Owasso getting a new shopping center

Farm land in Owasso will soon be sprouting a $50-million shopping center. <br><br>Smith Farm Marketplace will feature big names like Target, Hobby Lobby, Pets Mart, Pier One, and Linens and Things. And

Wednesday, April 7th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Farm land in Owasso will soon be sprouting a $50-million shopping center.

Smith Farm Marketplace will feature big names like Target, Hobby Lobby, Pets Mart, Pier One, and Linens and Things. And that's just the beginning. It's all happening at 96th street North and US Highway 169 in Owasso.

News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg says most folks probably know the water tower in Owasso. Just south of that, they're going to have another big landmark.

Even for a fast-growing town like Owasso, it's a big leap forward. "This is the largest, single retail development in the history of the city of Owasso." Smith Farm Marketplace features a lot of names that aren't currently in Owasso. In fact, Belk Department Store, which they say is similar to a Dillard's or Foley's, is new to Oklahoma.

How did Owasso get all of it? They went shopping. "We went out and asked.â€ Owasso City Manager Rodney Ray says they saw a shopping center in McKinney, Texas they thought would fit Owasso's needs, and contacted the developer, Hunt Properties of Dallas. "We called Hunt up and said hey, come to Owasso. And though skeptical, they did their due diligence and discovered there's a good opportunity here."

Hunt officials say they had to look on a map to find where Owasso was, but soon decided it could support much more retail than it currently has. "We think that this location is kind of the center of Owasso, there is already a huge retail component there with the Lowe's and the Wal-Mart and the Kohl's."

There's nothing like a good cold call that results in a $50-million, 600,000 square foot investment community. It won't just be a place to shop, but a place to work. They expect the center to create anywhere from 800 to 1,000 jobs.