Downtown Development Overview

[LandArchPoke]

Now that 2020 is behind we can look forward to what we will see in 2021.  A few projects I'm aware of, feel free to add more..

WPX Tower - this 11 story office building should be topping out by this summer and finishing up in early 2022.  With WPX acquired by Devon the space is up for grabs, it will be interesting to see if they can line up a tenant (or multiple tenants) this year

The View - this 6 story apartment building should be completed later this year and will have 198 units, one of the larger new apartment projects downtown

Davenport Lofts - this 8 story condo building should be completed later this year and will have 28 condos

111 Greenwood - this 4 story mixed-use apartment building should be completed by this summer and will have 50 units over retail/office space on Greenwood. Clarion Events (formerly Pennwell) will move 130 employees to the renovated Hartford Building next door

GreenArch 2/Greenwood Rising - 3 story mixed-use office building with an educational component about the 1921 Race Massacre at the corner will be completed this summer

OTASCO - retail project at 2nd & Cincinnati that is almost finished - not sure if any tenants have been announced yet?  

Midland - rehab creative/co-working office project at 4th & Kenosha that will be completed this year

OKPop Museum - should be completed by the end of this year.  That along with Davenport Lofts finishing will open Main fully back up which has been a mess the past two years

Western Supply - GKFF's secretive mixed-use project at Cameron & Boulder should hopefully move into more substantial construction this year.  If built according to the plans I've seen this will be one of the larger new projects downtown and will help push new development in the Arts District westward

OSU VA Hospital - this will primarily be a renovation so there won't be a lot of new construction at least initially with the exception of a parking garage that is planned for the north end of the site.  This is a major coup for downtown though and will lead to additional hospital buildings in the future both at the VA and OSU Med Center, and also brings in hundreds of new jobs to downtown

LA King - this is the brewery/music venue proposed by the Hanson brothers at Cameron & Main.  They have said they will begin construction once the crane/lay down area is removed for Davenport Lofts.  Very interested to see their plans this is a key site within the Arts District

TDA Cameron & Main - catty-corner to LA King is an empty TDA site they sought mixed-use proposals for, not sure what the timeline for development is but this would be a great site for infill

Santa Fe Square - Hotel Indigo was the first phase and is complete, the office building at 2nd & Elgin was supposed to be the next phase but new office construction is tough to finance right now.  I talked to the guys at ARG and they said they would be focusing on the Santa Fe Square residential portion after The View is completed, so hopefully there is some movement on that front even if actual construction is 1-2 years out.  I've said it before but this is the most important redevelopment project in downtown Tulsa and we need to make sure we get it right

The Annex - this was seemingly dead but Flaherty & Collins had indicated they are still pursuing this residential project on the PAC lot.  I don't have a lot of confidence in this project but F&C does have a good track record of quality projects in Indianapolis and Kansas City

PAC Renovation - I haven't heard any more about this since they released their plans, I imagine this will need significant fundraising and possibly public money from a future sales tax bond but it's definitely needed.  I have heard the PAC is interested in possibly building a smaller theater across the street that would also have office and rehearsal space

NORDAM Site - hopefully we start to hear more about Brickhugger's plans for this redevelopment this year

UCAT Redevelopment - a design team was selected for the empty lots west of MLK and north of 244, this could be a really exciting new development over the next several years and could add a lot of new housing to the neighborhood just north of downtown

All Souls Church - supposedly they are still fundraising for a new church and community center at 6th & Frankfort, not sure when they plan to break ground though

And here is my 2021 Christmas wish list (I know a little late):
1. Announcement of a large tech company moving to the WPX tower
2. Another major GKFF project proposed in the Arts District (other than Western Supply)
3. Addition of a protected bikeway to Cincinnati Ave when they do the two-way street conversion
4. OSU updating their master plan to include new buildings on the parking lots between Elgin and Greenwood
5. New federal building proposed downtown to make way for future redevelopment of the Page Belcher site for a convention hotel

I believe the Western Supply development has the financing ready to break ground soon. A big portion of it will be rents below 80% of the area income. I still haven't seen anymore renderings beside the one's you can find through googling.

Midland will be occupied completely by Consumer Affairs. I believe this is 100% expansion space for them, but not totally sure. I haven't heard or seen their old space up for sublet and they didn't renovate that space too long ago so would be odd for them to just shift space for about the same rents. I am surprised we don't hear more about Consumer Affairs given their growth and being one of the more successful 'tech' companies in the state outside of Paycom in OKC.

