The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

"In the Heart of Downtown Tulsa"....so that's where the heart is. I guess that makes the CBD the kidneys.

Downtown Tulsa has been vast in apartment and loft development in the past years. New projects have been showing up all around the area with more projects in the planning stages. Most of these developments call to those who look to rent and not own, but the minds behind Urban 8 look to target those who want to own homes in downtown.
“This goes back to about 2004, people looking to move to downtown Tulsa….The product of home ownership did not exist. That sparked the interest to look for the land,” said a representative from the Holston Group, the developers for Urban 8.

The Urban 8 project is still in the pre-construction planning phase. It will create eight town homes on the block between East 2nd and 3rd Streets and between Kenosha and Greenwood Avenues near the Blue Dome District. It is being developed by the Holston Group, who joined the project that was already in the works two years ago. West Construction will be the contractor as well as James P. Boswell Architect being the architectural firm. At this time, the project leaders are working on finalities in this phase. James Boswell, the project’s architect, said that they are currently waiting on building permits. There has not been a scheduled date for the start of construction. A delay in the construction has been the re-platting of the area, according to a representative from Holston Group, but they look to begin construction soon.

“We will know more about that in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully we can begin some of the infrastructure in less than thirty days,” she said.
The town homes will have a floor plan of three floors plus a rooftop terrace. The square footage of the homes ranges from 2,600 to 3,200. Ground level will be an entry with a two car garage. First floor will be an open area for the dining and living rooms and kitchen area. The third floor will consist of the bedroom areas, with options of having two or three bedrooms. Boswell calls the design of the homes as an “open, clean contemporary floor plan.”

Urban 8 has unique aspects that the developers hope will attract future home owners. The homes are being designed to be geothermal and energy efficient.
“They are looking into doing a geothermal system. We’ll be foaming the walls, which gives you higher energy efficient walls,” said Boswell.
The homes are also being designed so that homeowners can experience a critical part of living downtown: the view.
“We intended to really open the spaces up with large windows so you were able to capture the views of downtown,” he explained.

An unique aspect that will truly catch the eyes of those looking to purchase their own home is that these individual units are customizable. Buyers can take advantage of Urban 8’s presale that is currently happening. This presale gives them the opportunity to choose design options such as floor finishes, colors, cabinetry and more. Urban 8 can also customize the living space on the first floor and expand on the second floor to give options for the bedrooms.

The customized interior feature and designs of Urban 8 has caused the $2.1 million costs to grow more, according to the Holston Group. The presale has already seen buyers.
“We have 2 units that are sold, and we’re looking for 6 urban minded families or individuals that are looking for the market of an urban experience which is very slim to none,” said the Holston Group representative.

She also said that buyers should come early and decide as soon as possible due to the “tremendous interest in the product that we are going to be building.”
Although the start date of the construction has not yet been decided, the developers look to have the project done by summer of 2014.

Still alive. Dirt's about to start turning. I just wish there were more units with a wider range of square footage. 2600 is the smallest offered. That's HUGE. Can we not have a few 1200, 1400, 1800 and 2000 sq ft units? Not everything has to be the size of a McMansion.

Tulsa Business Journal (http://"http://tulsabusiness.com/newsletter/new-town-homes-coming-to-downtown-tulsa/article_799966f6-47cc-11e3-9a75-001a4bcf887a.html")

The block still needs street trees and landscaping (like most of Tulsa)

I cycle down 3rd and up Greenwood a lot. The strip starting at the bridge over 444 and all the way to and through the Brady is getting a real big city feel. If the Santa Fe project fills in that space, it will be spectacular all the way through that area.  Hope they sell well.

I cycle down 3rd and up Greenwood a lot. The strip starting at the bridge over 444 and all the way to and through the Brady is getting a real big city feel. If the Santa Fe project fills in that space, it will be spectacular all the way through that area.  Hope they sell well.

Rumors are that zero have been sold. The developer has "purchased" 1 and the other has been shown as "SOLD" for the illusion that there is a limited supply.

