Jenks City Council Votes To Move Forward With Development Project

The city of Jenks has doubled its population in the last decade. In order to keep up with the growth, city councilors say new residential and commercial development is a must.

Monday night, they voted 5 to 2 to move forward with a project that will help spur others.

It will be called Jenks Crossing, and you can add it to the list of other nearby developments like The Village on Main and The Walk at Tulsa Hills.

The more than $30 million project would include 175 apartments and 300,000 square feet of commercial space.

City Councilor Lonnie Sims said it’s a natural progression for Jenks and points out the city’s explosive growth in the last decade.

"Oklahoma is really the only state in the union where sales tax really drives the operating budget. It’s primarily what cities live off of, so if we don’t have it, then the burden shifts to the taxpayer," he said.

A number of other projects are in the works in Jenks, like The Village on Main - with a specific market in mind.

"A lot of the younger families can’t afford a starter home or can’t qualify, and so they need affordable housing but they need quality housing," Sims said.

He hopes they'll eventually progress into a purchased home in the city.

Some already living there said the idea of having rental properties near their neighborhoods didn't sit well with them, as high-end as they're claiming to be.

"And they don't care about property as much as someone who owns their property they will be in there for a short time and leave and not going to take care of things,” said neighbor Jeannie Kirk.

The council pointed out the project is at least 1,000 feet from the closest neighborhood.

Developers hope to break ground in the next couple months and say prices on the rentals will be from $1,000 to $1500 a month, with sizes ranging from studio to three-bedroom.