Diverse developments driving Oklahoma City’s retail resurgence

Oklahoma City is experiencing a surge in retail development projects, reshaping the city's landscape and offering a wide range of new experiences for residents and visitors alike.

The OAK development, located across from Penn Square Mall, is a 20-acre mix of retail, office space, a Hilton Lively Hotel, new-to-market restaurants and luxury residences. It’s set to be completed later this year.

“The design of this masterplan development creates connectivity, placemaking and is an example of the types of places retailers gravitate to. It’s really important to have all these pieces fit together,” said Tammy Fate, the Chamber’s director of retail development and recruitment. “The people who are already shopping within that general corridor, can add the OAK to their trip while they’re shopping.”

The Half, a 95-acre mixed-use development in north OKC (part of the American Fidelity campus) continues to expand. Construction on Andretti Indoor Karting and Games and the eight-story Skyline Hotel will begin soon, while the 325-unit multifamily apartments are close to being ready for occupancy. Several medical businesses and two new-to-market restaurants are also planned for the development. Flix Brewhouse, Chicken N Pickle and the new Dolese Bros. headquarters were some of the development’s first tenants.

“You have a total of about 100 acres located off I-235 with over 100,000 cars per day. It’s a prime location to attract new concepts. It also encompasses a major medical corridor, and it’s halfway between Edmond and downtown Oklahoma City. That really creates a connection in a central place for people to gather,” Fate said.

The $400 million OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark just east of the First Americans Museum is quickly taking shape and changing the landscape on the east side of downtown. The resort’s 11-story hotel recently had its topping-out ceremony, while work proceeds on the two-story indoor waterpark, 4.5-acre outdoor lagoon, conference center and other amenities. Several retail shops and restaurants will also be part of the mix. The resort is still on target to open in 2025.

Two planned developments that have seen quite a bit of publicity here of late are The Boardwalk at Bricktown and Sunset Amphitheater projects.

The Boardwalk at Bricktown is a mixed-use project that is planned for lower Bricktown that would include a 480-key Dream Hotel and a couple of residential towers, one of which could one day reach 1,907 feet in height, making it the tallest building in the United States. More than 100,000 square feet of commercial, retail and restaurant space would also be part of the mix.

Construction on the 12,000-seat Sunset Amphitheater by Notes Live is expected to begin very soon with a completion date scheduled for summer 2025. The $70 million project located in Mustang Creek Crossing east of John Kilpatrick Turnpike and north of Southwest 15th Street is expected to draw world-renown musical acts to OKC.

Chisholm Creek in far north OKC continues to expand and attract businesses. The most recent addition to that development is Ramsay’s Kitchen from star chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay. Spark and Dave’s Hot Chicken will soon be opening there. Classen Curve, OKC Outlets, Penn Square Mall and Quail Springs Mall have already added or will soon add new retail establishments to their shopping lineup.

A great deal of attention has been spent in recent weeks on large retail and entertainment development projects planned for downtown OKC, including the new arena and the Broadway at Bricktown proposal. In addition, construction on other projects in and around the downtown area has either already started or will begin in a year or two. Those include:

• The Citizen Club, a private club inside the Citizens Building going up across the street from the OKC Memorial that will include a restaurant and other amenities.
• The Truck Yard in Lower Bricktown, an entertainment venue that will feature its own restaurant and bar, beer garden, food trucks, live music and more. Economic development officials believe the Truck Yard will be a catalyst to Bricktown and a connector to the Boathouse District.
• The new MAPS 4 multi-purpose stadium. The new entertainment and sports complex is one step closer to fruition following recent news that owners of the OKC Energy FC soccer team purchased property in Lower Bricktown and would like to donate it to the city for the stadium. Officials are confident that the stadium will be a catalyst to spur additional restaurants and retail in that part of Bricktown.

Another OKC retail development that also deserves a mention is Rose Creek Plaza at Northwest 164th and May, where a new Homeland grocery store has opened. There are several provisional concepts in the works for that development as well.

This article originally appeared in the February 2024 edition of VeloCity newsletter.