I believe OSU is looking into expanding the hospital as well and you could see part of that in the VA hospital renderings. They've slowly renovated just about that entire hospital and it looks pretty nice now inside.

Brickhuggers have been selling off their portfolio downtown too slowly to raise capital for the Nordam site. I have heard very little about the longterm plans beside it will be mixed-use and I think they're hoping to do some for sale housing. I really wish someone would do some cheaper condos something in the $200k to $400k range and smaller units. Given how expensive a large portion of Midtown is getting at some point new build condos will be more attractive to young professionals. I can tell you finding a house under $400k in midtown fully renovated with more than 1,500 sq. ft. is nearly impossible south of 15th Street.

[ComeOnBenjals]

Sorry to see the downtown Decopolis go... always enjoyed popping in on my lunch break downtown. Was a fantastic place, made me feel like a kid every time! I've been to the 11th st store, it's really charming. Best of luck!

[TheArtist]

Sorry to see the downtown Decopolis go... always enjoyed popping in on my lunch break downtown. Was a fantastic place, made me feel like a kid every time! I've been to the 11th st store, it's really charming. Best of luck!

Thanks!  We really wanted downtown to work.  Gave it our all, and more. But for retail like ours to be competitive, it needs to be with more retail.  Across from more retail, next to more retail, and several blocks of it. Our area of downtown continued to shift in another direction.  Our area is now more a mix of residential/office and the types of retail that might work there would be neighborhood retail like perhaps the small DGX (not sure there is such a thing as a "neighborhood gift shop" lol and I have bigger dreams than being just that)

Not really sure where downtown would be good for a nice, vibrant "Main Street" shopping district.  Still too many "gaps" whether they be empty spaces or gaps created by businesses that are not retail friendly. Too much pressure against doing any zoning that would create a retail corridor. The best hope is perhaps in the WPX & north Main Street area. But the rents will be higher than our new DECOPOLIS for instance, and the developers will have to stick to their guns to make sure enough retail concentration goes in to the area to create the critical mass of retail to make the rents worth it.

I was paying triple the rent downtown that I am now. And the sales at the new location just outside of downtown are more than double the downtown location.  Anyone downtown trying to compete against me with the same products for instance, I would crush them competitively or they would at best have to work MUCH MUCH harder for less return. (I know, I did it for 7 years) and you can only do that for so long before you say "I am done here. No more of this BS!" lol

[DowntownDan]

All Souls is not moving downtown. They announced it a few months ago. They're going to focus on renovating their current church.

[SXSW]

All Souls is not moving downtown. They announced it a few months ago. They're going to focus on renovating their current church.

Hadn't heard that but makes sense to just stay in Maple Ridge.  Though a community-minded church like All Souls would've been a good addition to an otherwise desolate corner of downtown. 

Regarding a retail "Main Street" I agree there isn't a singular location like in some cities.  Downtown Tulsa is rather fragmented into different clusters and will remain that way for some time.  Take for instance the East Village, there is a cluster around 3rd & Kenosha that easily could expand but currently is rather compact.  Same for the Arts District along Main, and potentially along Archer from Main to Elgin.  I do hope the Deco District can attract some smaller retailers and restaurants since Boston Ave and 5th & Main are some of my favorite parts of downtown but understand the frustration with higher rents. 

[shavethewhales]

Not really sure where downtown would be good for a nice, vibrant "Main Street" shopping district.  Still too many "gaps" whether they be empty spaces or gaps created by businesses that are not retail friendly. Too much pressure against doing any zoning that would create a retail corridor. The best hope is perhaps in the WPX & north Main Street area. But the rents will be higher than our new DECOPOLIS for instance, and the developers will have to stick to their guns to make sure enough retail concentration goes in to the area to create the critical mass of retail to make the rents worth it.

If only we could fill in that parking lot across from hipster row with something multi-faceted. That would make a really nice corridor. Or of course all the empty lots around blue dome. There are several good spots downtown, but almost no actual corridors with multiple shops/restaurants on both sides of the street. It's weird. They have the right idea with all the development around Mother Road Market. Got to build that mass!

Too bad about All Souls. Would have made their church much more accessible and opened them up to a lot more service work. Their decision though, and I won't pry too deeply.

The OSU area is set for the most transformative change, IMO. Together with the Western Supply development, that would really change that whole area from ruins to lively neighborhood.

