Bixby's Big Convention Center

Like a lot of suburbs, Bixby is growing fast, but Bixby is about to leapfrog all of them with a new retail, commercial, and convention center. <br/><br/>As News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg explains,

Tuesday, May 23rd 2006, 11:10 am

By: News On 6

Like a lot of suburbs, Bixby is growing fast, but Bixby is about to leapfrog all of them with a new retail, commercial, and convention center.

As News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg explains, they could even give Tulsa a run for its money.

There was a time when Bixby didn't even have a motel. Times are changing. "It's time, it's ready, and it'll work." Tim Remy is the developer behind Regal Plaza, shopping, office space and most impressively, a 4,000 seat arena and convention space. "It'll be approximately 165,000 square feet."

To put that into perspective, that's a little bigger than Union's UMAC, which host college basketball tournaments, so Bixby doesn't see why it can't do the same thing. "It will handle anything from a basketball game; it could handle a hockey game, to a wedding, to a trade show."

Remy also has the support structure for the convention business in mind. The project includes a 100-room, upscale hotel that will be operated by Hampton Suites, another first for Bixby. "We have just started moving ground, putting in all our utilities."

One other unusual aspect, it's all private. Remy is putting in all the road and utilities and will own the convention center. The city will give Remy a penny's share of all the sales-taxes generated by the development for 10 years. But there are no elections to be had or bonds to be passed. "And the city doesn't have to fund anything, so it makes it a great win for the city, and a great win for us."

And possibly a big lead over the other suburbs.