SoSA Townhomes

[Pete]

9 Townhomes planned for SoSA District


Plans have been submitted to the Urban Design Commission for a 9-unit townhome project at NW 8th and Francis.

Currently, a church and two homes occupy the property and would be demolished to make way for the new project.

The homes would face NW 8th Street and consist of two levels consisting of approximately 1,250 square feet. All would have 2-car garages facing the alley and connect to the living space via covered arbors through outdoor courtyards.

Materials would be clad in modular brick with EIFS accent details.

As the property sits atop a significant grade, rooftop decks will offer commanding views of the skyline to the southeast.

The surrounding area is systematically being re-worked into new and renovated homes, most featuring modern architecture. Many surrounding homes have sold for $800,000 or more.

A similar project -- the Dwellings at SoSA two blocks to the south -- has recently welcomed its first residents and 5 of the 7 fully detached units have sold. A second phase should start soon. The 6-unit Lisbon Lofts was completed about 3 years ago to the north.

Mike Girocco of Edmond is listed as the owner and design work is by RBA Architects. The plans will be reviewed by the committee on October 24th.

[shawnw]

This is directly across the street from Steve Mason's house, so I presume he's on board...

more living option types is definitely something we need in SoSA

[Pete]

Most the neighbors spoke in favor of this project at last week's Urban Design Commission meeting, and the developer received approval.

[onthestrip]

Most the neighbors spoke in favor of this project at last week's Urban Design Commission meeting, and the developer received approval.

Im kind of shocked that it was mostly well received. Lot of opinionated people in SOSA.

[Pete]

Im kind of shocked that it was mostly well received. Lot of opinionated people in SOSA.

The developers have been working with homeowners for quite some time.

I heard about this well over a year ago.

[OKDATAGUY]

The developers have been working with homeowners for quite some time.

I heard about this well over a year ago.

The developers did not talk with all the homeowners, just a few select ones. We knew the land sold last year and were told something similar to what was in the area was going in, thinking it was more duplexes or single family homes, NOT a 9 unit border-to-border complex. We found out less than a week before the UDC meeting. I will admit that the owner has made some concessions going into the UDC meeting by pulling the units back off of NW 8th at his own cost and he told us the townhomes would be about 5 feet from the east property line. The new owner also acted quickly on some issues with the existing properties once notified. The new Townhomes are going to look great on our street and am looking forward to a new look for our area.

[Pete]

Demolition of the old church and cottages well underway to make room for this project. I just took this:

[okatty]

Pete - have they started marketing these or released formal info about plans, etc?

[Pete]

Pete - have they started marketing these or released formal info about plans, etc?

Not that I've seen.

[Pete]

[fightlessllama]

The developers did not talk with all the homeowners, just a few select ones. We knew the land sold last year and were told something similar to what was in the area was going in, thinking it was more duplexes or single family homes, NOT a 9 unit border-to-border complex. We found out less than a week before the UDC meeting. I will admit that the owner has made some concessions going into the UDC meeting by pulling the units back off of NW 8th at his own cost and he told us the townhomes would be about 5 feet from the east property line. The new owner also acted quickly on some issues with the existing properties once notified. The new Townhomes are going to look great on our street and am looking forward to a new look for our area.

See I don't understand wanting the town homes set back further from 8th st. Now there's a front lawn that needs maintaining and serves no purpose except to increase our water shortage. The homes could have had larger back yards that would actually get used for pets, small children, etc. The real crime is how all these houses have alley access but some still find the need for a driveway.

Just my opinion but the perfect housing stock is similar to this: with dense multi-story townhomes or rowhouses directly fronting the street/sidewalk that is inviting to walk past and not cut up by concrete driveways, a compact backyard that still offers some privacy and the ability to let small kids/dogs outside without having to monitor them, and a detached driveway alongside an alleyway that can even be turned into an accessory dwelling unit went density increases. Add a front porch and I would be in heaven.

[Pete]

Land is now up for sale at $1.4 million.

[okatty]

Pete - Was this based on shaky market conditions/not being able to secure financing?

[Pete]

Pete - Was this based on shaky market conditions/not being able to secure financing?

Almost always, condo projects require substantial pre-sale before they can get construction financing.

Never saw this group trying to sell the units in advance though.

It's a nice piece of property; hopefully someone buys it and moves forward with similar plans.

[okatty]

Agree. Surprised this even made it to the market. I’d think certain neighbors would want to buy it and control what goes in there.

[OKparallax]

Classic OKC, demolish what's there and then try to sell a vacant lot.

[shawnw]

How do we fix it? Is it practical/possible to put a restriction on the sale above the acquisition price if the structure is destroyed without being rebuilt?

[Pete]

The property was sold late last year and the new owner (Holsey Construction) has started work.

They tell me the units will sell for $350/SF.

The new name is '9 on 8th'.

[Pete]

[HOT ROD]

sosa is really starting to look good, now need to start focusing on lighting and treescaping

[shawnw]

a bunch of sidewalks in the area have been redone in the last several months as well

[riflesforwatie]

a bunch of sidewalks in the area have been redone in the last several months as well

I was looking for this thread to post that, lol. SoSA was extremely treacherous, especially at night, until this year. They haven't done every block but they've done a lot and it's a huge improvement. I was wondering if this is a situation where a neighborhood association contributed money to it, somehow? It seemed odd to me that a bunch of vacant or mostly vacant blocks got new sidewalks. I am not complaining - I am glad for any sidewalks we get and I happen to use these regularly. If there's a mechanism to promote new sidewalks in other areas I'd love to learn more.

[Pete]

^

The city merely made those sidewalks a priority -- the homeowners didn't contribute. Now, when there is new construction the contractor is required to install a sidewalk even if it leads nowhere.

The city paid for complete redoing a bunch of the alleyways in SoSA.


On the subject of improving SoSA, Valir -- which only did a partial renovation after planning something much more comprehensive -- has a dirt/grass lot where it stores/parks several of its vehicles along Shartel. It's against city ordinance and looks terrible (I used to look out on it from my apartment). It's also highly visible from Red Andrews Park where recently there was a big civic investment:

[riflesforwatie]

On the subject of improving SoSA, Valir -- which only did a partial renovation after planning something much more comprehensive -- has a dirt/grass lot where it stores/parks several of its vehicles along Shartel. It's against city ordinance and looks terrible (I used to look out on it from my apartment). It's also highly visible from Red Andrews Park where recently there was a big civic investment:

It has always made me sad to walk past Valir - a rehabilitation hospital and physical therapy center - and see sidewalks that would be impossible or difficult for anyone with a mobility issue to use. (You can see it in the foreground of your image.) I know it's not Valir's fault, just a cruel irony.

[Pete]

Saint Anthony also has a big grass/dirt lot on 9th between Shartel and Lee.

The city is very strict about this sort of thing: you can't even put gravel down or any sort of porous surface and park there without going through a variance process.

I'm surprised the homeowners in that area haven't made a big issue out of both Saints and Valir. Both areas are disgraceful.