Things are coming right along at the new I-240 Penn Plaza Shopping Center. Mardel's, PetsMart, Radio Shack, and GNC are already open. It looks like Marshalls will be the next one opening.

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Hmmm. Looks like any other strip mall.

Hmmm. I agree.

Could almost pass for Lower Bricktown.

Not quite.

It's craptacular!

Yup, looks about like 71st between Memorial and Mingo in Tulsa.

Yup, looks about like 71st between Memorial and Mingo in Tulsa.

You're makin' me :Smiley078

Could almost pass for Lower Bricktown.

Lower Bricktown isn't that bad.

Lower Bricktown isn't that bad.

I think this 240/Penn project actually has more brick/stone than Lower Bricktown, or Lower Town, as I call it. ;)

Don't even get me started! LOL!

hey, south mingo was judged one of the ugliest streets in America, so if it looks anything like that mess, it's super craptacular!

I think this 240/Penn project actually has more brick/stone than Lower Bricktown, or Lower Town, as I call it. ;)


Looks like nothing but stucco and concrete blocks to me. I see zero brick or stone in those pictures.

If you look real close at the picture of Mardel you can find some. Hah.

And such a lovely shade of off-white

The lower third facade of the mall has brickwork. I think it looks rather nice; clean, simple lines, and a darned sight bette r than the hideous old Wal Mart that previously occupied that land. As far as that goes, the general style isn't terribly different from the Belle Isle mall east of Penn Square.

A FuddRuckers is supposed to be going up on the outparcel immediately west of the area where GNC and Radio Shack have opened up.

Anyone have any word on getting a Barnes and Noble somewhere south of NW 63rd and north of Norman??? There is empty land near this mall on Penn that would seem an ideal spot for a B&N...

-SoonerDave

Is there not a B&N on the south side already?

Isn't a Books-a-Million supposed to be in the plans for that development?

Yeah, nothing special by far. The sad thing is this is a drastic improvement from what the area was if that says anything. So much potential, sad to see the potential wasted

Patrick -

No, there's no Barnes and Noble on the south side of Oklahoma City, which I think is patently pathetic. I contacted the South Chamber about that issue, and the best they could tell me was that they had pitched the area to B&N before, but they weren't interested - on top of the fact that (apparently) outlying areas were offering better tax breaks.

Its frustrating - Two B&N on May Avenue, one at 63rd, one at Memorial Road, with the other in Norman, 15 miles south. Its as if someone thinks no one can read south of Reno or north of Robinson...

I'd heard rumors of a BooksAMillion, but last I heard they were going into MWC. Incredible to me that the entire region of SW OKC doesn't have one nice big bookstore.

I also wonder what's going to happen to the Southern Hills Shopping Center, which has recently lost Burlington, PetsMart, and RadioShack - the latter two moving to the new Penn Plaza. All that's left is the nasty dollar store, a fabric shop, a golf store, and a discount optometrist...

-SoonerDave

That is crazy that the north side has 2 Barnes and Nobles, Full Circle, Books-a-Million, and Borders and there's nothing on the south side. You'd think far south OKC would have the demos for it easily. Maybe they can get one in Moore or along 240 somewhere.

It IS a sad shame that the southside is still to this day considered WAY behind the northside. If my memory serves me correctly, it's been published MANY times in the Oklahoman that the southside of OKC and Moore are the fastest growing areas in the entire metro. Also, at least one zip code(73170) is considered to be among the top three in the state in median income. Everything being built on the southside is upscale development, especially the Cleveland County part of Oklahoma City. Obviously, retail IS following new rooftops with all of the new shopping strips going up. I think there are several areas that a new B&N could do well, especially in the Riverwalk @Moore and on 119th between May and Western. I-240 should be a given with the traffic count in that area. The affluent do not live far away from there. I think the retailers need an education about the south metro. This isn't your father's OKC anymore.

I went by the I-240 Penn Plaza Construction site again this afternoon, and got some more pics. It looks like Marshalls may be opening in a week or so. Pier Imports is still one big area of dirt. No construction started on it yet.

http://www.okctalk.com/gallery/data/500/medium/100_1206.JPG

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Thanks for the pics Keith.