[SXSW]

If only we could fill in that parking lot across from hipster row with something multi-faceted. That would make a really nice corridor. Or of course all the empty lots around blue dome. There are several good spots downtown, but almost no actual corridors with multiple shops/restaurants on both sides of the street. It's weird. They have the right idea with all the development around Mother Road Market. Got to build that mass!

The gravel parking lot at the NE corner of 3rd & Kenosha?  That would fill a huge gap, I wonder who owns it.  There was once a proposal for a 3 story condo building at the triangular lot on the SE corner that was really cool but sadly never got built. 

The OSU area is set for the most transformative change, IMO. Together with the Western Supply development, that would really change that whole area from ruins to lively neighborhood.

Totally agree, I'm excited to see that area start to develop over the next several years.  Perfect spot for a mix of student housing for OSU, apartments for young couples or seniors and SFH/townhomes for families.  Not too many other cities (any?) Tulsa's size that can offer brand new attainable housing literally right next to downtown.

It's probably further out but I see a lot of promise in the Crosbie Heights neighborhood, more so the southern end south of 3rd.  The northern end being so close to the interchange and next to the jail and social services along Archer will probably hold it back for awhile.

[TheArtist]

My bet would be that we don't develop a retail corridor downtown.  I think what will happen is that there are some bustling spots to downtown, most likely the Greenwood to Arts District area.  The rest may have some tiny "hangers on" spots that come and go.  The majority of downtown will be quiet, office/living areas.

Other than the arts district area, the real action for the city "urban wise" will be just outside of downtown to the east from around 3rd on up to Cherry Street and to TU.  That swath of the city has the potential to evolve into a nice, vibrant, mixed use, eclectic, pedestrian friendly area.  This is actually quite common in many areas of the world in many cities. There are highly dense areas that mostly serve offices and living, that though they are dense, are quite quiet much of the time except during commute times. Go to the Wall Street area in NYC in the evening. You might literally be the only person on the street. China town with its little shops and restaurants... packed.  Times Square per the tourists, packed.  Go a few blocks off of any of the bustling streets, quiet again.  Paris, London, same way.  Not that we are anything like those cities lol. but you get the point.

[LandArchPoke]

Too bad about All Souls. Would have made their church much more accessible and opened them up to a lot more service work. Their decision though, and I won't pry too deeply.

Sounds like it is all fundraising issues since they've been trying to raise money for a while for the downtown site. I don't think they own those two parcels downtown - I believe it's still owned by someone who has ties with the church and was going to donate the land and parking lot. The church just needed to raise the money for the vertical costs. Long term this site is really critical to how the CBD will connect with the Pearl. Hopefully they don't just sit on the land now and actually either try to develop it or sell it off to a developer.

Like Artist said, I'm not too enthusiastic that downtown will be able have a significant retail shopping corridor. I'd love to see the city relook at more targeted overlays on some corridors downtown versus just a larger blanket overlay that went down in flames last time. I'd like to see Elgin get completely redone more similar to how it is around OneOk all the way down to 11th. Expand the sidewalks, add trees for shade, expand outdoor seating, and require any new development to include ground floor commercial spaces and building 100% up to the sidewalks unless it's a landscaped courtyard. No more Jackson Technical Buildings.

Do the same for 11th Street inside the IDL and require 'neon' or other signage on any new buildings. Given the growth potential along this corridor east of downtown it would make sense for the city to ask people to develop commercial space in this area.

I would also have loved to see Boston Avenue given a road diet and increase outdoor seating, etc. One of the big space killers is a lot of office buildings don't have active ground floors. Like the 320 Boston building just has a bank and architecture firm so having entire blocks of 'dead' spaces like that isn't conducive to shopping retailers long term you really need a critical mass. We're probably past the point of being able to turn Boston Avenue into a shopping area and that's not necessarily bad... like Artist said as well, every city has areas like this that are more residential or more office. Not every corner of downtown has to be packed with retail and super active street life. Walk around DC, NY, San Fran, etc. and there's really not a lot of '24 hour districts' that have a high office, residential, shopping, and entertainment retail. They tend to be dotted with small villages that all have purposes and the Deco District is likely to be more of an office and residential village within the IDL neighborhood with more retail oriented toward lunch food places and service items like Dollar General. I could see a pharmacy space like a CVS/Walgreens eventually opening with so many hotels in the area now too.

