What are going to be the cost. And I understand. It's no different than deep deuce and what going around the jones assembly. It's like a condo, town home place is how I look at it and if I'm going to pay for a home I guess I would want a little more space. Renting and buying are two different things.

They probably aren't for you then. From what I understand, they're sold out on the smaller homes. Anyone want to confirm this?

They probably aren't for you then. From what I understand, they're sold out on the smaller homes. Anyone want to confirm this?

Correct. Their website shows them sold out. They will all be grouped together, with six on one side of the street and six on the other. There is a possibility different styles of tiny homes will come into inventory, but I’m not sure.

Wheeler Home announced that Gateway Mortgage is one of their lending partners. Is that Stitt's company?

i've seen lots of machinery, materials, road pavement prep works and utilities color flagged around the area between sw 29th and mckinley all the way to sw 15th by the river. i wonder if this has anything to do with the wheeler development. this area is practically the backdoor gateway into the district. looks like the streets are getting new pavement, i wonder if they at least will get sidewalks too???

1493814938

Wheelerhomeokc on instagram continues to post progress on homes coming up in the Wheeler District. Definitely coming along nicely.

Does anyone know if Wheeler plans to offer any housing options that are one level?

Does anyone know if Wheeler plans to offer any housing options that are one level?

If I remember correctly, yes, but I don't think it will be in the first phase.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler100718b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler100718c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler100718d.jpg

Love. It.

Looking at these pictures makes me wonder: where will there be room for any trees in this development?

Looking at these pictures makes me wonder: where will there be room for any trees in this development?

Lots of street trees should be planted and there will be room in various open spaces

Looking at these pictures makes me wonder: where will there be room for any trees in this development?
The 50-foot median going down the middle of Runway Blvd will have trees.

I know this is just a small sample size... but the density is great. Might not be for everybody but it has an urban community feel as allowed to a suburban neighborhood.

Good thing we are giving them up to $70 something million in TIF money. How else would they have ever made money on this project with that kind of density and cheap building materials? *sarcasm*

Given all the money that has been thrown at the core I don't begrudge Wheeler receiving TIF funds. Hopefully it will spur development river south.

Good thing we are giving them up to $70 something million in TIF money. How else would they have ever made money on this project with that kind of density and cheap building materials? *sarcasm*

What is cheap about the building materials?

What is cheap about the building materials?

All siding exteriors on all but one home, and do they not even have a concrete slab foundation either? They are looking cheap and packed super dense all while asking a premium of $225/sf. Which is fine until you remember that TIF money is subsidizing this. I could understand a small amount so they could prove it up but they dont need help for every single road, utility and home they build. $70-80million or whatever they got was just outrageous, probably the most outrageous use of TIF we've seen. They arent reinventing the wheel here, just building typical cheap suburban homes really close together.

All siding exteriors on all but one home, and do they not even have a concrete slab foundation either? They are looking cheap and packed super dense all while asking a premium of $225/sf. Which is fine until you remember that TIF money is subsidizing this. I could understand a small amount so they could prove it up but they dont need help for every single road, utility and home they build. $70-80million or whatever they got was just outrageous, probably the most outrageous use of TIF we've seen. They arent reinventing the wheel here, just building typical cheap suburban homes really close together.

What's cheap about the exterior siding? Why do you assume they don't have a concrete slab foundation? (In fact, they do have concrete slab foundations)

All siding exteriors on all but one home, and do they not even have a concrete slab foundation either? They are looking cheap and packed super dense all while asking a premium of $225/sf. Which is fine until you remember that TIF money is subsidizing this. I could understand a small amount so they could prove it up but they dont need help for every single road, utility and home they build. $70-80million or whatever they got was just outrageous, probably the most outrageous use of TIF we've seen. They arent reinventing the wheel here, just building typical cheap suburban homes really close together.

??? Concrete slab foundations are very apparent in the photos.

What's cheap about the exterior siding? Why do you assume they don't have a concrete slab foundation? (In fact, they do have concrete slab foundations)


??? Concrete slab foundations are very apparent in the photos.

What is cheap about siding, such as the siding they are showing? A lot of things like looks and durability. Not a big deal really, unless the developer is getting a massive TIF package. We should expect a little higher quality if we are subsidizing it.

