Plans are moving forward to renovate the historic Page Woodson school into housing as part of a large mixed-use development on Oklahoma City's near northeast side.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/page051115k.jpg

Ron Bradshaw of Colony Partners has submitted detailed plans to the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA) which will be considered for approval at their meeting this Wednesday.

The plans call for converting the three-level school into 68 apartments and for a new four-level building to be built immediately to the east, which will also have 68 living units. All 136 apartments will be for lower-income tenants.


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Bradshaw is working with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Authority which will set rents at approximately 60-70% of current market rates. Tenants will be required to meet income guidelines set by the authority.

The school was built in 1910 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In order to receive redevelopment tax credits, the building will need to be strictly preserved. For example, all windows will be replaced but must closely resemble the originals. The exterior will be cleaned but largely not altered.

Bradshaw told OKCTalk that the corridors and stairways will be refurbished but kept as original as possible. The classrooms will not be subdivided in any way; they will merely be re-purposed as living units within their existing walls.


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The building, which has been vacant for more than two decades, includes a beautiful and historic 900-seat auditorium, complete with balcony. Bradshaw intends to restore the facility to is original grandeur and to make it available to the community.


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The gym will be partitioned into apartments but the dilapidated swimming pool – at the southeast corner of the building and not original to the school – will be demolished. The lobby will feature memorabilia from the school's history and that of the African American community in Oklahoma City.

Solomon Layton, who also designed the Oklahoma state capitol building, was the architect of the school which was the original location for Douglas High School.

Smith Dahlia Architects of Atlanta is overseeing the school renovation while Butzer Architects of Oklahoma City is heading up design on the new construction.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/page051115b.jpg

Bradshaw hopes to start clean-up and asbestos removal very soon, with renovation to start sometime around August. About a month later, the new structure will commence. The goal is to complete the entire project by mid to late 2016.

In addition the the school property which Bradshaw purchased from OKC Public Schools in 2013, his group also was awarded the right to develop five surrounding blocks owned by OCURA as part of an RFP process.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/page051115p.jpg

Bradshaw's plan is to develop all five blocks into market-rate housing and commercial space. The development will happen in a rolling fashion with the goal of full completion by 2018.

This makes me incredibly happy.

Love that structure, love that local developers are increasingly investing into historical renovations even when there is little/any profit to be made, and very excited about that entire area south of NE 8th, all the way to the RR tracks.

Very cool. Love that a neat old building like this is being repurposed.

What are they going to do with all that acreage? Build a park?

That is going to be nice. I must be getting old because I wish all schools looked like that. That style of design seems to lend a greater sense of importance to a learning institution IMO. I am trying to think of a better way to state that, but hopefully you get the point. The apartments could be very nice. I have seen a couple of older schools converted to housing and there are some neat possibilities to include lofts and other features depending on the ceiling heights, etc. If the Adventure Line is ever built and is actually operated as part of a transit system, a stop at the small parking lot at Washington Park would get people to Bricktown and downtown. That area could be a very nice neighborhood.

I remember going to school there when it was called Page Woodson 5th Year Center. I loved that place.

A PUD application was just submitted for this project.

Looks like they are getting ready to move forward with renovation plans.

According to Steve, two groups are competing to develop the surrounding area.

Two groups compete to develop property surrounding closed Page-Woodson school | News OK (http://newsok.com/two-groups-compete-to-develop-property-surrounding-closed-page-woodson-school/article/4949047)


New Page LLC., led by developer Ron Bradshaw, already owns the school and is seeking to build 464 residences on the 12 acres at NE 4 and Kelley Avenue. Bradshaw proposes paying $900,000 for the land. He also wants to apply for $950,000 in tax increment financing to reconstruct the street grid on the site so that High Street and Stonewall Avenue can be extended to NE 4, and NE 5 can be connected to Kelley Avenue.

No such reconstruction of the street grid is envisioned in the competing proposal by Cincinnati-based Miller Valentine Group, which seeks to build 122 apartments and 20 town homes on the site with gated alley access, surface parking and greenspace areas between the complexes.

