Yukon EDA directs staff to further study Patriot Land Company’s mixed-use development

The Yukon Economic Development Authority on Jan. 13 voted to direct city staff and leadership to move forward in evaluating a proposed mixed-use development from Patriot Land Company that would be anchored by a youth sports complex and a sports-focused medical office.

Developer Michael Carnuccio told the board Patriot Land Company owns the property now in the annexation process and has paused then resumed plans as municipal conversations progressed. "We'd like them to move pretty quickly here this calendar year," Carnuccio said, describing two anchor uses: a state-of-the-art youth sports complex and a medical office building focused on orthopedics and sports performance. He said the complex would include a six-court basketball layout with a seventh championship court (equating to eight volleyball courts) and would be designed both for tournaments and community use.

Carnuccio said the remainder of the site would be retail- and food-driven with a hotel on the south side, and that Patriot Land Company already holds letters of intent with several national tenants (names redacted in the presentation). He told the EDA the project team is raising capital for vertical construction but must first complete municipal steps of annexation, a planned PUD and commercial zoning. "If we got ourselves through the end of the first quarter with that and gone into second quarter, we could start turning dirt pretty quick," he said, while cautioning construction schedules are typically conservative.

Board members pressed the developers on traffic and access. One member warned fixing the old highway and turnpike access into town will be critical to support the development, and said he expected the city to play a role in improving the roadway. City manager Jeff Deckard responded that the corridor in question is an Oklahoma City road and that Yukon does not have direct jurisdiction, though the city can coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions on improvements.

Carnuccio asked the EDA to consider public financing options that have been used on similar projects elsewhere, naming a local bond or a tax increment financing (TIF) package as possibilities while acknowledging the limitations of each. A board member said the site could be a "perfect scenario" for a TIF but urged a short TIF timeframe rather than 25–30 years.

After discussion, an EDA member moved that the board work with the economic development director and city manager to further consider the Patriot Land Company development; the motion was seconded and approved on a roll-call vote.

The developers, who said they envision some community-use arrangements for the sports complex (including the potential to deed facilities for Parks and Recreation use), will continue coordinating with city staff, school representatives and regional partners as the annexation and zoning processes proceed. The EDA’s vote does not authorize construction or public financing; it directs staff to pursue review and next steps and to report back to the board and council as required.

Next steps: the project must complete annexation into Yukon, receive appropriate zoning (PUD/commercial), and return to city bodies for any formal approvals, including any proposed use of public financing or infrastructure commitments.