After 27 years, property located to the northeast of the Interstate 35/State Highway 59 intersection could finally be developed, but its status within Purcell city limits is currently subject to change.

Freedom Crossing, the planned unit development intended to be built there, is set to include a travel stop, stores, hotels, apartments, senior living, veteran housing, town homes, duplexes and single-family residences.

However, that property plus roughly 250 acres to the northeast of the State Highway 77 and 160th Street intersection are facing potential de-annexation.

At the June 3 Purcell City Council meeting, the council voted to investigate the ramifications of retaining the land within city limits versus de-annexing it. The council leaned towards retaining the acreage near Highway 77 but were on the fence about the Freedom Crossing property.

The council is likely to take the matter up again in July. In the past five years, the council has de-annexed land twice.

“What we have to look out for is how does this benefit Purcell,” Mayor Graham Fishburn said. “Just about everything we do is a cost-benefit analysis, and if we can’t service an area, we have to be careful about that.”

The council’s largest concern about choosing to retain the land was whether the city would be obligated to provide utilities.

Since the majority of property owners gave their written consent to be annexed in 2010, the city was not required to prepare a plan to extend municipal services, according to Title 11, Section 21-103(D) of Oklahoma’s statutory code.

The council was unanimous that the Purcell water system cannot currently accommodate Freedom Crossing and recently issued a letter authorizing McClain County Rural Water District No. 8 to service the development’s proposed truck stop.

As far as providing electricity, according to Section 110-172(C)(4) of the Purcell Code of Ordinances, the Purcell Public Works Authority and/or the city “shall have the authority to view each individual case for the purpose of determining whether or not it is feasible, and under what conditions it is feasible, for the authority to extend its lines.”

“The authority reserves the right to determine that an extension is not feasible and therefore not extend its lines and further reserves the right to modify this policy by a majority vote of the entire Council or trustees.”

De-annexing the Freedom Crossing property releases the development from having to negotiate with the city for utility service or abide by city ordinances regarding building specifications and permits.

However, whether the project will even materialize also remains to be seen. This is not the first time the property has faced proposed development.

A public trust created by McClain County commissioners, Continental Gateway Authority has been pushing to develop this property since 1997, intending to take advantage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had gone into effect in 1994.

Negotiated between the United States, Canada and Mexico, NAFTA was designed to progressively eliminate trade tariffs between the countries.

At the time, traffic on I-35 was steadily increasing, and Continental Gateway Authority wanted to capitalize on the opportunity by building an international trade center to provide customs clearance for trucks hauling goods to Mexico.

In 2009, Continental Gateway Authority tried again to develop the property through a contract signed by American Gateway LLC and McClain County.

American Gateway LLC intended to develop the property in multiple phases, the first of which included building mixed-use industrial, manufacturing and warehouse space and a transportation center with four restaurants, a full-service truck stop, a cargo screening facility, a limited-service hotel, a truck manufacturing facility and an RV park.

That project was set to create 300 jobs and bring $1.5 billion to McClain County by 2021.

Under Mayor David Lee, the Purcell City Council annexed the property in 2010, ensuring the city would receive a cut of any sales tax revenue collected.

Since then, the property has sat relatively untouched, waiting for development proposals to follow through and bear fruit.