Sounds like Bradshaw has a fabulous proposal. Here comes the roaring emergence of yet another neighborhood we didn't even realize we had. This will tie together a few smaller SoSA-esque projects in this area and by reconnecting the street grid, make a huge impact.

We are going to wish the hotel project and Toby Keith project were both more urban because there would have been an easy urban connection between downtown and OUHSC.

Maybe this is just because I'm in education, but I always thought it would be so cool to reopen it as a school. Maybe something like Classen SAS is, although maybe they're too close to one another for that to be viable. Just wishful thinking, I guess! :D

A good analysis of the proposals from Steve in his blog.

Intriguing Possibilities at Page Woodson | News OK (http://newsok.com/intriguing-possibilities-at-page-woodson/article/4949473)

The first rendering is from the Miller/Valentine proposal, the rest are from the Bradshaw group:



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http://www.okctalk.com/attachments/development-buildings/8330d1403633663-page-woodson-school-newpage2.jpg

That is awesome!

I wonder why those are all brick and we got the crappy EIFS on the Maywood Apartments?

I love the Bradshaw proposal. Can't believe the competing proposal is even serious.

Bradshaw has his hands full: Maywood II, Civic Center Flats, Page Woodson (the actual school) and now this proposal for the area surrounding Page Woodson.

Proposal 1 (except for the community lawn) is a joke! I hope we jump start JFK development with quality projects the community and leadership will be proud of 20 years from now.

Bradshaw's proposal is everything we could hope for. It's mix of uses will be a great addition to the Eastside. I actually do not like the community space in the other proposal because it is a waste. There is a large park (Washington Park) directly across NE 4th St.

0.02

Man, the east side is developing serious, REAL momentum. This is a GREAT thing for OKC.

It's a neat little area over there with great access to downtown.

And Page Woodson is *cool*. Can't wait to see it renovated.

I wonder why those are all brick and we got the crappy EIFS on the Maywood Apartments?

This might be a LIHTC project, ironically enough, allowing Bradshaw to write off the construction costs. He probably doesn't even need to syndicate the credit given the scope of what else he is doing. LIHTC deals are like this all over OH and PA - looks like the development practice is catching up to OKC.

Steve's update.

Redevelopment of historic Oklahoma City school includes housing | News OK (http://newsok.com/redevelopment-of-historic-oklahoma-city-school-includes-housing/article/5363663)


Redevelopment of the 80-year-old Page-Woodson school, including construction of new housing, is set to start next year following a decision Tuesday by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority to sell the land to developer Ron Bradshaw.
New Page’s plans include restoring the school and its 750-seat auditorium and restoring it as a center of community activity with the aid of historic preservation tax credits. New Page’s plans also include developing 464 units of rental housing in the area in five different phases over a period of about four years that would be a mix of market-rate and affordable units.

+100 to this project. I think this will really pay off with the proximity to downtown and hospital city.

Great to see something bringing some residential life back to the area. It's sort of iron considering how much effort has been put into pushing people out all these years.

I agree it's a great project either way, but I'm disappointed that MV didn't win the deal. They're a really first class developer that we want to get active in OKC.

So, Ron Bradshaw's group -- which owns the school itself -- also won the right to develop the land around it.

Really glad to hear they plan to restore the old auditorium. There is a big indoor pool as well but it doesn't sound like that will be saved:


New Page’s plans include restoring the school and its 750-seat auditorium and restoring it as a center of community activity with the aid of historic preservation tax credits. New Page’s plans also include developing 464 units of rental housing in the area in five different phases over a period of about four years that would be a mix of market-rate and affordable units.

I agree it's a great project either way, but I'm disappointed that MV didn't win the deal. They're a really first class developer that we want to get active in OKC.

Their design was so icky though. Gated apartment complexes don't belong in the urban core.

The OCURA board encouraged Miller Valentine to apply for other projects.

Hopefully they will.

Good sign we are getting interest from more out of state developers.

SIAP

Page Woodson REVISITED | Abandoned Oklahoma (http://www.abandonedok.com/page-woodson-school-revisited/)

Lots of pictures of the inside on that site.

What a great building.

^

Thanks for posting that, I was just about to go looking for it.