Keith,

Despite the fact that the Pier One sign is on that outparcel, I think that's where the FuddRuckers is supposed to go. Something is obviously amiss with that plan, however, because EatAtFudds.com (on their Oklahoma page) shows their restaurant opening in April in OKC, but that's pbviously not going to happen.

I think Pier 1 is going to be a tenant in the mall proper. Pier 1, Old Navy, and Lane Bryant are the last three "big" tenants to go in. Famous Footwear is finishing off the westernmost space in the small strip near the frontage road, leaving only one portion of it unused.

As an aside, the old portion of the Southern Hills Shopping Center (where the old, huge TG&Y used to be) that housed Radio Shack, a haircut place, and "Children's Orchard" was razed about two weeks ago and paved over. Since Stage went out of business, Burlington moved to the Shields mall, and PetsMart moved to the new 240 Plaza, that center has only Hancock Fabrics, Golf USA, Mazzios, and a Dollar Tree. Really makes me wonder if they're planning to bulldoze the whole place and put in something new. Its older than the hills - I remember when it was TGY next to Jim's IGA and Crystal's Pizza, and that goes back thirty-plus years!!

-SoonerDave

Thanks for the information SoonerDave. I don't live too far from there, and have been keeping up with the construction, however, I was at a loss as to what all was going in to the Plaza. By the way, Keith, those are some good pics.

Great pics Keith. Thanks.

Minor update/correction: The shoe store going in on the west end of the outparcel is not Famous Footwear, it's Payless. Looks like they're moving from their store across Penn, as is Michael's.

I've also seen a sign for something called "Dustee's," although I have no idea what that is. Still no word on Fuddruckers - they won't answer my emails. Their website still says they're opening in April, which obviously is no longer true.

-David

More updates...main construction on the mall itself is completed..all that is going on now is interior finishing.

The extreme west-end tenant of the main mall is Famous Footwear; next will be Pier One. There's a small, empty strip between that and Michael's, then Ross, Old Navy, then Marshall's..

We went to Marhsall's today, and I was manifestly disappointed. I thought, for some bizarre reason, it was a more moderately upscale place; nothing five-star or high-brow, but at least something more than it actually is....has a very Wal-Mart feel to it. Kinda disappointing...

-SoonerDave

Received word from the company operating FuddRuckers that they are "way behind" schedule on the OKC site, and are working aggressively to get it open "as soon as possible."

Also, signage is up for Old Navy, Pier 1, and Lane Bryant.

-SoonerDave

Dustees is the store that is currently in North Pole City. It is an accessory store. Kind of like Henry Hines but better! I am excited to see where this store will be. i went in Marshalls last week and it was pretty nice. What I don't understand is that it is just like Ross and Ross is right next door? Well, my FAVORITE discount store is Name Brand Clothing on 74th off of I-240.

Not sure if it has been mentioned but Charleston's just signed at 6,500 sq. ft. lease in the shopping center.

Charleston's?!?!?

In *that* center?

I mean, the Charleston's I know of doesn't seem precisely consistent with that particular strip center -- Famous Footwear, Marshall's, and *Charleston's??* The point is that the 240 Penn Park mall is not particularly upscale, but my impression is that Charleston's aspires to be so at least somewhat..

Is there any possibility this is being confused with the area where the new On the Border is going in at I-240 and *Walker* ?

Hey, either way, it's great news; I like Charleston's, but I would never have predicted it for that location...unless they're building in the outparcel that we've been led to believe is for Fuddruckers, and they've bailed out...

-SoonerDave

Is it possible th

in the last couple weeks i've seen some dirt moved at a site just west of the penn park strip. that's where i'd expect charleston's to be located. -M

I bet Fuddrucker's bailed out. I do know it is a build to suit outparcel but the county records shows Charleston's at I-240 Penn Power Center. I bet that is what happened. Fuddrucker's has always kept pretty quiet, so did Jack-in-the Box, both of which were supposed to be opened last year.