Going back a few more posts I can see they filled in between stem wall with concrete. Thought it might have just been a raised floor with a crawl space.

McAlister Construction (http://www.mcalisterconstructioninc.com/) are the builders for Wheeler. They are really unimpeachable in terms of the quality of their buildings. Not known for cutting corners, either.

The siding is Hardie Board. It is high quality and expensive siding.

The purpose of a TIF is to promote developments in areas that otherwise would remain stagnant in terms of growth. This also increases land value in turn increasing property taxes. This then raises more revenue for the city. It’s a long-term investment for the city.

All siding exteriors on all but one home, and do they not even have a concrete slab foundation either? They are looking cheap and packed super dense all while asking a premium of $225/sf. Which is fine until you remember that TIF money is subsidizing this. I could understand a small amount so they could prove it up but they dont need help for every single road, utility and home they build. $70-80million or whatever they got was just outrageous, probably the most outrageous use of TIF we've seen. They arent reinventing the wheel here, just building typical cheap suburban homes really close together.

See wheelerdistrict.com/home for their list of home standard features in the Wheeler District. Nothing on this list is "cheap". I can't think of any neighborhood in OKC that has a building standard this high. Metal Roofing, Geothermal HVAC, and aluminum clad wood windows is as top of the line as you can get in any housing market.

https://ibb.co/hVPRop

Looks like Wheeler removed prices from their website. Wonder why.

I was wondering about that as well. We are very interested in potentially moving there when we move back, but I’m not really interested in calling their sales office and getting a pitch initially. I wonder what caused them to removed them.

This is why you hire a realtor, we get to make all the pleasant phone calls for you :)

This is why you hire a realtor, we get to make all the pleasant phone calls for you :)

Hey Worthy Cook, Serious question here: In a situation with Wheeler, a new development where they are building houses for a set price (that could go up with buyer directed modifications), how does aa realtor come into play/help? I've always wondered that--if realtors were best for existing inventory or if they had a role to play in new builds too.

15059
Wheeler upclose

Does anyone have any insight as to when Wheeler is slated to begin constructing the commercial/retail/restaurant/etc. portions of the development?

Hey Worthy Cook, Serious question here: In a situation with Wheeler, a new development where they are building houses for a set price (that could go up with buyer directed modifications), how does aa realtor come into play/help? I've always wondered that--if realtors were best for existing inventory or if they had a role to play in new builds too.

First and foremost, when it comes to new builds, especially as something as unique as this development, I will always tell my buyer to proceed with caution. If you do not plan to be in that house for at least 5 years+, then I would consider an existing home. One of the best deals you can get is being the second owner of a less than 5 year old house. The original buyer paid the original premium, and to me that's when you can get a good deal, since most likely that home will be competing with newer construction. If that makes sense.

As with Wheeler I would hesitate guiding a buyer to be an original owner. Mainly because we don't know how the market is going to fare. Look at the Hill for example. It took ~8 years for the promised clubhouse to be finished. Since this is such an early stage in Wheeler I feel that we won't know how it will end up turning out. What if it doesn't't materialize to the extent that was promised? Then you are stuck. I'd honestly suggest anyone who is interested in this development wait 5 years and see what happens. Many realtors would probably keep their mouth shut and let the buyer decide, but i dont want that buyer to look and me and say "why didn't you warn me!" :)

As for your main question, I will have to give a selfish answer. It's always in your best interest to have your own representation in a real estate transaction. Some builders on here will probably get their feelings hurt, but i have seen too much nonsense happen with new builds (not custom homes). You have to understand that the builder is going to try to get the best deal for them. The biggest one is "give us full price and we will give you $xxx amount of incentives", which for the most part is finishing the house. I have see this too many times. Some examples are: garage door motors, small sections of fences, gutters, glass for showers, mirrors in bathrooms, ect. Most of this work added up is much less than the builder incentive amounts.

Lastly, I have had a few times where a builder and their representation offer my buyer a better price if they cut me out of the deal (which is for the most part illegal, but falls into the gray area). The ones who kept me ended up getting a better negotiated price. The ones who went with the builder didn't have the best experience and came to me afterwards and said that they felt the builder only did deals that work in their favor. Weird.

