SkyBox is still alive... Just not in OKC anymore.

From the JR:

Linked out: Topgolf competitor gives up on northwest Oklahoma City

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record January 20, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY – Growth in the northwest corridor is expected to continue in 2015, but it won’t include locally owned Skybox, a golf entertainment venue.

Origin LLC announced plans in August 2013 for Skybox, 13250 Highland Park Dr. Building permits were never filed, according to city records, though the facility was issued a variance.

No further permits will be filed in Oklahoma City, according to a statement released Tuesday by Origin. The company plans to take Skybox to another spot in the state.

“After careful consideration we decided to expand our options outside of the Oklahoma City market,” the company wrote in an email. “We are excited about the future of Origin and look forward to bringing our family-friendly destination to Oklahoma.”

Skybox would have been a direct competitor with Topgolf. The Dallas-based company will open its doors in the Chisholm Creek development in early summer, said Jason Evans, Topgolf spokesman. The company is building a 65,000-square-foot golf-themed entertainment facility at N. Western Avenue and Highland Park Boulevard. He said the venue will attract serious golfers and people just out for a night with friends, though a bulk of the audience will be families.

“More than half the people that come into Topgolf are not regular golfers,” Evans said.

He said Topgolf typically draws people from at least 30 minutes away, which was the population density the company evaluated when considering the location.

Topgolf, Cabela’s outdoor store and St. Anthony Healthplex are the beginning of the Chisholm Creek development. More amenities to come include housing, office space, a live entertainment venue, and more than 40 different retail spots. Some retail sites have offices or apartments on the second floor. There is also a hotel planned for the area.

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Retail Development and Recruitment Manager Tammy Fate said the Chisholm Creek managers project that the 170-acre mixed-use development will create more than 800 full- and part-time jobs and attract 2.2 million visitors annually. She said the presence of Topgolf and Cabela’s will lead other retailers to check out the city.

According to retail brokers, Topgolf, Cabela’s and Main Event are likely to be the beginning of a slate of new-to-market companies. When they do enter the city, the companies are often looking for interstate frontage, which the Western Avenue-Memorial Road area still has.

Price Edwards & Co. Senior Vice President of Retail Jim Parrack said Topgolf and Cabela’s are signs that Oklahoma City has moved up in its attractiveness to national retailers.

“We aren’t one of those 24-hour, can’t-miss retail markets,” Parrack said. “We are kind of on that level where we’re attracting those top-quality retailers.”

He said he doesn’t expect the retail growth to slow as long as housing developments are increasing north and west.

Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort Vice President of Retail Louis Almarez said the corridor’s complexion has changed over the years, as it once had more of an industrial feel.

“While it’s never been a remote area, for whatever reason when you went out there, you felt removed,” Almarez said.

That’s not the case anymore. He said sporting-goods companies and other major retailers are interested in that node.

“I think it’s going to be a very attractive trade area for us,” Almarez said.

They'll probably go to Tulsa. Although, it would be nice if they located to Norman instead. I think they could do well there.

OKC realtor sources have confirmed that Sky Box principle investors were in town last week to scout properties south of the new HeyDay off 35, and directly adjacent to the Embassy Suites in Norman. Both sites are of interest because the hitting stations have to face East and those pieces of land would be large enough. Investors are very interested in the Norman/Moore/OKC marketplace with all of the new infrastructure and obvious appeal to both corporate and student populations.

That's awesome! Always good to have options.

That's awesome! Always good to have options.

Exactly, very exciting. Both of those locations are prime for growth.

I have a friend who is following their real estate ventures and apparently Sky Box is looking at land parcels in Jacksonville as well.