Oklahoma City has seen an uptick in new retail businesses, thanks in large part to OKC’s location, its growing population and low cost of living. Developers are taking notice. “Retailers follow other retail success,” said Tammy Fate, director of retail development and recruitment at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. Over the past couple of years, several new retail developments have begun to pop up throughout the metro, stirring up interest from other outside companies and developers. Most recently, Andretti Indoor Kart Racing announced it will build a new 100,000-square- foot entertainment venue at The Half, a mixed-use development near Britton Road and the Broadway Extension. They will join other established retailers there such as Flix Brewhouse and Chicken N Pickle. A boutique hotel and apartments are also under construction. “Having something of this caliber with the entertainment component will really help draw other tenants to our market as well,” Fate said. Another retail development located immediately south of The Half will be starting soon, she added. Downtown continues to be a development hot spot thanks to the popularity of Scissortail Park, RETAIL DEVELOPMENT STILL SURGING THROUGHOUT OKC
Bricktown, Paycom Center and the new convention center. Sooner Investment plans to develop a 50-acre site south of Bricktown where the old Producer’s Cooperative cottonseed mill used to be. Phase one includes multifamily apartments and a parking structure. Some retail and restaurants will be part of the mix as well, Fate said. “Hopefully, that development will be started sometime next year.” Another project that has received some attention lately is the Boardwalk at Bricktown project at Lower Bricktown. The project consists of four towers — a Hyatt Dream Hotel and three residential towers, all between 24 to 26 stories in height. Several restaurants are also part of the mix, along with an “experiential retail concept” that will be new to the Oklahoma City market, Fate said. “[The Boardwalk at Bricktown project] is really going to add to the density of downtown, which is great for us because then we will be able to attract more things like a grocery store or a pharmacy. So having the right density and more clustering helps attract these types of services,” she said. Other key retail developments in OKC that are either planned or already under construction include: • OKANA Resort & Indoor Water Park – A Chickasaw Nation development located along the Oklahoma River adjacent to the First Americans Construction has begun on The Truck Yard in Lower Bricktown. Dubbed an “adult playground,” the entertainment venue will feature its own restaurant and bar, beer garden, food trucks, live music and more.
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