From the consumer side I will second that. I've been in my current house almost 20 years now, and it was brand new when I bought it. Luckily I had a realtor. The builders who built my home evidently have a reputation, for, shall we say shortcuts? There were quite a few issues the realtor helped us discover, and things that weren't really done right, that they were able to help us negotiate getting done or redone, and we still walked away paying less that list on the house. As a buyer in my 20's I would have been totally taken on this house without a realtor.

https://i.imgur.com/OgAHSEg.png
https://i.imgur.com/WvuwUAC.png

Seems to be coming along nicely!
Saw this youtube video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cKkgKbpTdM ) highlighting OKC with a lot of cool drone shots and screengrabbed these very recent shots of wheeler district. Around 1:35 in the vid.

^

Thanks.

That's a cool video and you can tell most the images are pretty new.

I had to drive back up north from the southside yesterday and decided to take Western. I don't think you really get the scope of the project and the density of it until you drive it this way. I was thinking, "Oh, is that the detached garage for the house? Nope, that is the house across the street, they are that close together and there are a lot of them..." I would urge everyone to drive it this way to fully understand what it is going to look like. I also noticed curbs had started. That is a big deal and once those are done, they can probably start doing streets. People moving in the spring isn't outside of the realm of possibilities.

Passed that area up Western this morning, you are right--these homes are very close--doubt if there is enough room to set up a smoker because there will be restrictions on grills with the homes being that close.

not sure there's value in them not being row homes at that point. it's not like you can use that in-between space. connect the walls, get more interior space, go up a story or two while at it...

Passed that area up Western this morning, you are right--these homes are very close--doubt if there is enough room to set up a smoker because there will be restrictions on grills with the homes being that close.

I don’t think the majority of people in Oklahoma understand the development style or architectural style that Wheeler District is bringing to the Oklahoma City market. It simply doesn’t exist in Oklahoma City (suburban sprawl is what we know). See link below for list of communities in the US that have similar development fundamentals offered in the Wheeler District. These new urbanist communities are highly successful. A combination of high quality new construction and 150 acre walkable/bikable mixed use community is rare when it comes to urban living (in any US market). Wheeler is positioned to be a real estate market disrupter.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:New_Urbanism_communities?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3sIKL2aLfAhUEKHwKHW-XAk0Q1i8wFXoECBEQGA

great examples in there include Issaquah Highlands (Seattle) and of course Uptown Dallas.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler121618a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler121618b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler121618c.jpg

I love love love this project, but have a question. The houses in clusters of three...what is the narrow strip between the houses used for? Will it be a narrow grassy area, a sidewalk or what?

15070
Believe it is a sidewalk

15070
Believe it is a sidewalk

a carless street

Wheeler District has a very similar look and feel as Carlton Landing at Eufaula lake. Very walkable.

very walkable inside it, like many neighborhoods, but not particularly walkable connecting to other areas of the city, something I hope is as avidly worked on as the interior walkability...

They said on their Facebook page they will be starting on construction of the commercial and mixed use parts soon.

I am willing to be friends with any number of people moving into Wheeler District. Shoot me a private message if you want a new friend!

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler012019a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler012019b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wheeler012019c.jpg

I’m so jealous of the people who get to live here.

Love. It!!!

Odd to see a development this big with very little materials or building supplies laying every where.

Odd to see a development this big with very little materials or building supplies laying every where.

A good sign of high quaility construction management and attention to detail.

Kind of interesting that they didn’t get the streets in before starting home construction. Regardless, looks impressive.

Those houses remind me of the houses at Carlton's Landing.

Those houses remind me of the houses at Carlton's Landing.

I bet whoever made that place is pissed that these guys are ripping them off.

I bet whoever made that place is pissed that these guys are ripping them off.
Interesting take...

I bet whoever made that place is pissed that these guys are ripping them off.

Is that sarcasm...?

If it isn't, it's the same development company and an intentional design choice.

The sarcasm seemed obvious to me.

They're both Humphreys projects. Just thought it was interesting they were using the same architecture.

well, I dislike these exactly as much as I thought I would, but I'm glad they're at least building

https://twitter.com/WheelerDistrict/status/1088520366979465217


It’s exciting to see the progress as Runway Boulevard is taking shape!

The footprint of the old #downtownairpark runway becomes a tree lined boulevard. A bike path will run down the center of the boulevard, connecting to the trails along the Oklahoma River! #urbanism #okc

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DxszfS3V4AAyzbf.jpg:large