Downtown Tulsa development is booming
BY KYLE ARNOLD World Staff Writer
Sunday, March 11, 2012
3/11/2012 5:31:35 AM
Dwelling Spaces owner Mary Beth Babcock just has to look out her storefront window to see the changing face of downtown.
That's the location of Cam's Grocery, the long-awaited market. Or she could look two buildings down to a new restaurant, while a few blocks north a grocery store/restaurant concept is under way.
"We've been patiently waiting for the grocery stores to open," Babcock said. "For me, it'll be super convenient because I'll walk across the street and then just a few blocks home."
Downtown residents and business owners such as Babcock are at the forefront of one of downtown Tulsa's most significant overhauls in decades.
With new museums, more affordable housing, restaurants and two long-awaited grocers, 2012 could be the year that determines whether downtown has the makings of a destination retail, dining and entertainment district, along with a strong residential component.
Nearly $386 million worth of development projects are either under construction, announced or recently completed, according to a tally by the Tulsa Metro Chamber.
Downtown has added nearly 1,000 residents in the past three years and is poised to add hundreds more as new apartment and condominium projects near completion.
And a slew of new restaurants and other retail-oriented projects promises to add the kind of downtown shopping that fled to the suburbs decades ago.
"You can feel that stuff is happening," said Babcock, who established her apparel and gift store in 2006, before the BOK Center or ONEOK Field opened. "There's still not a ton of retail yet, but there are lots of restaurants. And it's good when more retailers open because we can tell people to come downtown."
Adding residents
Tom Taylor's apartment at the newly completed $12 million Metro at Brady building is just blocks from his new job at Emergency Infant Services, a short walk to numerous bars and restaurants, and minutes on foot from the BOK Center and ONEOK Field.
"When I started looking for a place, I wanted something different than my house in Oklahoma City," said Taylor, 40. "It seemed like downtown was thriving, and it was on the verge of thriving even more with all the activity around here."
Business owners say more downtown residents such as Taylor are the key to establishing a vibrant and sustainable retail district.
"We need more housing," said Elliot Nelson, who opened his first downtown bar, McNellie's Public House, in 2006. "The housing is what ensures the street life, people walking around seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It brings the constant activity."
Nelson has six restaurants and bars in the Blue Dome and Brady districts as well as a bowling alley, the Dust Bowl, that he opened last May.
At the beginning of 2009, there were some 3,000 people living downtown, but most condominiums in the core area were priced for upscale buyers in historic high-rises.
But in the past two years, developers have added or announced more than 400 new housing units downtown.
The downtown population is now close to 4,000.
More housing is on the way, including a mix of apartments, condominiums and even a group of single-family homes whose construction should begin this spring. Focus has also shifted to a variety of affordability levels for residents.
Nelson himself is investing in a $19.2 million apartment project on the east side of downtown that could include 142 units.
"One of the challenges of urban development is the price," he said. "The idea with this is to provide apartments for the same price that you would pay down on South Memorial."
Tulsa architect Pat Fox is working on a $2.1 million project along Greenwood Avenue where he hopes to build eight single-family houses, the first such downtown development in decades.
Adding retail
More people living downtown is providing a boost to retail, including two highly anticipated grocery stores.
Archer Market, run by city councilman and restaurant owner Blake Ewing, and Cam's Grocery both are set to open this spring, much to the delight of downtown residents.
The two markets will give the area its first grocery store presence in the decade since Homeland closed its store on Denver Avenue at 12th Street.
Two restaurants, Rib Crib and Albert G's BBQ, are working on new buildings near the Blue Dome District and should also open this spring.
"You're seeing a lot of new names move their businesses downtown that are not the old downtown crowd," Ewing said.
A few projects slated for completion in 2012 could herald the beginning of more retail development.
The first phase of the One Place development will add 19,000 square feet of street-front retail space across Denver Avenue from the BOK Center, with more to come as additional phases of the complex are completed.
Lee's Bicycles owner Adam Vanderberg's purchase of an old warehouse in the Blue Dome District in 2010 was part of a new wave of retailers taking a risk on downtown.
He moved his 93-year-old bicycle business from a successful location in the popular Brookside neighborhood to the untested downtown core.
"We made a big commitment two years ago when we left Brookside," Vanderberg said. "Often, moving can mean a kiss of death for retail."
He said the new store, in a 14,000-square-foot building he purchased on East Second Street, is doing similar sales volumes to his old Brookside store.
Vanderberg's building, which he split into three spaces, is also home to Fleet Feet, an athletic footwear and apparel store, as well as a fitness studio.
