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09-11-2013, 09:30 AM
Developers looking at east Tulsa site for outlet mall
By ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer on Sep 11, 2013, at 2:29 AM Updated on 9/11/13 at 3:36 AM
The owner of The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City is in discussions to build a similar factory outlet mall in east Tulsa, city officials confirmed Tuesday.
Michigan-based Horizon Group Properties and Charlotte, N.C.-based Collett & Associates, the developer of the Tulsa Hills shopping center, are considering building a large, "high-end" outlet mall on a 64.8-acre parcel at 129th East Avenue and Interstate 44, officials said.
Although officials characterized the discussions as highly preliminary and said a deal might be contingent on city incentives, Mayor Dewey Bartlett said he is confident that a deal will be reached.
An outlet mall like the one in Oklahoma City would be a major sales-tax generator, potentially drawing shoppers from as far as surrounding states, he said.
"To me, it's a reaffirmation of Tulsa's business climate, our growing market and certainly positive outreach in the business community," he said. "The hundreds of thousands of dollars that it will create in tax revenues is a pretty good payback for the outreach that we've done."
Factory outlet malls typically contain retailers found in regular shopping malls but with larger selections and lower prices. They also contain many outlets for individual brands of merchandise.
The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City has about 90 businesses spread over 350,000 square feet. Its stores include Saks Fifth Avenue, Nike, GAP and Tommy Hilfiger.
Tulsa's Woodland Hills Mall, in comparison, has 165 stores and 1 million square feet.
"An outlet mall like this - you've got a wide variety of stores," city Economic Development Director Clay Bird said. "You've got larger square-footage (per store), more product available and certainly fewer stores than you'd have in a Woodland Hills Mall, but you've got some sort of (factory) discount possible."
Bird stressed that the city has seen no concrete plans for the development and that the developers still have "a lot of due diligence" to do, including surveying the property and evaluating the environmental impact of a development.
They may also seek "some sort of incentives" but have yet to discuss the details with the city, he said.
"Certainly we want to work with them as much as we can," Bird said.
Gina Slectha, marketing director for Horizon Group Properties, said she couldn't comment on the development because "this is a project that we've not announced."
Robert Collett, founder of Collett & Associates, did not return telephone calls from the Tulsa World on Tuesday.
Bartlett and Bird credited Retail Marketing Coordinator Tammy Fate with piquing the developers' interest, saying she has worked for months to market Tulsa as the site for an outlet mall.
Fate said such a development makes sense for Tulsa.
With the nearest outlet malls a couple of hours away, Tulsa's outlet mall would be in a position to draw shoppers from a large radius, she said.
City Councilor Skip Steele announced the potential development at a council committee meeting Tuesday.
He said it would spur substantial growth in underdeveloped areas of east Tulsa, potentially creating a larger regional draw by attracting people who go to Catoosa's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
The site would abut Interstate 44 near its interchange with Interstate 244.
Although Steele said the developers might be interested in building a hotel along with the outlet mall, Fate said she has seen no plans for that.
Developers looking at east Tulsa site for outlet mall | Tulsa World (http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Developers_looking_at_east_Tulsa_site_for_outlet_m all/20130911_11_A11_Theown287580)
By ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer on Sep 11, 2013, at 2:29 AM Updated on 9/11/13 at 3:36 AM
The owner of The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City is in discussions to build a similar factory outlet mall in east Tulsa, city officials confirmed Tuesday.
Michigan-based Horizon Group Properties and Charlotte, N.C.-based Collett & Associates, the developer of the Tulsa Hills shopping center, are considering building a large, "high-end" outlet mall on a 64.8-acre parcel at 129th East Avenue and Interstate 44, officials said.
Although officials characterized the discussions as highly preliminary and said a deal might be contingent on city incentives, Mayor Dewey Bartlett said he is confident that a deal will be reached.
An outlet mall like the one in Oklahoma City would be a major sales-tax generator, potentially drawing shoppers from as far as surrounding states, he said.
"To me, it's a reaffirmation of Tulsa's business climate, our growing market and certainly positive outreach in the business community," he said. "The hundreds of thousands of dollars that it will create in tax revenues is a pretty good payback for the outreach that we've done."
Factory outlet malls typically contain retailers found in regular shopping malls but with larger selections and lower prices. They also contain many outlets for individual brands of merchandise.
The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City has about 90 businesses spread over 350,000 square feet. Its stores include Saks Fifth Avenue, Nike, GAP and Tommy Hilfiger.
Tulsa's Woodland Hills Mall, in comparison, has 165 stores and 1 million square feet.
"An outlet mall like this - you've got a wide variety of stores," city Economic Development Director Clay Bird said. "You've got larger square-footage (per store), more product available and certainly fewer stores than you'd have in a Woodland Hills Mall, but you've got some sort of (factory) discount possible."
Bird stressed that the city has seen no concrete plans for the development and that the developers still have "a lot of due diligence" to do, including surveying the property and evaluating the environmental impact of a development.
They may also seek "some sort of incentives" but have yet to discuss the details with the city, he said.
"Certainly we want to work with them as much as we can," Bird said.
Gina Slectha, marketing director for Horizon Group Properties, said she couldn't comment on the development because "this is a project that we've not announced."
Robert Collett, founder of Collett & Associates, did not return telephone calls from the Tulsa World on Tuesday.
Bartlett and Bird credited Retail Marketing Coordinator Tammy Fate with piquing the developers' interest, saying she has worked for months to market Tulsa as the site for an outlet mall.
Fate said such a development makes sense for Tulsa.
With the nearest outlet malls a couple of hours away, Tulsa's outlet mall would be in a position to draw shoppers from a large radius, she said.
City Councilor Skip Steele announced the potential development at a council committee meeting Tuesday.
He said it would spur substantial growth in underdeveloped areas of east Tulsa, potentially creating a larger regional draw by attracting people who go to Catoosa's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.
The site would abut Interstate 44 near its interchange with Interstate 244.
Although Steele said the developers might be interested in building a hotel along with the outlet mall, Fate said she has seen no plans for that.
Developers looking at east Tulsa site for outlet mall | Tulsa World (http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Developers_looking_at_east_Tulsa_site_for_outlet_m all/20130911_11_A11_Theown287580)