Sand Springs Keystone Corridor

[Composer]

I am happy for Sand Springs.

Getting a Lowe's is a start to commercial growth.  It is seen that way in many other communities like Owasso.  Lowe's was one of the first retailers on 96th street before the big boom. After Wal-Mart and Lowe's came The Home Depot, Kohl's, Target, Belk, etc.. We will probably see the same here.  Broken Arrow is experiencing the same around 71st and the Broken Arrow Expressway.  Lowe's opened a several years ago and we are now seeing a Target go up around it as well as some other places.  Broken Arrow will probably be seeing a second Lowe's in the future around the Wal-Mart at the Creek Turnpike.

[Ibanez]

quote:Originally posted by breitee

Sand Springs Lowe's may cause problems for small family business

Last Update: 9/16 9:36 pm  

Home improvement giant Lowe's is coming to Sand Springs. The store will anchor a new commercial development. City leaders say the project will bring jobs and added tax revenue to the city, as well as revitalize an area that used be occupied by blighted homes and businesses.

But not everyone is excited about the store. For the past 54 years Morrow-Gill Lumber Company has served residents of Sand Springs. Current owner Victoria Sisney tells 2NEWS, "My dad Dale Morrow started this company and worked here everyday until he was 90. And he was a kind of legend unto himself. He was the mayor of Sand Springs and they named Morrow Road after him."

The new Lowe's store will be built on Morrow, just across the railroad tracks from the lumber company. Sisney hopes her family's business will be able to survive so close to such a large competitor. "It does make you a little bit nervous you know. But God has blessed us here. And if it's his will that we stay, then we will make it. So we're just going to do our best to take care of our customers and hope they keep coming."

City Manager Doug Enevoldsen believes small businesses will survive the competition. He calls the development an asset to Sand Springs. Enevoldsen says, "The Vision 2025 investment came in and help clean up an old blighted neighborhood. And it's going to convert that to a retail shopping and dinning center. And that will literally pay for itself, the investment over multiple years in the future to enhance the Tulsa County tax base."



If Morrow Gill lowers their pricing and beefs up customer service they MIGHT survive, if not, they are DOOMED!

Morrow Gill is awful. As you said their customer service is bad. Hell last time I was in there, which was some time ago, it was almost like it was a burden when I asked them if they had something and if so where was it located.

That is the other problem. Granted it is a smaller old fashioned style hardware store, but you would think I would have been able to find a brass shut off valve in there. Nope. Had to drive to the Home Depot on Elgin to get what I needed. That seems to happen a lot with various items.

[ruaokie2]

Anyone know what is being built at west 81st and Sand Springs expressway?

[Ibanez]

quote:Originally posted by ruaokie2

Anyone know what is being built at west 81st and Sand Springs expressway?

Early Childhood Development Center a.k.a. a Kindergarten.

[Nik]

quote:Originally posted by wavoka

quote:Originally posted by ruaokie2

Anyone know what is being built at west 81st and Sand Springs expressway?

Early Childhood Development Center a.k.a. a Kindergarten.

Will this replace the one currently on the NW corner of Hwy 97 & Morrow Rd? I'm assuming they are going to start making room for the Hwy 97 expansion they are supposedly doing in 2011.

[Bones013]

From the Tulsa World:

Weak U.S. economy delays Lowe's store in Sand Springs


By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
11/13/2008
Last Modified: 11/13/2008  4:19 AM

SAND SPRINGS — A souring national economy has forced Lowe's Cos. Inc. to delay construction of a store here by a year, city officials said Wednesday.

According to the officials, the home- improvement chain is still committed to building the 120,000-square-foot store at the east end of the Keystone Corridor redevelopment area, along Main Street facing south onto Morrow Road. But with the economic downturn, the company has decided to delay the project. Completion of the store is now targeted for the fall of 2011.

In September, city officials announced that Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe's would locate in Sand Springs, with construction beginning in the fall of 2009 and a completion the following year.

The retailer would be the "anchor store" for what is being called the River City Crossing shopping plaza. Other smaller retail operations, including restaurants, were to follow.

Two months ago, when the Lowe's project was announced, city leaders had expected to have other retailers sign up by year's end. However, now that Lowe's has announced its delay, officials don't expect those smaller retailers to announce their intentions until later next year.

Site preparation and construction of the
store has been estimated at $40 million.

Once the shopping plaza is fully developed, it is expected to generate around $1.75 million in annual sales tax for the city.

The 30-acre River City Crossing site is an outgrowth of the Keystone Corridor revitalization project.

Five years ago, Tulsa County voters approved $14.5 million in Vision 2025 funds to buy 180 properties in the Keystone Corridor. From 2004 to 2007, officials bought and demolished blighted properties in the corridor.

City Manager Douglas Enevoldsen said the Lowe's delay was disappointing but not surprising.

The national economy has forced other retailers in Tulsa and Oklahoma City to pull back on their development plans.

"We're not an island," Enevoldsen said.

[Nik]

Can't say I'm not surprised. Still disappointed it took as long as it did to get the Lowe's announcement.

[sauerkraut]

I'd like to see a extention of the jogging trail, but that would have to be done so that trail users won't have to cross any streets. The trail system could be tied in to the Tulsa Trails. SandSprings has some trails but they have street crossings.