Fuddrucker's website still lists OKC and the Penn Park location on their website, and they have removed the message that said they were opening in April. Also, Fudd's has an ad in one of the myriad yellowpages for the new OKC location, so I would be amazed if they actually bailed out with that much forethought having been put into the plan.

Now, someone posted that they were leasing the "240 Penn Power Center," and that may be a site other than "240 Penn Park" proper. If someone else saw dirt moved on the west side of the strip, that would make sense as well.

I drive by there every night on the way home, so I'll take a look and tell you what, if anything, I see that's new.

I still want my Barnes and Noble, dangit!!!

-SoonerDave

Couple of items:

1. I drove by the center tonight, and didn't see any new excavation west of the mall. There is a dirtwork area to the west, but I believe it was used as a construction staging site. It doesn't appear that there is any additional activity there.

2. Although there's fencing and a temp office up, there's no work on the outparcel. Odom's site still lists Fuddruckers as an incoming tenant, and it would seem to me that, while late, that's still the best probability for that outparcel. If Charleston's were going there, it'd be a mighty fast transition from acquisition to construction if FuddRuckers had only recently bailed out on the property.

3. The Odom site lists a second phase for the Penn Park; a 60,000 sf expansion which I presume to be on the far west end (that's speculation on my part) that was supposed to start this year. That may be the strip near the frontage road with Radio Shack et al, but it sounded like a separate development. It could be that Charleston's is leasing space in there??

-SoonerDave

p.s. I STILL want my Barnes and Noble. Grrr..

So what is going to happen to Southern Hills Shopping Center where the PetSmart and Birlington anchored?

Don't know, soonerlib....all that's left is a Mazzio's, a golf store, an eyeglass shop, with a fabric store and dollar tree. Not much to build a clientele on. I wonder if Starbucks would have built there had they known the mall behind them was going to evaporate...

Man, that Burlington space would be a GREAT spot for a B & N; heck, so would the old STAGE or PetSmart location(s). I wonder, however, if that mall isn't in pretty sad structural shape after 40+ years. They put a new brick veneer on it when they remodeled it for PharMor and Burlington eons ago, but at the core it's still that old TG&Y store...

-SoonerDave

i wouldn't think that it's a stretch to say that dirt moved to the west was just a staging area for the penn park strip's construction... however, if charleston's does go in, i'd say that's a pretty logical location. otherwise, it'd be nice if they or somebody would take over the old harrigan's property (man, i miss that restaurant).

as for the southern hills shopping center, it was already pretty dead by the time starbucks moved in so whatever happpens shouldn't be a huge surprise. i'd like to see a new shopping development go in. perhaps it might help revitalize the neighborhood behind it. -M

It's exciting to see all of the growth on the south side of town. All of the retail such as a B&N would be nice. I beleive it's only a matter of time untill the southside will rival the northside. I hope we don't have the traffic congestion like the northside does.

I understand why Petsmart and other stores would want to re-locate to new facilities and probably better access (although in the case of Petsmart I don't think they got it). But you leave huge holes that sit empty for years. In this case, right across the highway. I know that one of the members of the Norman City Council was struggling with that issue when we discussed the new shopping center (the one with supertarget). There was a concern that stores from the strip south of main would want to relocate up there leaving the current shopping center with empty holes. In terms of development on the southwest side of the metro though - I heard a rumor that supertarget was looking at SW164th and May (just fields and brush now). I don't know if that is the case - seems like a strange place, but rumors are rumors.

I understand why Petsmart and other stores would want to re-locate to new facilities and probably better access (although in the case of Petsmart I don't think they got it). But you leave huge holes that sit empty for years. In this case, right across the highway. I know that one of the members of the Norman City Council was struggling with that issue when we discussed the new shopping center (the one with supertarget). There was a concern that stores from the strip south of main would want to relocate up there leaving the current shopping center with empty holes. In terms of development on the southwest side of the metro though - I heard a rumor that supertarget was looking at SW164th and May (just fields and brush now). I don't know if that is the case - seems like a strange place, but rumors are rumors.

Luckily for Norman, Hobby Lobby will move into the old Target not long after they move up 24th to the SuperTarget. I don't know if they have a tennant for the current Hobby Lobby space, but I'm sure that will fill up soon.

