Oklahoma City's next suburban boom...............

[spursfaninoklahoma]

Me and a co-worker were talking about where Oklahoma City will grow next. Moore has definitely seen a boom in the last 5 years, or so and despite the tornados I think Moore will continue its growth. But where is the next major growth spurt in the metro? In our opinion after a brief discussion, we both agree that the Piedmont area will be the next "Boom" for the city. Northwest Expressway will extend its businesses and its neighborhoods far west past the turnpike and I believe in the next 5-10 years most of you wont even recognize Piedmont. Piedmont will just be just another suburb surrounded by Oklahoma City. What do you guys think, any other areas you guys see as the next suburban boom...............

[Pete]

East Edmond / Jones.

[Bellaboo]

I think the Deer Creek area. After they get 74 or 77 (whatever it is) completed, you will see it all fill in.

[rezman]

East Edmond / Jones.

I agree. While Piedmont will continue to grow, it has already been the "next hot spot".

East Edmond / Arcadia, Jones, Luther areas.

[bchris02]

What about Del City, Midwest City, and SE OKC? With all the jobs being added out at tinker I would expect to see growth out that way, especially along I-240.

[venture]

Sprawl sprawl sprawl.

[SOONER8693]

Mustang/Yukon area. Mustang high school will likely become the largest high school in the metro in a few years.

[HangryHippo]

Sprawl sprawl sprawl.

Yep. Makes me sick to think about.

[adaniel]

I would second Piedmont. I can see the Northwest Expressway corridor filling in, although its going to take more than 5-10 years. Same goes for the areas west of 74. There's still quite a bit of land out that way.

[LakeEffect]

Yeah, when 74 is done the north will grow even more.

However, in the next 5-10 years I expect to see more people find ways to develop in the core of the City. Suburb areas will continue to grow, but I bet the growth rate slows.

[rezman]

Sprawl sprawl sprawl.

Waah waah waah

[bchris02]

It will be interesting to see whether millennials, the demographic currently driving downtown's growth, choose to stay downtown when they have school-aged kids. Schools are a huge reason people choose the suburbs. We could see some significant suburban growth if current twentysomethings move to the suburbs in their thirties.

[hoya]

It will be interesting to see whether millennials, the demographic currently driving downtown's growth, choose to stay downtown when they have school-aged kids. Schools are a huge reason people choose the suburbs. We could see some significant suburban growth if current twentysomethings move to the suburbs in their thirties.

With enough population downtown, we should be able to get good schools in the area.

[bchris02]

With enough population downtown, we should be able to get good schools in the area.

Agreed. OKC could be a pioneer as somewhere that offers family-friendly urban living. I'm not that familiar with OKCPS but I do know many inner city school districts are so far gone such a turnaround would not be possible.

[zookeeper]

It will be interesting to see whether millennials, the demographic currently driving downtown's growth, choose to stay downtown when they have school-aged kids. Schools are a huge reason people choose the suburbs. We could see some significant suburban growth if current twentysomethings move to the suburbs in their thirties.

Are under-30s really what's driving downtown's growth? I know there are quite a few, but it's not inexpensive to live downtown. I would guess, and I have zero proof, that less than 1% of the Millennials around here live downtown. I'm not sure it's a matter of them choosing to stay as it is them making the move to downtown in the first place. I hope it happens en masse and there are affordable options for that to happen.

I would go with Piedmont and the East Edmond area as suburban boomspots.

[OKCisOK4me]

With MAPS for Kids its not the physical schools that are the failure. Its the lack of wanting to focus on education and the strength of the teachers at the schools to implement it. I think the block scheduling will and is helping and I've heard that schools like Capitol Hill are having huge turn arounds so its a work in progress.

It all comes down to family dynamics and kids activities outside of school that determine the path in which they go down.

[OKCisOK4me]

Oh...and on topic...Mustang.

[bchris02]

Are under-30s really what's driving downtown's growth? I know there are quite a few, but it's not inexpensive to live downtown. I would guess, and I have zero proof, that less than 1% of the Millennials around here live downtown. I'm not sure it's a matter of them choosing to stay as it is them making the move to downtown in the first place. I hope it happens en masse and there are affordable options for that to happen.

I would go with Piedmont and the East Edmond area as suburban boomspots.

My guess is that most with an urban mindset, while they may not live downtown, live in the inner core i.e. south of 63rd. Young people in the suburbs, from my observation, seem to be the ones who get married and have their first child by the age of 22, something much more common in OKC than most other places I've lived. Right now downtown isn't even on the radar for that segment of the population. With enough housing options and good schools, it may someday be.

