Population Growth for OKC

[Spartan]

You know OKC development is slow when we are discussing freeway signage, wow....

Win.

[Plutonic Panda]

Win.

how?

[BG918]

In the Oklahoma City metro area, Norman was the fastest-growing suburb, ranking first in Oklahoma and 20th nationally among cities with 100,000 or more residents with a growth rate of 2.2 percent. Norman added an estimated 2,554 residents to reach a population of 118,197.

Likely a mix of OKC commuters on the north side and OU-related growth, especially in research and related businesses. Hopefully this leads to more retail options an area where Norman is severely lacking.

[adaniel]

I would really hope so. Norman strikes me as very schizophrenic towards development. It's quite embarrasing to see how much more development has taken place in Moore. I can't even begin to imagine how much sales tax Norman is losing.

Speaking of Moore, I wonder how much of Norman's growth was influenced by people temporarily displaced by the tornado or at the very least, by people who would have bought in Moore but decided not to.

[BG918]

I would really hope so. Norman strikes me as very schizophrenic towards development. It's quite embarrasing to see how much more development has taken place in Moore. I can't even begin to imagine how much sales tax Norman is losing.

Speaking of Moore, I wonder how much of Norman's growth was influenced by people temporarily displaced by the tornado or at the very least, by people who would have bought in Moore but decided not to.

I think it's all of the new development abutting Moore on the north and northwest sides. This part of Norman is a popular place for those commuting to downtown OKC with easy access to I-35. I think the development in Moore is just a product of that city growing as well and not that Norman is anti-development, though it certainly could do a better job attracting businesses, retail and encouraging higher density.

The only major loss for Norman is the Warren Theater. Many of the same retail chains will eventually fill up the University North Park center. I would like to see more concentrated higher end retail though in the Campus Corner area, and more higher density development in general in central Norman. Someday there will be a rail link between Norman and downtown OKC and the more density at both ends the more successful it will be.

[Rover]

Between Sooner Fashion Mall and UNP, Norman has decent shopping. It also has any number of reasonably upscale specialty stores as well as a decent campus corner. It doesn't have the theater. Norman doesn't have great shopping, but it isn't bad.

[Plutonic Panda]

Sooner Mall was actually pretty cool and had some great life going on there. They can do great things with that mall!

[bchris02]

The south metro needs a real mall or lifestyle center. Since Crossroads died that has sort of been a void down there.

[Bunty]

The south metro needs a real mall or lifestyle center. Since Crossroads died that has sort of been a void down there.

Maybe indoor enclosed malls ought to try for a comeback by using solar panels and heat pumps, or whatever else, to bring the cost of heating and cooling them down.

[bchris02]

Maybe indoor enclosed malls ought to try for a comeback by using solar panels and heat pumps, or whatever else, to bring the cost of heating and cooling them down.

A lifestyle center would work as well.

[modernism]

I came here to read about population growth...

Ok, we can merge the conversations to correlate with the title. With OKC's rapid population growth, you would think the city would see more new construction of residential, commercial, and hospitality developments but its seems like that's not happening. If you really put it in perspective, the last major announcement we had for a significant new residential construction was for LIFT, and that was in 10/2013, that was 8 months ago. It also seems like we should be seeing more office development, but there hasn't been any, not even in the hot spots in the Memorial corridor.

I just think given the population growth, we should have more new developments going on and its just not happening, new significant construction for downtown OKC is dormant.

[bchris02]

Ok, we can merge the conversations to correlate with the title. With OKC's rapid population growth, you would think the city would see more new construction of residential, commercial, and hospitality developments but its seems like that's not happening. If you really put it in perspective, the last major announcement we had for a significant new residential construction was for LIFT, and that was in 10/2013, that was 8 months ago. It also seems like we should be seeing more office development, but there hasn't been any, not even in the hot spots in the Memorial corridor.

I just think given the population growth, we should have more new developments going on and its just not happening, new significant construction for downtown OKC is dormant.

I would say new significant announcements are dormant. Enough was announced in 2013 that will keep things under construction for quite some time. I do wonder if there is another big wave of announcements coming. Steve hinted as such as Christmastime but it never materialized.

[adaniel]

Ok, we can merge the conversations to correlate with the title. With OKC's rapid population growth, you would think the city would see more new construction of residential, commercial, and hospitality developments but its seems like that's not happening. If you really put it in perspective, the last major announcement we had for a significant new residential construction was for LIFT, and that was in 10/2013, that was 8 months ago. It also seems like we should be seeing more office development, but there hasn't been any, not even in the hot spots in the Memorial corridor.