Rumors of a SuperTarget have been making the rounds for a couple of years now, but none have gained any traction. SW 164th and May is as good a rumor as any; someone else said a site just off of I-35 in Moore is a "lock" for a SuperTarget, and some people in MWC still try to insist the new Target on SE 29th is a SuperTarget when it really isn't. Sigh, rumors.

The hot rumor in my neighborhood about three years ago was that Crest Foods was going to build a supermarket at SW 104th and May; even employees at other stores had confirmed it, then it never happened. Now they've planned or built stores elsewhere. SW 104th and May is an ** IDEAL ** spot for a nice, clean grocery store.

The pathetic thing is, once again, the SW part of OKC is getting ignored. When Safeway/Homeland closed their 89th street store, and Buchanan's went out of business, it left the entire corridor of SW 89th from I-44 all the way to I-35 without a *single* grocery store. In that distance, there are only *two* within one mile north/south of 89th; Albertson's at 104th and Penn (whose prices are abominable), and the Walmart Neighborhood Disaster at SW 104th and Western (whose selection worsens seemingly every day).

From another perspective, south Penn from SW 89th to SW 59th has exactly *one* grocery store - another WalMart Neighborhood Disaster (although technically I guess you must count Aldi's in that as well). Years ago, there was a Jim's IGA in the Southern Hills Shopping Center adjacent to TG & Y, with as many as four (perhaps even five?) stores in that corridor at one point.

Now, some will point out that the Wal Mart Super Center at I-240 and Santa Fe has a grocery store, and that's true, but that Super Center has already started its Inevitable WalMart Slide into Abysmal Unkempt Filth (IWSAUF), and it becomes a less appealing alternative *in general* on nearly a minute-by-minute basis. Most of my family refuses to go there except on an emergency basis.

The point is that we're in one of the highest population density regions in the city and among the highest income demographic, yet we can't get anyone to build a grocery store, or a bookstore!?! I guess no one south of Reno or north of Norman reads OR buys groceries....geez...

I think I need to fire off a nastygram to the S. OKC Chamber.

-SoonerDave

What about a grocery store on 119th, 134th or heck even 149th and May or Penn? Any place would be great! I agree with you completely that us on the suburban southside need more grocery selection. The nearest "grocery store" to me is the Albertsons on 104th and Penn and then the Wallyworld in Tri-City! Anything south of 104th on May or Penn or even Western or Portand would be great. This is one of the fastest growing and according to the Norman Transcript the wealthiest zip code of the state. Plus, where is the shopping or anything besides on 104th St, Western, and in Moore? I see potential along I-44 near the Earlywine area and southward.

I can't figure it out although I know the folks in Rivendell have been resistant to put anything not elite-class near their neighborhood and I suppose Crest or SuperTarget isn't exactly elite quality, but then again look at the schnazzy SuperTarget being built in Norman.

Oh yeah, I am fairly certain the 164th and May rumor for Target is nothing more than a rumor since neither road goes that far down! It could be an underwater Supertarget since it would be in the middle of the Canadian River. According to Google Maps :), May ends at 158th street and if I remember right, it is a dirt road south of 149th, and 164th ends at Penn. So I'm pretty sure that is a rumor.

soonerlib, you are absolutely right in that any new grocery store would be a plus in that area. I just happen to take note of that conspicuous blank space along 89th street. Just incredible to me that a swath of a major part of this city can go without a grocery store...

-SoonerDave

Here's an update on construction in this park:

* Ground has finally broken on construction for what it supposed to be the first Fuddrucker's restaurant in OKC. Groundwork and installation of rebar for the structure stemwall is underway after months of delay.

* Significant work on the east end of the mall has resulted in a huge portion of the facade around the presently unoccupied space to have been removed, and construction is in-work on the interior. Although it is not confirmed, other posters in this thread indicated that Charleston's had leased space in the facility.

-SoonerDave


P.S. While at Barnes and Noble yesterday, I asked a clerk point-blank if she knew of any plans to build more B&N in OKC, and while she said she had heard rumors of a new store in south Oklahoma City, nothing official had been announced. Sigh.

