The Greene County Commission has announced that it’s buying 23 acres of land just south of the Springfield-Branson National Airport to build a new jail.
According to a press release from the county, the building site is located on Division Street and Haseltine Road, east of White Chapel Cemetery and south of the Springfield-Branson National Airport. The land purchase was valued at $679,545.
The new jail is expected to be eight stories tall and be completed by 2022.
Severe jail overcrowding has been an ongoing issue with the county for several years. Before the purchase, the county spent more than $500,000 to temporarily house inmates in other county jails, up to a three-hour transport distance from Greene County.
County officials are expected to release more information at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday at 1:30 P.M. at the Public Safety Center in Springfield.