I just think given the population growth, we should have more new developments going on and its just not happening, new significant construction for downtown OKC is dormant.

I'm interested to see what kind of development level you think we should be experiencing.

Since 10/2013: 700 West Sheridan, Civic Center Flats, GE Research Center, Tapstone Energy HQ, Blue Garten, etc. Numerous restaurants and shops in Plaza and the Rise, And I guess you can stretch and say the Stage Center Tower design was announced in December although it was known for some time. That's just off the top of my head. Pete has it organized on this page if you would like to look it up.

In terms of residential development last year there were 6,363 single family housing permits in the OKC MSA last year. That compares very well with other metros our size: Source

Lets not forget the several apartment projects announced in both urban and suburban parts of the city as well as ones that just have been built. As of February 2014 there were 1,600 apartments built with another 3,200 in the planning stages metrowide: Source

If you are expecting cranes in the air throwing up new office buildings, well that's a vaild complaint. With that in mind there is very little spec office construction happening in this country right now. Even where I am in Dallas I cannot recall any significant spec office development currently under construction, although there are definitely some build-to-suite commercial and residential projects. I definitely think OKC could have some more mid rise or for sale housing in the core.

With that in mind, I like the approach downtown is currently doing now, more reuse of historical buildings and filling up small lots here and there vs. one or two massive projects.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm interested to see what kind of development level you think we should be experiencing.

Since 10/2013: 700 West Sheridan, Civic Center Flats, GE Research Center, Tapstone Energy HQ, Blue Garten, etc. Numerous restaurants and shops in Plaza and the Rise, And I guess you can stretch and say the Stage Center Tower design was announced in December although it was known for some time. That's just off the top of my head. Pete has it organized on this page if you would like to look it up.

In terms of residential development last year there were 6,363 single family housing permits in the OKC MSA last year. That compares very well with other metros our size: Source

Lets not forget the several apartment projects announced in both urban and suburban parts of the city as well as ones that just have been built. As of February 2014 there were 1,600 apartments built with another 3,200 in the planning stages metrowide: Source

If you are expecting cranes in the air throwing up new office buildings, well that's a vaild complaint. With that in mind there is very little spec office construction happening in this country right now. Even where I am in Dallas I cannot recall any significant spec office development currently under construction, although there are definitely some build-to-suite commercial and residential projects. I definitely think OKC could have some more mid rise or for sale housing in the core.

With that in mind, I like the approach downtown is currently doing now, more reuse of historical buildings and filling up small lots here and there vs. one or two massive projects.

The states housing market is another story. It seems OKC is doing the best in the state.

Neighboring states outpace Oklahoma home price appreciation | News OK

[bchris02]

The truth of the matter is this. Land in downtown OKC is still too cheap and plentiful to support the kind of high-rise development seen in places like Austin. My guess is that as infill continues and reaches a critical mass, developments will start getting taller.

[OU Adonis]

This thread is a microcosm of why I never come here anymore.

A lot of people in this thread boast about the great success that OKC is having in population growth in spite of having Conservative leaders. “Just think how well OKC would do if we dumped our conservative leadership” is the common theme. No, I don’t like Fallen at all. But I don’t want a Cuomo either.

There is a reason why Oklahoma City is doing well, it’s not an accident. I cringed when I saw the comment about the minimum wage ban hurting OKC’s growth. Is that what kind of worker we want to attract? Just remember the progressive/liberal paradise of California and NY. Where they have all the natural advantages of resources and population. One of them is going broke and both have people leaving in droves.

Oklahoma needs to be more progressive in certain areas. It however does not need a big leap, just a few small steps.

[HangryHippo]

This thread is a microcosm of why I never come here anymore.

A lot of people in this thread boast about the great success that OKC is having in population growth in spite of having Conservative leaders. “Just think how well OKC would do if we dumped our conservative leadership” is the common theme. No, I don’t like Fallen at all. But I don’t want a Cuomo either.

There is a reason why Oklahoma City is doing well, it’s not an accident. I cringed when I saw the comment about the minimum wage ban hurting OKC’s growth. Is that what kind of worker we want to attract? Just remember the progressive/liberal paradise of California and NY. Where they have all the natural advantages of resources and population. One of them is going broke and both have people leaving in droves.