The fact that they are this close to completion and have not sold any is very bad news for them. Another rumor is that the market will only allow for ~$500,000 homes in the area. When I first saw the price I doubted if any would sell (thinking they probably have room to budge). Apparently they have no room to budge and it is sell at $875k+ or go under. Even now, a year and a few months later, the area is still a little too underdeveloped for those rich enough for a million dollar home. After a few more things finish up, it will feel a lot nicer and more gentrified so that the premium shoppers could buy in.

I'm thinking I might start biking to work up the Midland Valley Trail down third street to my building.  Looking a lot more interesting these days than a few years ago.

I have heard that the Midland Valley Trail north of the city has debris incompatible with bicycle tires.  I have no first hand information though.

North of town, the old railway trail (that heads up to Skiatook) is called the Osage Trail.  I used to ride that often coming to/from Owasso into town.  (It's also a good way to get from Tulsa up to Cincinnati Hill for a good hill ride.)  And yes, that trail is specifically the reason I switched over to Continental Gator Skins, with Kevlar. Mostly broken glass, but if we had a group ride to Tulsa on that trail at least one of us had a flat somewhere before we were done.  Mostly broken glass.  Of the whole trail, it's only a couple of miles where the problems usually are, and it's not just glass.  Unless they did some major trimming work last year, the trees are so close to the road that it is uncomfortable and unsafe.

It is crazy this project started in April 2012! 4 years to build 8 homes! Is it just Tulsa where these urban construction projects take forever? See the KSQ/All Star Brewpub, 1st Street Lofts (!!), YMCA redevelopment, Central Library (revealed in 2012), Renaissance Brewery (Finally under construction!), etc...

I heard from the owner of Renaissance Brewery that Tulsa's zoning/approval process is frustrating and makes building what they wanted difficult. They are building a mixed-use sidewalk-fronting brick-facade building with similar design to other old buildings nearby (Like the Campbell Hotel). Hopefully the new small-area plan will allow for these types of developments to get approval more easily.

You can see the plans and images of the brewery here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renaissance-Brewing-Company/654564741242829 (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renaissance-Brewing-Company/654564741242829)

I have heard that the Midland Valley Trail north of the city has debris incompatible with bicycle tires.  I have no first hand information though.

It's clear from Maple Ridge to Downtown for sure. Super nice actually.

City of Tulsa is frustrating to deal with on build outs.

Too bad that people cannot respect the place and keep it nice.

Reminds me of an old poster:
Keep Oklahoma clean, dump your trash in Texas.  (States are not the original, just ones I can think of at the moment.)

I wonder about this place and what was discussed in the other Urban 8 thread:

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=20810.0 (http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=20810.0)

Who knows if any of this is true, but it seems a bit concerning for them that those 2 lots have been shown as SOLD since they first put up the sign and it has not changed. These are awesome homes and I hope they sell soon and that this becomes a big boost for more development downtown.

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=20810.0 (http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=20810.0)

Who knows if any of this is true, but it seems a bit concerning for them that those 2 lots have been shown as SOLD since they first put up the sign and it has not changed. These are awesome homes and I hope they sell soon and that this becomes a big boost for more development downtown.



As an update, look what showed up on Zillow for $580k! http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/605-E-3rd-St-Tulsa-OK-74120/2098764905_zpid/ (http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/605-E-3rd-St-Tulsa-OK-74120/2098764905_zpid/) (2713 sqft)
There is another one at $690k: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/613-E-3rd-St-Tulsa-OK-74120/2098764906_zpid/ (http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/613-E-3rd-St-Tulsa-OK-74120/2098764906_zpid/) (3152 sqft)

Sounds like there is some truth to the rumors. The $322/sqft seemed outlandish. ~$200/sqft seems very reasonable, especially with how nice they are, the location and considering the price of the 100 South Boulder Condos. After Santa Fe Square et al are finished? I could see $875k being a bit more realistic.

I wonder if the developer will try to sell all of them rather than moving into one to make up for lost revenue. These look awesome and I hope they go quickly for what they're asking now.

If it’s the unit I’m thinking of, I think Yvonne has already moved in.  I also think they will still make a tidy profit at the revised prices.

That is good news! I hope this development is profitable and encourages more condos downtown (hopefully at lower prices & higher density :) )