Norman City Council will discuss the purchase of the Griffin Memorial Hospital to accommodate future residential growth at its Tuesday conference meeting.
Located at the northwest corner of Main Street and 12th Avenue NE, Griffin Memorial Hospital has served as the state's primary psychiatric hospital since it was established in 1915. The hospital currently holds 120 beds and employs over 350 staff.
In November 2023, Bonnie Campo, then-director of public relations at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, wrote in an email to OU Daily that the hospital sits on 224 acres of land, but the state will sell over 700 acres located in east Norman.
According to a presentation linked in council’s Tuesday agenda, the purchase of the hospital would accommodate a large portion of Norman’s projected residential growth. The AIM Norman housing plan projects a need for about 23,000 additional housing units between 2025 and 2045.
The presentation also states that development of the main campus can provide a limited supply of high-demand housing types. The AIM Norman housing plan states that there is significant demand for “intermediate density” housing, such as small-lot single-family detached housing, single-family attached housing, townhomes and urban apartments.
According to the presentation, the city intends to preserve Hope Hall, American Legion Memorial Chapel, Central Kitchen, and several of the hospital’s original buildings for potential reuse. Concept plans show American Legion Memorial Chapel may be used as an art center and Hope Hall may become a studio space.
The presentation states that the development will most likely be funded by a tax increment financing district, or TIF. A preliminary estimate of the total value of a completed main campus project ranges from $450 to $600 million.
According to the presentation, other financing instruments will likely be required to fund the project, including municipal bonds, grants, private donations and interim loans.
The meeting will be held 5 p.m. Tuesday at city hall.
Background
In 2023, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services announced plans to replace Griffin Memorial Hospital with a new facility on Oklahoma State University’s Oklahoma City campus. The new facility, Donahue Behavioral Health Hospital, will have 330 beds and will add 250 jobs to the local economy, according to a press release.
The department will contribute to the cost of the new facility through the sale of property, including Griffin Memorial Hospital, according to the release.
A year after its ground breaking ceremony in March 2024, lawmakers announced the land for Donahue Behavioral Health Hospital had not yet been sold to the state and construction had not begun.
According to News 9, the project will no longer be on the OSU Oklahoma City campus. Instead, the state will renovate an existing property in Oklahoma City rather than building a new facility.
This story was edited by Natalie Armour and Ana Barboza. Madisson Cameron and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
