the project. In April, Road Ranger notified the city about their plans to “break their contract.”
Del City will be able to keep the $50,000 earnest money.
Hock said they have received strong interest in the Scott St. property especially with its proximity to the OKANA Resort that is under construction in Oklahoma City.
“There has been increased interest in this property,” Hock said. “Everyone wants to be near the OKANA resort.”
Kyle Gandy, economic development director, said he has an open mind about what type of development he’d like to see there.
“We’d love to have anything that’s first to market and interesting for our area,” he said. “Something that is family oriented and plans off the OKANA Resort would be great.”
The city is asking for $3.5 million for the 19-acre site. That is far less than the $5.5 million plus the city spent on the property including purchasing, demolition of old buildings, relocation of power lines and legal fees. The city acquired the former Fantasy Island property through eminent domain.
All potential buyers will need to submit a redevelopment plan because the city used the urban renewal authority to remove old buildings on the site.
Hock said he plans to present proposals to the city council on June 3.
