Squirrel Park

[Pete]

[HOT ROD]

I love the downtown skyline in this shot. .

[Pete]

Shipping container apartment complex now ready for lease

Dubbed 'Squirrel Park', the 4-unit shipping container apartment community on NW 32nd near Classen, is now leasing.

The project was designed by AHMM Architects using highly unique re-purposed shipping containers and has been nominated for the American Institute of Architects award for outstanding architecture.

Each 1,260 square foot unit was constructed with four 40's long shipping containers. The containers are stacked and cantilevered in such a way to provide balconies and covered outdoor areas.

One unit is already leased but 3 remain available ahead of a mid-March move-in date.

Great care was taken to preserve many large trees on the property, providing mature landscaping and shade as well as a fountain and benches in the common area.

Other features:

• Unfurnished
• All-electric
• Modern kitchen with high-end refrigerator with ice-maker, auto-dishwasher, garbage disposal, glass-top stove, built-in large microwave, high-end cabinets; built-in water filter
• 1 ½ large baths, one with shower with built-in bench-seat
• 2 bedrooms with carpet
• Living room
• Dinette area
• Solid oak floors in main areas
• Lots of storage
• Tile floors in baths & kitchen
• Pass-thru between kitchen and living room/dinette area
• Full-size clothes washer and dryer in closet area
• Three thermostats for comfort upstairs and downstairs
• Each unit has own water and electric meter
• 2-car carports with automatic garage door, 2 remote controls; large secure lockers
• Perimeter fence on the property
• Secure entrance to property
• 3 patios, one with bench-swing
• Locked mailboxes
• Locked common area entrance
• Electric for carports and other common areas is included in rent
• Lawn & unit maintenance included

Rental rate is $2,000 per month. Call Rebecca Schaffer at 805-431-4693 for more details and to arrange a viewing.

[Anonymous.]

I went by this the other day and I don't understand the garage thing. An open car port with an automatic door is the strangest thing I think I have seen vehicle-storage wise.


I love the cutout for the tree.

[Pete]

^

It provides a decent amount of security and protection for your car.

[king183]

Cool concept and great design. But $2000 a month? That's hilarious.

[Pete]

Cool concept and great design. But $2000 a month? That's hilarious.

Actually, it's not far off what I was paying in SoSA and I didn't even have covered parking.

[onthestrip]

Cool concept and great design. But $2000 a month? That's hilarious.

Rents really do seem to be quite high everywhere in the core, especially the smaller complexes. I went to some of the places on Sundays Downtown Living Tour and was shocked at some of the rents. Like $1350 for a little over 600sf apartment. Or $1880 for a small one bath two bedroom unit.

[Pete]

The thing about rent is that apartments are worth exactly what people are willing to pay.

This place is so unique I bet they have more than enough takers at that price.

[sooner88]

Rents really do seem to be quite high everywhere in the core, especially the smaller complexes. I went to some of the places on Sundays Downtown Living Tour and was shocked at some of the rents. Like $1350 for a little over 600sf apartment. Or $1880 for a small one bath two bedroom unit.

I paid $1.63/SF in a MidtownR building with no covered parking or amenities for an 800 SF studio. This rent isn't absurd for a 2 bedroom, but if I was going to pay that much I'd much rather live in an area that was a little more walkable. You're still very close to everything in Paseo / 23rd st.

[Pete]

And keep in mind, these are essentially free-standing townhomes with no common walls whatsoever.

They are just so cool and unique I bet they have no problem finding 4 renters; already have one and they haven't even advertised.

[turnpup]

^^^^

I thought the $2,000 seemed kind of high as well, until I went on the Edge website and saw that they have a comparable SF floor plan advertised as starting at $2,699/month. With Squirrel Park, you're not quite as close to downtown, but there's the benefit of not sharing walls with anyone else.

What's the going rate for new apartments in non-core areas?

[chuck5815]

^^^^

I thought the $2,000 seemed kind of high as well, until I went on the Edge website and saw that they have a comparable SF floor plan advertised as starting at $2,699/month. With Squirrel Park, you're not quite as close to downtown, but there's the benefit of not sharing walls with anyone else.

What's the going rate for new apartments in non-core areas?