"We want more retail downtown," he said. "We don't have enough yet.
"There's a lot of vision, and I'm ready. I'm anxious for more retail and more dwelling. I think the dwelling needs to come back first, and that's happening. That's finally happening."
Growing up Brady
Downtown's historic music and entertainment district is hardly recognizable to people who haven't visited the area in a few months.
With three new museums, a park in addition to the existing Brady Theater and Cain's Ballroom, the Brady District is poised to become the city's arts and culture center.
A new $18.3 million headquarters for the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, called the Hardesty Arts Center, is expected to open in September, with space for exhibitions as well as artist studios and classrooms.
Next door in the former Mathews Warehouse building will be the Zarrow Center, another art studio and exhibition space serving as a satellite for the Gilcrease Museum. A Woody Guthrie Museum is also in the works inside the Mathews Warehouse building.
Griffin Communications, owner of KOTV channel 6, is building an $11.8 million local headquarters. About 185 employees will work in the building when it opens later this year.
Organizers are also hoping to build a $40 million Oklahoma Pop Museum, a tribute to Oklahomans' contributions to music, movies and entertainment. That project is awaiting state funding.
Downtown by the numbers
$386 million
Projects under construction, recently completed or planned
3,995
Number of downtown residents, up by 1,000 since 2009
478
Apartment and condo units finished since 2009
244
New apartment or condo units planned for downtown
Source: Tulsa Metro Chamber
DOWNTOWN PROJECTS
1. Griffin Communications
Griffin Communications is building a new home for KOTV/News on 6, a handful of its other Tulsa properties and 185 employees. Scheduled to be completed later this year.
2. Brady Park
Taking the place of the now-demolished Central Freight loading docks, the new park will include green space and a “water feature,” along with geothermal wells that will help heat and cool the renovated Mathews Warehouse on the other side of Brady Street.
3. Mathews Warehouse
The old Mathews Warehouse building is undergoing a major reconstruction and will include the future home of a Philbrook Museum satellite location and the Zarrow Center for the Arts. Scheduled to be completed in May
4. Oklahoma Pop Museum
A 67,000-square-foot museum dedicated to the creative spirit of Oklahoma’s people and the influence of those artists on popular culture around the world.
5. Fairfield Inn and Suites
The $11 million project is set to be finished in October and will have 11,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, as well as a bar in the lobby.
6. Hardesty Arts Center
The Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa’s $18.3 million project is on schedule to open in the fall of 2012.
7. Brady District Flats
The $8.5 million, 40-unit building will be aimed at downtown workers looking for more affordable living options with a walkable commute. It will feature 40 units with rents ranging from $470 to $1,100.
8. Metro at Brady
Apartment building includes 75 units with a swimming pool and parking garage.
9. Boulder Bridge
Crews began Jan. 3 on the project that links First Street to Archer Street. The $8.3 million project is scheduled to be done in late summer to replace the structure that was built in 1929 and closed more than a decade ago.
10. City Parking Garage
Construction of a 260-space public parking garage is on schedule to be completed in the spring and is intended to help ease the demand for parking expected as One Technology Center and BOK Tower add tenants.
11. Archer Market
A Blake Ewing project that will have a market and restaurant on the base floor of the Detroit Lofts apartment building. Scheduled to be completed this spring.
12. Cam’s Grocery
New full-service grocery store on South Detroit Avenue will include fresh produce, deli and restaurant. Scheduled to be completed this spring.
13. Rib Crib
The Tulsa-based chain has signed a lease for a space in the Blue Dome District on First Street at Detroit Avenue. It’s the first downtown location for the barbecue restaurant company that has expanded to 45 locations in eight states.
14. Greenwood Lofts
The mixed-use development on the southwest corner of Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street is expected to begin in the next few months. A similar project is planned for the southeast corner of Greenwood and Archer.
15. Urban8
Eight single-family detached homes ranging from 1,900 to 2,800 square feet. Construction expected this spring.
16. Hartford Commons
A 142-unit apartment building with 200 on-site parking spaces. The project is still pending and is being done by downtown entrepreneur Elliot Nelson. Construction expected in late 2012.
17. Albert G’s BBQ
Owner Chuck Gawey is working to get into a place on East First Street in the building directly east of McNellie’s Public House.
18. East End Village
Developers Mark Larson and Travis Skaggs plan 50 rental units and commercial space at the former Bill White Chevrolet site.
Original Print Headline: Downtown doers Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.com
Nearly 400 million dollars in downtown investment since 2009...
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