Oklahoma needs to be more progressive in certain areas. It however does not need a big leap, just a few small steps.

It's a bit ironic that you "never come here anymore" because of certain posts you've read but you certainly took the time to post your own political thoughts in a thread about population growth in OKC while bemoaning others who did the same.

[Jersey Boss]

Ahh yes, we should strive to be more like the conservative utopias of Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia.

[soonerguru]

This thread is a microcosm of why I never come here anymore.

A lot of people in this thread boast about the great success that OKC is having in population growth in spite of having Conservative leaders. “Just think how well OKC would do if we dumped our conservative leadership” is the common theme. No, I don’t like Fallen at all. But I don’t want a Cuomo either.

There is a reason why Oklahoma City is doing well, it’s not an accident. I cringed when I saw the comment about the minimum wage ban hurting OKC’s growth. Is that what kind of worker we want to attract? Just remember the progressive/liberal paradise of California and NY. Where they have all the natural advantages of resources and population. One of them is going broke and both have people leaving in droves.

Oklahoma needs to be more progressive in certain areas. It however does not need a big leap, just a few small steps.

California now has a budget surplus. Amazing what happens when the economy rebounds. The economy in the Bay Area is white hot right now, so I'm not sure where you're coming from.

[OU Adonis]

Ahh yes, we should strive to be more like the conservative utopias of Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia.

Obviously California and New York doesn't have near the advantages that Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia has when it comes to natural resources, climate or geography.

/Sarcasm off.

[OU Adonis]

California now has a budget surplus. Amazing what happens when the economy rebounds. The economy in the Bay Area is white hot right now, so I'm not sure where you're coming from.

Not so much...

Similarly, Brown is using cash-based budgeting to underreport the cost of an employee benefit — retiree health care — by $3 billion. The governor could have chosen to report the expense at its full size, but to do that under cash-based budgeting, he would have had to actually contribute $3 billion in cash to a retiree health-care trust fund.

That’s exactly what governors are supposed to do. Retiree health-care expenses, like pensions, are supposed to be pre-funded in order to protect future generations from having to pick up an earlier generation’s costs. But Brown chose not to do so, making his budget look rosier than it is. This shortchanges future generations, which will have less money for their own services because they will have to pay off the skipped costs.

Businesses aren’t permitted to use cash-based budgeting. Instead, they must accrue expenses whether paid or not. During Brown’s current term in office, his budgets will ignore more than $12 billion in retiree health-care costs. …

Brown’s budget this year also ignores more than $3 billion in required contributions to the state teacher pension fund. It’s the largest “skipped” pension contribution in the country and continues a pattern that has led the fund to build up an $80 billion deficit accruing zero-coupon interest at 7.5 percent a year.

California budget ?surplus?? ?Nope, not so much. « Hot Air

[soonerguru]

Not so much...




California budget ?surplus?? ?Nope, not so much. « Hot Air

Not sure what hot air is, but your characterization of California as a debt-laden hellhole with declining economic prospects is off base. For the record, I'm glad to see OKC progressing, and I see pragmatism and centrism as why we are doing well -- not rigid conservative doctrine. Our unity working together is producing a splendid economy and a great place to live. All people have played a role. Our citizens have bought in.

As for the state, OKC is pulling it along, and without our city's dramatic reinvention, our state's economic prospects would be decidedly worse.

[OKCisOK4me]

I've noticed that just where I live there are three separate Iowans.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

[SOONER8693]

I would say new significant announcements are dormant. Enough was announced in 2013 that will keep things under construction for quite some time. I do wonder if there is another big wave of announcements coming. Steve hinted as such as Christmastime but it never materialized.

Steve continually hints at many things that never materialize. New towers, enterntainment venue that will make Dallas and KC jealous, etc. I think he does it to continue to be the center of attention.

[dankrutka]

Steve continually hints at many things that never materialize. New towers, enterntainment venue that will make Dallas and KC jealous, etc. I think he does it to continue to be the center of attention.

Or... not all proposed/planned developments come to fruition. Steve is a great source of information and to knock him when a development falters that we wouldn't of even known about otherwise seems shortsighted.

Steve and Pete are two of the biggest reasons I have continued to follow OKC's development since moving out of the city 3 years ago. They both make it so easy to follow new developments/projects. I haven't been able to find 1/10th of such information in either of the two cities I have lived in since. It's never wise to bite the hand that feeds you...