http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/realestate/walk-at-tulsa-hills-to-get-more-tenants-before-completion/article_6d522cb2-0570-5138-a632-f34fcb51ff79.htmlDevelopment on the Walk at Tulsa Hills shopping center should wrap up by next summer, but developer The Parkes Cos. still has some surprises in store.
In addition to the long-planned, 20,000-square-foot multitenant building that has already started construction, Gary Parkes, executive vice president of the Franklin, Tennessee-based Parkes Cos., said they’ve got a parcel of land under contract for one last standalone building that will most likely be a restaurant.
“The tenant’s proceeding forward with the project and intends to announce soon,” Parkes said.
Should the project proceed without delays, it should be ready in the summer of 2016.
As for the multitenant building, which was announced with the rest of the original tenants of the shopping center south of 81st Street at U.S. 75, all the space has been leased, Parkes said.
The tenants of the new building are retail and restaurants, Parkes said, but he declined to name them. That structure is expected to be completed by the spring.
The only other building at the shopping center still under construction is the Carmike Theater, which is now getting furniture and fixtures installed.
Jim Zehr, director of real estate and construction for Carmike Cinemas, told the Tulsa World in August that the company hoped to open the 12-screen theater by Christmas, but the planned opening date will be a little later.
“Right now we’re shooting for sometime in January,” he said. “I’ll have a better idea of when next week.”
One six-auditorium wing of the theater will feature five auditoriums with leather-style electric recliners and a “BIGD” room, which is Carmike’s premium large-format concept. The “BIGD” auditorium will have seating for about 500, Zehr said, and a wall-to-wall screen that is 70 feet wide.
The final buildings will join the collection of other free-standing buildings already in the shopping center, including Gander Mountain, Chuy’s, Freddie’s Frozen Custard and Aldi.
Parkes said his company would love to continue development, but they’ve run out of room at The Walk.
“We’ve been very happy with it,” he said. “It’s been a great project, and we got a strong reception from the public.”
Tenants at The Walk at Tulsa Hills have reported strong sales, including Andrew Hester, a manager at Chuy’s.
“We’ve been open for three months, and it couldn’t be going better,” he said.
The area is heavily trafficked — approximately 35,300 cars go by the intersection of U.S. 75 and 81st Street per day, according to an analysis by the Indian Nation Council of Governments. By comparison, between 30,200 and 37,800 cars go by Woodland Hills Mall each day.
Performance has been so strong at The Walk, in fact, that The Parkes Cos. is actively seeking out multiple new development projects in the Tulsa area, Parkes said. The Walk at Tulsa Hills is the company’s first in Tulsa.
The Walk at Tulsa Hills has no relation to Tulsa Hills, immediately to the north. The bulk of that development is owned by Inland American Real Estate Trust of Oak Brook, Illinois.]
