Town houses planned downtown
BY ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
Thursday, May 24, 2012
5/24/12 at 5:30 AM
Downtown Tulsa has seen a boom in apartment and loft development over the past few years. But there hasn't been any single-family home development in the area - until now.
Urban 8, under development by area resident Patrick Fox and his company, Zig Zag Urban Planning and Design, is set to bring eight town houses to the northeast corner of Third Street and Greenwood Avenue.
The $2.1 million project has preliminary plat approval from the city, and Fox said his company hopes to begin construction this summer.
Fox said he was inspired to develop Urban 8 largely because about 90 percent of downtown housing developments have involved rehabilitating older buildings rather than new construction.
"It's been noted that more than 52 percent of footage inside the inner dispersal loop is devoted to things other than buildings," he said. "We really needed to take some of that property and do something positive with it."
Fox also said the downtown area needs its residence base to be diverse, so there should be diversity in available housing.
Urban 8 envisions constructing homes of 2,000 square feet, though individual buyers will be able to expand them to 2,800 square feet. The base price is expected to be $338,000.
Each of the homes will be two-story, two-bedroom, two-bathroom structures and have two-car garages and terraces overlooking downtown on their second floors.
Unlike traditional town homes, each of the buildings will be detached, yet they'll have unity with shared courtyards, Fox said.
He feels the design blends features that will attract financing in a time of tight lending as well as a similar aesthetic to the rest of the neighborhood.
"We're taking a development type that banks could understand - you take a lot and build a house with it, but it's urban, flush to the street and fits in with downtown," Fox said.
Urban 8 has already drawn interest, with most of the inquiries coming from baby boomers and doctors moving into Tulsa from out of state, Fox said. But they won't be able to finalize any sale until platting is complete.
If all goes according to plan, Urban 8 will have some neighbors. Entrepreneur Elliot Nelson is putting together Hartford Commons, a $19.2 million, 142-unit apartment project on the same block, with a small park put together by Land Legacy, a nonprofit land conservation organization in Tulsa, Fox said.
Zig Zag is also acting as a consultant for GreenArch, a 68-unit apartment complex to be constructed at Greenwood and Archer Street.
The company was a consultant for a proposed redevelopment of the ONG Building at Seventh Street and Boston Avenue into apartments, though Fox said that project was put on hold because of economic conditions. "It'll stay office space for now, but the redevelopment plans are still on the books," he said.
Original Print Headline: Eight new downtown residences planned
Robert Evatt 918-581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
An artist's rendering shows Urban 8's plan to bring eight town houses to the northeast corner of Third Street and Greenwood Avenue. Courtesy
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