[OKCTalker]

The great gap: Disparity in rent, land prices challenges downtown OKC housing developers | The Journal Record

Here's the lead in front of the paywall: In a state that's rooted in the quest for land, there is a large gap between the price of land for multifamily residential development and the price of rent for those spaces in the downtown area.

Whether you're buying or selling, real estate costs more in the CBD, less in outlying areas. I didn't read the story but I suspect that it portends a bubble in the downtown area, and a shake-out in the near future.

[Plutonic Panda]

Sprawl sprawl sprawl.

I don't think this is bad sprawl, it is good to see OKC growing.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm thinking the big places are going to be East Edmond, Jones, Piedmont, and the Yukon-Mustang area. These are the main ones, imo. As far as a population boom is concerned, I'm really thinking Yukon-Mustang.

Norman seems to be growing rapidly along with Moore and I think Deer Creek will boom up soon.

[Mel]

Sprawl sprawl sprawl.

That phrase made me put the Andrea True song to it. RadMod, you need to write the words to this.

[mkjeeves]

Are under-30s really what's driving downtown's growth? I know there are quite a few, but it's not inexpensive to live downtown. I would guess, and I have zero proof, that less than 1% of the Millennials around here live downtown. I'm not sure it's a matter of them choosing to stay as it is them making the move to downtown in the first place. I hope it happens en masse and there are affordable options for that to happen.

I would go with Piedmont and the East Edmond area as suburban boomspots.

No. Millions of dollars of the government spending tax dollars collected in the burbs, in downtown, is what is driving downtown growth. Period. It will be decades before you can attribute downtown growth to anything other than that, if ever.

I'm doing some work in Mustang recently. Totally amazed at how much it's filled in and grown since the last time I was there.

[betts]

Are under-30s really what's driving downtown's growth? I know there are quite a few, but it's not inexpensive to live downtown. I would guess, and I have zero proof, that less than 1% of the Millennials around here live downtown. I'm not sure it's a matter of them choosing to stay as it is them making the move to downtown in the first place. I hope it happens en masse and there are affordable options for that to happen.

I would go with Piedmont and the East Edmond area as suburban boomspots.

Focusing on downtown housing ignores other places millennials are choosing to live that still reflect a change in thinking: Gatewood, Linwood, Jefferson Park and other closer in neighborhoods. These allow them to take advantage of what downtown and its surrounds have to offer, while offering a price break over the for sale downtown housing. I work with a lot of young professionals, and very few of them are living in the suburbs or have any plans to do so for the foreseeable future. If parental involvement is the primary key to school improvement, they will create the rising tide. In other cities, my children are eschewing the suburbs and buying near downtown, and again, the schools are improving as others do the same. While there are undoubtedly suburban millennials, I see the tide shifting from the choices made by my generation. Mass transit has figured prominently in my children's housing choices as well.

[adaniel]

My guess is that most with an urban mindset, while they may not live downtown, live in the inner core i.e. south of 63rd. Young people in the suburbs, from my observation, seem to be the ones who get married and have their first child by the age of 22, something much more common in OKC than most other places I've lived. Right now downtown isn't even on the radar for that segment of the population. With enough housing options and good schools, it may someday be.

Yes, a lot of people under 30 are staying the "inner loop" area if they are not moving downtown. I have quite a few friends who have bought in this area. A lot of intown neighborhoods are now topping $125-150 sq/ft. I'm 27, and trust me nobody I know has ever brought up living in Mustang LOL. With all respect to the good people of Mustang, of course.

People tend to ignore the significant demographic changes that are occurring. People are waiting longer to get married, then waiting even longer to have kids (if at all), and they are having fewer. People are also waiting longer to buy their own place. And yes, these changes are happening even in conservative OKC. So there's less pressure to bail to the suburbs.

Something else. I recently read in the Journal Record that nearly 9 percent of the population in OKC has expressed interest in living in a condo or townhouse, yet they make up about 1 percent of housing stock. No surprise since households are getting smaller. Yet builders here are still cranking out 3,000 sq ft Goliaths. It would be nice if you could get some decent multifamily development, even out in the suburbs, but the next best thing is the smaller bungalow neighborhoods in inner OKC.

IMO suburbs with good schools and are easily accessible to white collar employment centers will always be in demand, but don't assume people will automatically march out to them like they use to in the past.