Mayor Announces Plans For New $32.5M Retail Development In South Tulsa

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett announced Wednesday a multimillion-dollar development in southwest Tulsa, expected to bring jobs, revenue, and brand new stores to the Tulsa area.

It's called "The Walk at Tulsa Hills," and construction should get underway next spring.

The development will cost $32.5 million and will be constructed by a Tennessee developer, Parkes Development Group. It will stretch back south, from South 81st Street and Olympia Avenue, and Olympia will actually be extended into the heart of the development.

There will be restaurants, a grocery store, a movie theater, and even an outdoor living store. Sources with knowledge of the development say it will be anchored by a Cabela's store.

Leigh Davis said his family comes to Tulsa Hills on a weekly basis, and he's excited to have even more shopping options.

"I get super excited, because I've been around Tulsa since before [Tulsa Hills] was built, so...that's really exciting to hear," Davis said.

The city says its been looking to develop the roughly 30-acre plot for more than three years, and that the success of Tulsa Hills led to Wednesday's announcement.

"Tulsa Hills gets so much business from northeastern Oklahoma. You can go in there on any given day and meet people from Depew, from Drumright, from Pawnee, from Ponca City," said City Councilor Jeannie Cue.

City leaders say once the project is complete, its expected to generate roughly $50 million a year in sales, $1.2 million of which will go to the city in the form of sales tax.

Cue has lived in the area her entire life. She said they're also looking beyond the economic impact.

"It's different when it's been an agricultural area, and you've had a lot of green space for so long. We want to make sure that's considered built in," Cue said.

The Walk is also expected to create 1,000 jobs, 500 for construction, and 500 that will be permanent.

The developer hopes to break ground in March of next year, with construction taking another 14 to 15 months.