Tulsa West Bank Development

[Hoss]

So what's the deal with Westport?  You've got several acres of rental condos over there in one of the worst conceivable places in Tulsa IMHO (right under an elevated highway, near a train yard, near freaking REFINERIES, near public housing, far far away from any amenities); yet they don't seem to get the lowest common denominator, and they seem to have relatively robust occupancy.  Westport seems to prove that residential can happen over there, and yet I can't for the life of me identify what qualities it's got that makes people who aren't squatters want to live there.  


EDIT:  Okay I take that back:  proximity to downtown and proximity to the river. But that's all I got. 

Those aren't condos.  They're apartments, unless something has changed in the last 10 years.

[Conan71]

For one thing, OSU medical center is a draw.  Secondly, rents are kept high enough to keep riff-raff out, third, they are pretty well-maintained.

And yes, they are apartments and always have been.  As far as proximity to refineries, I'm not even aware you have a view of a refinery from there.  Great view of downtown though.

[Hoss]

For one thing, OSU medical center is a draw.  Secondly, rents are kept high enough to keep riff-raff out, third, they are pretty well-maintained.

And yes, they are apartments and always have been.  As far as proximity to refineries, I'm not even aware you have a view of a refinery from there.  Great view of downtown though.

Absolutely.  Good friends of mine lived there in the past.  I almost moved there after moving from Texas to here because of it's proximity to my work (at the time I worked at Bender Direct Mail just north of the Rodgers Litho building at 23rd and Jackson).  That would have been a five minute walk every day.  I just had most of my friends and my girlfriend at the time lived in East Tulsa/Broken Arrow.  It was always awesome to know someone that lived there during the 4th; you could sit out in their courtyard and have a front row seat.

[SXSW]

I seem to remember part of the river plan in 2007 included a proposal to raze Westport and redevelop it.  I think it's fine as it is but would support a plan to redevelop it into something better in that location with the larger park to the south.

[Hoss]

I seem to remember part of the river plan in 2007 included a proposal to raze Westport and redevelop it.  I think it's fine as it is but would support a plan to redevelop it into something better in that location with the larger park to the south.

Why?  There's really nothing wrong with it now.  I think many people have the misconception that it's dilapidated because of its location.  That's just not the case.  It's a gated access apartment.

[AquaMan]

You can't underestimate the difficulties of developing anything in that area. The sub-soil is the problem. Not only soft sand but potential for surprises that the oil industry has left in the last 120yrs. I know there are problems with settling around the apartments. They had originally planned them to be higher but it would have required too much underpinning and potential remediation.

I know people who have lived there and really liked the experience, though they thought it a bit pricey. Like Conan said that may be by design. The apartments are pretty well run and maintained. They are near a popular path for running, biking, walking and within a short drive to downtown, shopping at Utica Square and hospitals. In balance a pretty good location for short duration accommodations.

[Breadburner]

Actually sandy soil is an excelent sub base to build on very stable.......The key to it all which everyone here knows is finding the right developer......

[Teatownclown]

.......The key to it all which everyone here knows is finding the right developer......

....who can deal with toxins.

[Breadburner]

....who can deal with toxins.

And the paraonoid negative nelllie makes his appearance.....

[DTowner]

I just assumed that all the west bank development dreams always included replacing Westport because its surbuban style that doesn't fit with the modern style faux-style of the moment for mixed used development.  I haven't been in Westport for years, but from the outside it appears to be a well-maintained early/mid 1980s style apartment complex.

[dbacks fan]

I just assumed that all the west bank development dreams always included replacing Westport because its surbuban style that doesn't fit with the modern style faux-style of the moment for mixed used development.  I haven't been in Westport for years, but from the outside it appears to be a well-maintained early/mid 1980s style apartment complex.

Westport was built in 1983 at the same time and the same group that built Southern Slope behind where the Double Tree at 61st & Yale is. At the same time, Sugarberry 61st & Garnett, Glen Eagles and the place just west were being built just north of Union HS, the apartments south of 61st and east of 169, Waterford at 53rd & Harvard, and two complexes just sout of 71st and east of Mingo, and Chardonay behind the QT on 71st across from Woodland Hills. All of these were the first "upscale" apartments built in Tulsa since The Villa Fontana/Terrace, and The Falls were built in the early 70's and those two were on the decline at that point. Interesting fact about Villa Fontana, The Falls, and Place One on Riverside, all three of these complexes had full bars in them as they were a members club, and only the residents of those complexes could get memberships IIRC. Place One had Club One, The Falls had The Cave Club with panoramic views, and I can't remember the name of the one at Villa Fontana.
Forgot one, One Eaton Square that had a spectacular fire while under construction in early '84 that you could see the flames from at 71st & Elm in BA.

[Breadburner]

Club One was public.....

[dbacks fan]

Club One was public.....

Was that before LBTD passed in '84? I'm just going by what I remember before I turned 21. If all three were public with a "membership" I stand corrected.

[Red Arrow]

Forgot one, One Eaton Square that had a spectacular fire while under construction in early '84 that you could see the flames from at 71st & Elm in BA.

I think I remember seeing flames at 41st & Sheridan.  Smoke for sure.  I think the cause was some plumbing work. 

[AquaMan]

Westport was built in 1983 at the same time and the same group that built Southern Slope behind where the Double Tree at 61st & Yale is. At the same time, Sugarberry 61st & Garnett, Glen Eagles and the place just west were being built just north of Union HS, the apartments south of 61st and east of 169, Waterford at 53rd & Harvard, and two complexes just sout of 71st and east of Mingo, and Chardonay behind the QT on 71st across from Woodland Hills. All of these were the first "upscale" apartments built in Tulsa since The Villa Fontana/Terrace, and The Falls were built in the early 70's and those two were on the decline at that point. Interesting fact about Villa Fontana, The Falls, and Place One on Riverside, all three of these complexes had full bars in them as they were a members club, and only the residents of those complexes could get memberships IIRC. Place One had Club One, The Falls had The Cave Club with panoramic views, and I can't remember the name of the one at Villa Fontana.
Forgot one, One Eaton Square that had a spectacular fire while under construction in early '84 that you could see the flames from at 71st & Elm in BA.

Man, you were involved with those in some way I'm guessing. Or you have a fantastic memory. My father worked on Fontana, The Falls and probably the others too. He really got shafted on the Falls when the builder got caught in a real estate collapse at the time. The Falls went bankrupt IIRC.

I also lived in Place One in the mid to late 70's and often visited the club. It was small and always packed. On Friday nights we enjoyed "Free Beer" at the nearby clubroom. Place One was still pretty cool then. Olympic size pool, weight room, Sauna, showers and Tennis courts. Club One may have been private, (I remember having to carry a club membership card) but the laws were so screwy back then. I had a dozen or so cards.