[T-TownMike]

They should really think of this area as an extension to downtown Tulsa and think high density. Sand Springs has so much potential and they haven't even come close to realizing it's full potential. Sand Springs seems to be going in reverse.

[Nik]

Might be getting off subject here, but I don't know how the mayoral election is shaping up for Sand Springs but if the current Mayor is rerunning, he will not be getting my back. Having lived in Sand Springs for over three years now, I have to ask myself what improvements have I seen in the city in those three years. Even to make it easier, what changes have I seen. Nothing. Lights on Hwy 97. That's it. No more commercial development. No additional retail or restaurants. By far the worst Tulsa suburb, which is sad given its proximity to Tulsa. Its closer to downtown than probably any other suburb.

[Ibanez]

Might be getting off subject here, but I don't know how the mayoral election is shaping up for Sand Springs but if the current Mayor is rerunning, he will not be getting my back. Having lived in Sand Springs for over three years now, I have to ask myself what improvements have I seen in the city in those three years. Even to make it easier, what changes have I seen. Nothing. Lights on Hwy 97. That's it. No more commercial development. No additional retail or restaurants. By far the worst Tulsa suburb, which is sad given its proximity to Tulsa. Its closer to downtown than probably any other suburb.

The Mayor is SS is a figurehead. The real problem is the City Council. Might as well have the Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers and the Keystone Cops running the city.

[SXSW]

Might be getting off subject here, but I don't know how the mayoral election is shaping up for Sand Springs but if the current Mayor is rerunning, he will not be getting my back. Having lived in Sand Springs for over three years now, I have to ask myself what improvements have I seen in the city in those three years. Even to make it easier, what changes have I seen. Nothing. Lights on Hwy 97. That's it. No more commercial development. No additional retail or restaurants. By far the worst Tulsa suburb, which is sad given its proximity to Tulsa. Its closer to downtown than probably any other suburb.

As far as proximity to downtown/midtown, natural beauty with the river on one side and hills to the north and south, and proximity to lakes Keystone and Skiatook, it would seem that Sand Springs is in a great position for explosive growth like Jenks, Glenpool, Owasso, or BA.  Yet it's not, why?  Lack of retail and restaurants is part of it, and wouldn't be an issue if downtown were more developed.  Also the schools there aren't as good as the other suburbs.  And there is a blue collar 'industrial' stigma to that town that may turn people off.  That area always sorta reminded me of Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, industry along the river with steep, forested hills..  I'd rather live there than in former flood plain farms and ranches that you find new neighborhoods being built in Bixby and Broken Arrow, but that's me.

[TheArtist]

Part of it is just that developers are like a bunch of lemmings, they just follow each other. Its easier to do so.

I wouldnt really say that having a lot of retail was why people are moving to Jenks and Glenpool. The herd is moving that way so developers know its a fairly safe bet. The rooftop trend heads that way, the retail developments start moving in and the cycle reinforces itself from there.

As for schools, Glenpool isnt known for having great schools. looking at their old test score averages, they suck. But as new, upwardly mobile families and their kids move in, the scores are going to shoot up.

SS is trying to be a typical suburb, but really cant be for several reasons. The herd isnt moving in that direction so they need a special "catch" to make them unique. Their downtown and some older neighborhoods had great bones to be the bucolic, ideal, quaint town that suburbanites so long for. But they havent capitalized on that or tried to extend that with the new development going down to the river. Instead the new same ol same ol development destroys that potential and is creating a lame atmosphere for the city. It could have also been a more artsy, Eureka Springs, resort type place. Its always been interesting to me that although its very close to Tulsa, it has the feel of being,,, some place else. A get away type place. Hilly, rocky, river, big trees, quaint downtown,,, so much potential to be something unique. Yet everything they do is bleh. Pedestrian friendly should be their mantra, not please please please let us have a strip mall. That will just reinforce any average/blue collar image it has and not build up that "special place" image it could really capture.

[waterboy]

Besides lethargic, myopic leadership, SS has other elements not discussed. They have a blue collar image because...there is a huge foundry right at the crossroads of 97 and 64, just South of their downtown. That is a building that has the same impact on development as the Sunoco refinery at 11th street. Secondly, the SS Home, a foundation set up by the city's founder, controls large quantities of developable land. All the locals are familiar with the political power of the "home". And lastly, there are mining companies who lust after the minerals in those lovely hills. They want to blast them, mine them and leave them.

Artist you can't just blame it on lemming behavior or simplistic statements about building not trending that way. There is plenty of quality development in the hills North of SS around the casino, Shell Creek, the airport etc. When you talk about movements of rooftops, it is because those flat, flood prone areas by Owasso, Glenpool and Jenks are easier to build on than hilly beautiful landscapes AND those flat communities are more responsive to development than a foundation. Note the similarity of the SS Home Foundation to such organizations as TDA in Tulsa who also have held on to properties for years with little incentive to develop them.

As I pointed out in the "tale of two cities" thread you ignored, this leadership is excited about taking land that is similarly situated as the Jenks shopping centers and anxiously looking forward to using it as "a first rate Industrial Park". There is something wrong when land with a nearby highway, proximity to Downtown Tulsa, infrastructure, utilities and lake shore frontage with great vistas doesn't attract first rate development. It simply isn't being marketed well. Perhaps because the entities I've described, don't care to see quality development.

[roscoe]

So,with the steel mill closing would it make better sense to move this project to that location? Just think how much river development you could have from this location.just me think out loud...