There is a "No Outlet" sign posted on May southbound just past 149th.

An existing Southside retail store is moving to the space where the facade has been removed.

I know the name but my sources with this company want it kept quiet so it will be a surprise to the community. A banner should go up soon announcing the relocation. If nothing else, you will definitely be able to tell what the store is no later than the first of September.

The lease is signed and modifications have to be made to the building. It is planned to open shortly before the holiday shopping season.

i was under the impression that circuit city was going to move into this strip. i think it's them. -M

Not sure what you mean as "not official". I was the one who posted it and I got my information from the County Records as well as it was posted in the OKC Business under recent business deals. I'd say that is pretty official for the Charlestons.


Here's an update on construction in this park:

* Ground has finally broken on construction for what it supposed to be the first Fuddrucker's restaurant in OKC. Groundwork and installation of rebar for the structure stemwall is underway after months of delay.

* Significant work on the east end of the mall has resulted in a huge portion of the facade around the presently unoccupied space to have been removed, and construction is in-work on the interior. Although it is not confirmed, other posters in this thread indicated that Charleston's had leased space in the facility.

-SoonerDave


P.S. While at Barnes and Noble yesterday, I asked a clerk point-blank if she knew of any plans to build more B&N in OKC, and while she said she had heard rumors of a new store in south Oklahoma City, nothing official had been announced. Sigh.

Charleston's may have leased space in that center. The part of the building under construction next to Petsmart is going to be another retail store.

The back side of that section has an 18 wheeler freight dock on it. Charleston's would have no use for an 18 wheeler freight dock.

Not sure what you mean as "not official".

Neither do I, since I didn't say "not official." I said "not confirmed." There's a difference. I have not personally confirmed that Charleston's has done anything, and if its my name (or pseudonym) attached to some positive assertion of something as fact, I'll qualify it as "unconfirmed" accordingly.

It's no offense to you or what you posted, it's merely a statement of fact. I have not confirmed it, that's all. Your references are certainly readily verifiable, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to find it to be 100% accurate. But neither my willing inferences nor my predictive lack of surprise constitutes confirmation.

The space being overhauled would be a good fit for Circuit City; that Shields mall is a disaster area. It would also be a great spot for a Barnes and Noble, but I realize that's wishful thinking.

-SoonerDave

All:

I've been advised from someone I deem a "credible" source that says Circuit City's employees at I-240 and Shields have already been advised that they will be moving to the I-240 Penn Park, with a scheduled grand opening date of November 5 - just in time for the Christmas shopping season.

-SoonerDave

i knew it! *looks around for someone to high-five*


i'm sure that circuit city will do better in this strip than on shields. i-240 & shields isn't the nicest area in the universe plus the old location put it in stiffer competition with a newer, larger best buy. -M

I always thought that Shields location was a loser for a place like Circuit City. It's hard to get to, the "mall" is a horrendous eyesore/dump, and is virtually invisible (as much as a building with a big red facade can be)...

Now all that remains is figuring out where Charleston's is going to go...

-David

The sad thing is though that Circuit City, while in a bad location now, is just moving. The Shields area will continue to go further downhill. I was surprised when Burlington Coat Factory moved there - I wonder if they regret that decision now... As for SuperTarget I went on a driving detour to the last intersection on May before it turns in the a dirt road.... if they are going to build there it will take at least as long as it is for them to build the theater in Moore.

Yeah, I've heard nothing about any more SuperTarget rumors in south OKC for some time now. If that rumor had any life, I think it has pretty much died, regrettably.

-SoonerDave

The sad thing is though that Circuit City, while in a bad location now, is just moving. The Shields area will continue to go further downhill. I was surprised when Burlington Coat Factory moved there - I wonder if they regret that decision now... As for SuperTarget I went on a driving detour to the last intersection on May before it turns in the a dirt road.... if they are going to build there it will take at least as long as it is for them to build the theater in Moore.

The reason Burlington moved where they did is because the I-240 and Pennsylvania area is a high income area and Burlington's demographics are lower class incomes.

This shopping center is coming along very nicely, and the parking lots are starting to fill up. These pisc were taken today.

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