The revival of the Uptown 23rd District will continue with a new business and retail development.
Land Run Commercial Real Estate Advisors purchased a vacant warehouse on the corner of Walker and 23rd Street. They have titled the development The Rise. Construction and refurbishment has already begun on the site.
The 45,000 square foot property stretches for almost an entire block, prime space for retailers and restaurateurs eager to develop in the revitalized district.
Several businesses have already been contracted to use the space, including a restaurant owned by A Good Egg Dining Group, owners of Cheever’s Café and several other popular local eateries. Other planned businesses include The Drake, a seafood restaurant; an urban teahouse, Old School Bagel Café; Flashback Retro Pub; Gusto Pizzeria; Anytime Fitness; a tanning salon; a clothiers; and Urban Core Pilates Studio.
These businesses will add more options to students looking to dine out or shop near campus. The revitalization of the large building will also add to the safety and security of the 23rd Street area, which has earned a reputation for crime.
In an interview with The Oklahoma Gazette, Johnathan Russell, president and chief executive officer of Land Run Commercial Real Estate Advisors said that he wanted to develop the property in order to help transform the area.
“Neighborhoods are about walkability, and NW 23rd is a great street,” Russell said. “But there were these dilapidated building and people who shouldn’t be there. Preserving my immediate area was important to me.”
University officials have not yet commented on the addition of any of the businesses within The Rise to the Stars Advantage program, the SGA-sponsored student discount program. Inclusion of the businesses is not impossible, as Edgars Boitmanis, SGA vice president, stated one of the main goals of the program was expansion.
“We want to build relationships with local businesses that could support campus organizations down the road,” Boitmanis said in an earlier interview.
With a wide variety of shopping, dining, and recreational businesses coming to the 23rd Street area, the Stars Advantage program may need to expand sooner than expected.
Businesses are expected to begin moving in during late spring and summer 2014.
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