The new apartments by Quail Springs Mall are in the neighborhood of $0.80 to $0.85 per square foot per month. Two bed room at 1250 sq. ft. comes in at slightly over $1,000, which, quite frankly, seems like a pretty good bargain.

[turnpup]

Thanks, Chuck. That's what I figured, but wasn't sure.

[Pete]

[Pete]

[BBatesokc]

Fun to have different concepts in the city. With only 4-units I'm certain they will always be full - even if the rent was slightly higher.

To some this is "living the dream" - to others it's "Throwing money away living in a tin can (a really really cool tin can)."

Once I got out of my 20's I just didn't see the value in renting - especially in Oklahoma.

[PaddyShack]

My wife and I are in our upper 20s, as much as we would like to live in the core I just don't see how one affords to. I pay just under $1,000 for a 2,300 sq ft home on an acre. And I am paying to own the property! I do have a fairly good job, but I just wonder what other jobs are out there for us 20-somethings to be able to afford rents like this... Maybe I am missing something here but the finances just don't add up...

[BBatesokc]

My wife and I are in our upper 20s, as much as we would like to live in the core I just don't see how one affords to. I pay just under $1,000 for a 2,300 sq ft home on an acre. And I am paying to own the property! I do have a fairly good job, but I just wonder what other jobs are out there for us 20-somethings to be able to afford rents like this... Maybe I am missing something here but the finances just don't add up...

Same boat as far as justifying rent. My home is a part of my retirement plan.I pay just over $1,000 a month for a 2,100 sq. foot home on 2.5 acres with a stocked small pond in a desirable area of Edmond with lots of mature trees and huge boulders on my property. Just can't see spending double while never owning anything. Especially considering I can be downtown in 15 minutes - 20 during rush hours.

That said, I rented at Regency Tower, Sycamore Square and Classen Glen back in the day. I liked it, and rent didn't come with the other expenses of owning a home. But, for me, it didn't make sense going forward. When I retire I want to own my house free and sell it to downsize and use my retirement for other things. After being on some land, I could never have neighbors always in my space.

That said, I get the allure to be downtown (and this location isn't even "downtown" in my mind), I just don't get the math.

[dankrutka]

Paying for home is not profitable in all situations. There are a lot of costs that usually don't get added up over the years from improvements to fixes and so on. Some home owners don't make any profit in the end. Some lose money. But it's also important to factor in the time dedicated to home/lawn ownership. I personally plan to rent and have no plans to own for a variety of reasons. Not at all saying it's bad, but the assumption that rent is "throwing away money" is an overstatement. Just my two cents on the topic, not a response to the previous posts. I often hear renting is throwing money away so I wanted to provide a different perspective.

[DallasOkie086]

I'm a home owner in Dallas and Moore. Both the homes are nearly identical in size, however i pay 150% more for my home on the outskirts of DFW. There was an article a few years back, during the recession, that pondered if renting is the more responsible method of finding a home for us the "Oregon trail generation (29-34)." I drive 50 minutes (min) to work daily and downtown Frisco is *still* 25 minutes away. When you look at rent in Frisco, they are charging by average $1700-2200 for a two bedroom apartment. I say that all to explain how the market determines the best path forward. In OKC, home ownership is great. In the DFW with taxes increasing by nearly 9 percent annually, renting may be the best path forward. Rent rates rarely jump that high annually. In OKC i would purchase as much land as possible. The metro is one major employer relocation away from a enjoying a major sprawl.

[Anonymous.]

My wife and I are in our upper 20s, as much as we would like to live in the core I just don't see how one affords to. I pay just under $1,000 for a 2,300 sq ft home on an acre. And I am paying to own the property! I do have a fairly good job, but I just wonder what other jobs are out there for us 20-somethings to be able to afford rents like this... Maybe I am missing something here but the finances just don't add up...

I feel you are ahead of most 20-somethings. I have a huge group of friends in 20s and low 30s of which hardly any of them own their homes. And I feel that as the younger 20-somethings are coming out of college, they have even less of a chance of owning a home anytime soon.

The truth is adults are coming out of colleges with random degrees with huge amounts of debt and being forced into a low-paying work pool, then scrape by on rent because saving for a down payment is virtually impossible - especially alone.