Mayo420 MayFest tours

[BKDotCom]

The Mayo420 apts are giving tours during Mayfest.
They were a bit bummed that I wasn't a prospective tenant, but were more than happy to show me the digs.    I was impressed.  I took a look at the two bedroom.  Very nice.   I was under the impression these were to be more "low end".   Not the case.

[dsjeffries]

Awesome! Do you know the hours? I doubt they'll be giving tours until 11 p.m. and I want to go on a few!

[RecycleMichael]

I went through the tour today at lunch. She made me wear a hard hat, then took us up to the eighth floor to a 2 bedroom, 1450 square foot apartment. She also said they had 600 square foot units and 2,000 square foot apartments as well.

The living room was nice size and had a view to the east. I could still make out the people at Mayfest down below, but was high enough to get above the parking garages to see other buildings. I liked that they were keeping enough of the historical stuff to qualify for the tax breaks, but were supplementing where necessary. A good example were to keep the windows in the bedrooms facing north, but adding a storm window on the inside.

They were impressive and the prices were affordable in my opinion at $1.25 a foot. If I can find a way to get my kids into military school and sell my house in east Tulsa, I am in.

[dsjeffries]

I saw a 600(+/-) square foot unit yesterday, and I too was very impressed. She said they'd be there until around 7:30 tonight and tomorrow, and would leave earlier on Sunday.  Everyone should go through the building!

[Cats Cats Cats]

Sounds pretty nice.  Great if you make some money and don't need any space.  Or if you do need moderate space and make a crap load of money

[TheTed]

Took a tour. Nice place, but pricey!

I think the smallest ones were $900/month, and those have windows facing another building that's five feet away, so it's almost like having no windows. Plus you still have to pay for parking, which isn't cheap.

I thought these were gonna be affordable? Don't see many young professionals being able to afford many of the rents on these new downtown living options, not when there are similarly sized places for half the price south of downtown, brookside, and everywhere else in town. And those places probably have windows to the outside.

[Red Arrow]

Affordable is in the eye of the beholder.  I've visited friends and relatives living in St. Louis, Phila, and Boston living in "affordable" (at least 2 incomes) housing.  Not necessarily dumps but certainly not newly renovated either.

[nathanm]

The pricing doesn't sound too terrible for living downtown, but to put it in perspective, when I moved out of an apartment complex in south Tulsa a little over a year ago, we moved because they were raising the rent on our 1200sqft apartment to $900 a month. It was one of the newer places, too. When we moved in in '04 or '05 we were paying $650 a month.

[Red Arrow]

The pricing doesn't sound too terrible for living downtown...

It's a chicken and egg situation.  So far downtown Tulsa doesn't have all the things that make living downtown affordable with the higher rents. I am thinking of being without a car, walkable, effective public transit, etc.  I hope someone can afford the first steps to enable the miracle for those that want an affordable downtown.  I contend that affordable housing is what's left over from a long time ago before it gets gentrified.  A lot of older cities still have that.  I don't think it exists so much in Tulsa which is part of our problem.

[TheTed]

The pricing doesn't sound too terrible for living downtown, but to put it in perspective, when I moved out of an apartment complex in south Tulsa a little over a year ago, we moved because they were raising the rent on our 1200sqft apartment to $900 a month. It was one of the newer places, too. When we moved in in '04 or '05 we were paying $650 a month.

The $900 ones are small one bedrooms, like 600 SF or something like that. Those prices aren't gonna draw the kind of people who'll help bring downtown to life. Not when there are similar size apts for $500 at 18th/Boston and Brookside.

[tshane250]

Affordable is in the eye of the beholder.  I've visited friends and relatives living in St. Louis, Phila, and Boston living in "affordable" (at least 2 incomes) housing.  Not necessarily dumps but certainly not newly renovated either.

That's really true.  Downtown living is typically not very affordable.  Back when I was in graduate school, I lived in downtown Indianapolis in a roughly 450 sq foot apartment where my rent was $730 a month ($40 of which was for a secure parking spot in the garage - I didn't need to drive much, but I wanted my car in a secure place where I didn't have to worry about it and I also didn't have to worry about trying to find a parking spot on the street when I did drive).  Anyway, the apartment was truly not affordable for me, since I only had an $800 a month stipend (after taxes) , but I was only two blocks from school and a block from where I did my graduate work.  There is a grocery store downtown, but I mostly shopped in the outskirts because it was a lot cheaper.  So, what's my point?  Well, I think there are probably some crazy people out there who are/were like me and will be willing to shell out a lot of money for their habitation just to be downtown. . . at least I sure hope so.  I would even strongly consider moving downtown as long as I could buy and have some sort of outside space.   

[MichaelBates]

I contend that affordable housing is what's left over from a long time ago before it gets gentrified.  A lot of older cities still have that.  I don't think it exists so much in Tulsa which is part of our problem.

Bingo. Twentysomethings aren't able to afford custom outfitted "lofts" (luxury apartments, really). They need unimproved warehouse space and upper stories of old retail buildings to turn into genuine lofts. They need old four-story apartment buildings and ancient transient hotels of the sort that were abundant in Tulsa before urban renewal. One of the unfortunate outcomes of the new "loft" construction north of Cherry Street was the clearance of spaces that were affordable by the young people we say we want to attract and retain, affordable abodes within walking distance of jobs, recreation, and transportation.

[Red Arrow]

Most of what I saw in "Urban Renewal" in Phila, PA was teardown without rebuild.   There may have been some exceptions but they were not the norm.

[Cats Cats Cats]

Yeah, you have to be pretty loaded to waste $2,000 a month on an apartment when you could pay off a similar sized house in 6 or 7 years.

[TheArtist]

Seems there are plenty of people that are willing to pay for things like Hummers instead of getting something practical.  Not all descisions are based on  "most affordable/best investment" scenarios. A lot of people would rather die and go to heck than live in a stand alone house or typical "suburban style" apartment complex. I have a friend who has always either lived in a highrise here in Tulsa or in another city.  Imagining him living in a house.... couldnt picture it lol.  Would not fit his personaltity at all.