New Projects for Downtown Owasso
URBAN DENSITY: A rendering of the three-story mixed-use project by the Coulter family that will be located along 76th Street North in downtown Owasso.
Courtesy Seven6Main
Thanks to the early efforts made by the City of Owasso and community members, new development is on its way to downtown Owasso.
“Residents, business owners and city officials have all talked about Owasso’s lack of a downtown for a long time,” says Chelsea Levo, City of Owasso economic development director.
The problem that Owasso faces, which is somewhat unique to Owasso in comparison to many of its surrounding cities, is its lack of structures in downtown, continues Levo, which leaves the city with no already-established blueprint to work with.
For that reason, “we knew that it would take vision, investment and creativity to get downtown going.”
In 2013, when business and local leaders came together to discuss ways to bring Owasso citizens together, the ideas for both the Gathering on Main and its location along Main Street came about.
As the Gathering on Main gained community backing and grew in popularity, so did community discourse on the needs of Owasso’s blighted downtown.
“Investors then started talking about what they could do, and the city began to feel that it needed to do more to help the area,” says Levo.
From there came the idea to create a (tax increment financing) district in downtown, which was approved by the City Council last year.
The district boundary lines run along Main Street from Third Street to 76th Street North and include portions of land between Main Street and Highway 169.
As the district was being created, city officials were also making efforts to create a brand for downtown Owasso, Levo says.
In April 2016, Owasso’s downtown was coined the Redbud District, as voted on by local residents. A few months later, the district’s logo was announced after a month-long contest; the winning design was selected by City of Owasso employees.
Current Projects
The most recently-announced project coming to the Redbud District is Seven6Main, a three-story mixed-use building, to be located on 76th Street North between Main and Birch streets.
Behind the project is the Coulter family, long-time Owasso residents and owners of Coulter & Company and Smoke Woodfire Grill.
The 41,000-square-foot building will feature first-floor restaurants and retail spaces, second-floor office space, and third-floor apartments.
Smoke Woodfire Grill located on Tulsa’s Cherry Street will be one of three restaurants opening in the development and will feature indoor and outdoor dining, its signature cigar lounge with humidor, and a full-service bar.
The second restaurant will be a new concept from Erik Reynolds, the chef of Smoke. Talks are moving forward regarding the third restaurant, which will continue with the Coulters’ focus on local businesses, says Tommy Coulter.
“We want to keep with a local theme, even trying to stick with local to Owasso.”
The second floor of the development will bring build-to-suit rentable office space that the family hopes will help provide increased opportunities for businesses that are interested in being a part of downtown.
The third floor will feature 10 residential units with high-end finishes. The project will also include private, detached garages.
Seven6Main was designed by Selser Schaefer Architects, which has worked on other notable area projects, including the Hardesty Arts Center, Tulsa Ballet’s Center for Dance Education and Tulsa Community College’s Center for Creativity.
Construction is planned to begin in early 2018.
Construction is already underway on two mixed-use structures on the corner of First and Main streets by Steve and Renee Mowery, owners of Mowery Funeral Services and The Suites at Bella Dea.
In August 2015, the Mowerys bought the building on Main Street that housed 360 Sports Bicycle Shop and Scoreboard Sports Cards and started on engineering and architectural work to address renovations of the existing structure.
However, due to the current state of the building and the many additions that had been made to it over the years, keeping the building intact wasn’t feasible; it needed to be demolished, says Steve Mowery. That took place last year, with construction beginning earlier this year.
The buildings will offer studio and one-and-two-bedroom lofts. All lofts will come with at least one parking spot, and all will include walk-out balconies. “We are trying to reach all different lifestyles and needs for the lofts,” Renee Mowery says.
On the bottom level of both buildings will be restaurants, outdoor seating options and retail space.
Updated 06-22-2017
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