Below is one of my favorite streetscapes up in Vancouver:
https://goo.gl/maps/XCVaFVrPjUaVdR3bA

Streets have plenty of trees, brick pavers, sidewalk is flush with the street - helps to encourage slower traffic and make it more pedestrian friendly.

I think redoing Elgin from 1st to 11th, Boston Ave from 11th to Williams Green, and 3rd Street from the arena to the IDL Eastside would help to attract retailers and make pedestrians actually want to walk around some. I'm thrilled the city has added street parking, bike lanes and other things on a lot of streets but we don't have any corridors that we've invested in to make them truly ideal commercial streets. We still have a lot of barren, boring streets.

Identifying and designating certain corridors for the city to prioritize with improvements such as those three would go a long way to trying to bring all these villages to be somewhat more connected with each other.

[SXSW]

^ Agree with you on Elgin, I really enjoy walking along it north of the tracks...south not as much.  It would be amazing to see that same level of streetscape extend all the way to the roundabout at 11th where it connects to Rt 66. 

I also agree on 3rd being an important corridor through downtown.  There is already the aforementioned cluster at Kenosha and another around Frankfort with the Boxyard but dead spaces in between and also through the CBD. 

Really wish Main connected from 1st to 3rd but there are buildings in the way.  Main has two good clusters one at 5th and the other at Brady -someday maybe they can be connected.

[Vision 2025]

Thanks!  We really wanted downtown to work.  Gave it our all, and more. But for retail like ours to be competitive, it needs to be with more retail.  Across from more retail, next to more retail, and several blocks of it. Our area of downtown continued to shift in another direction.  Our area is now more a mix of residential/office and the types of retail that might work there would be neighborhood retail like perhaps the small DGX (not sure there is such a thing as a "neighborhood gift shop" lol and I have bigger dreams than being just that)

Not really sure where downtown would be good for a nice, vibrant "Main Street" shopping district.  Still too many "gaps" whether they be empty spaces or gaps created by businesses that are not retail friendly. Too much pressure against doing any zoning that would create a retail corridor. The best hope is perhaps in the WPX & north Main Street area. But the rents will be higher than our new DECOPOLIS for instance, and the developers will have to stick to their guns to make sure enough retail concentration goes in to the area to create the critical mass of retail to make the rents worth it.



I was paying triple the rent downtown that I am now. And the sales at the new location just outside of downtown are more than double the downtown location.  Anyone downtown trying to compete against me with the same products for instance, I would crush them competitively or they would at best have to work MUCH MUCH harder for less return. (I know, I did it for 7 years) and you can only do that for so long before you say "I am done here. No more of this BS!" lol

As others I will miss Decapolis being downtown but the numbers were obviously not there at least when I was around.  But it sure was handy to my office, but 11th isn't that far either...

Good luck, and in my opinion you are correct in that downtown is not focused and supportive on what it wants to be.

Kirby

Ps.  That was me right before Christmas that said you were "wearing the sidewalk out."  You were obviously moving things out as you made three trips while just while I was shopping and getting lunch.

[SXSW]

I saw Prairie Artisan Brewery on Main is closing citing losses from the pandemic.  Not sure if this is a permanent closure or if they could reopen in the future.  Either way it's a great spot for a brewery.  It will be interesting to see if the Hanson's planned brewery still moves forward a block to the north.  

[Dspike]

Prairie closure likely permanent. From Facebook:

Today we are saddened to announce that Prairie Tulsa is, in all likelihood, permanently closed. Despite government assistance, considerable attempts to rejuvenate our branding and products, and the relentless efforts of our amazing staff, the loss of sales during the pandemic has ultimately made it impossible to operate.

https://www.facebook.com/PrairieTulsa/posts/3663108067087639

[SXSW]

Prairie closure likely permanent. From Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PrairieTulsa/posts/3663108067087639

Sad to see them go, I liked their beers and food.  Seems like a good opportunity for another local brewery to move into a finished space.  I'd also love to see one of the Fayetteville breweries open a Tulsa outpost.

[TheArtist]

Good chance you will see a lot more businesses closing this month and next.  For retail like ours, you hang in there for the Christmas sales, and that lays the ground work for the first quarter. Often the December "take" is enough to keep you alive till spring and sales start to pick up again, but if not... you have to make some tough decisions on whether to continue or not.  And from what I hear lots of restaurant type businesses, winter is already a tough season, so if you were just barely able to hang on in the summer and fall... again, tough decisions might have to be made.