That auditorium is very, very cool -- with a balcony no less.


I'm fascinated to see what the plans may be. I hope they keep as many as the original hallways, doors and staircases as possible. So flipping cool!

I liked both proposals and didn't think there was really any way to go wrong here. One thing that definitely needs to be addressed is the sidewalk issue. I chose to run from Douglas HS to Deep Deuce via NE 4th St, and after you reach Washington Park, the sidewalk mysteriously vanishes. That means there will be no sidewalk access from these blocks to Washington Park right across the street. Secondly, the sidewalks are intermittent heading west into Deep Deuce. Crossing Lincoln requires intestinal fortitude or Usain Bolt speed. Fortunately, people were willing to yield for me although they had to the right to pass.

Other than the park and the the proximity to downtown, this area offers a community center for kids to recreate in, a post office mere blocks away, the Medical Community within a stone's throw, and the possibility for a streetcar stop if the Katy Trail right-of-way is ever used to connect downtown with the Adventure District. Tons of potential here.

So, Ron Bradshaw's group -- which owns the school itself -- also won the right to develop the land around it.

Really glad to hear they plan to restore the old auditorium. There is a big indoor pool as well but it doesn't sound like that will be saved:

I didn't see the pool mentioned but I wouldn't be surprised if it is deleted. Do you have other information about that?
It would also be great if the gym area with the basketball court could be incorporated.

The OCURA board encouraged Miller Valentine to apply for other projects.

Hopefully they will.

Good sign we are getting interest from more out of state developers.

I would be curious if either of the developers had a LIHTC allocation. They may have just been establishing site control in order to apply to get funded. OHFA seems to disproportionately award projects in rural cities.

I would be curious if either of the developers had a LIHTC allocation. They may have just been establishing site control in order to apply to get funded. OHFA seems to disproportionately award projects in rural cities.

Spartan, since most poster here wouldn't have a clue what you're talking about , would you care to go into a little more detail about what all of those letters mean?

Spartan, since most poster here wouldn't have a clue what you're talking about , would you care to go into a little more detail about what all of those letters mean?

OHFA is the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. They award housing tax credits to developers for a variety of reasons. Hence, a LIHTC is a low-income housing tax credit. It would be highly unlikely that OHFA would award a housing tax credit to any developer for this project without first knowing who had development rights. Sparty's probably just tired.

OHFA is the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. They award housing tax credits to developers for a variety of reasons. Hence, a LIHTC is a low-income housing tax credit. It would be highly unlikely that OHFA would award a housing tax credit to any developer for this project without first knowing who had development rights. Sparty's probably just tired.

Thanks for that. I think sometimes Spartan just posts things that he knows others won't understand just so he appears to be smarter than others.

OHFA is the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. They award housing tax credits to developers for a variety of reasons. Hence, a LIHTC is a low-income housing tax credit. It would be highly unlikely that OHFA would award a housing tax credit to any developer for this project without first knowing who had development rights. Sparty's probably just tired.

The problem is that we had two competing developers who were both proposing LIHTC, which is competitively awarded each year, and it takes a year to go through that application process. What I'm getting at is how that could possibly match up with any kind of construction timeline promised to OCURA?

The only thing that they could possibly promise is that they would then have site control, a procedural necessity to move forward...I am sure that they won't be breaking ground on the market rate before they get the tax credit funding.

The problem is that we had two competing developers who were both proposing LIHTC, which is competitively awarded each year, and it takes a year to go through that application process. What I'm getting at is how that could possibly match up with any kind of construction timeline promised to OCURA?

The only thing that they could possibly promise is that they would then have site control, a procedural necessity to move forward...I am sure that they won't be breaking ground on the market rate before they get the tax credit funding.

I wouldn't get too attached to any timelines, even one pushed by OCURA. If OCURA understands that both projects need to apply for LIHTC and that will take a year, there clearly will be some room to renegotiate the timeline. The market-rate units on Block 1 are likely to undergo development first, while the group seeks tax credits for Block 2. As of yet, neither potential developer has even filed an application for with OHFA:

http://www.novoco.com/low_income_housing/resource_files/qap/2014/oklahoma/oklahoma_2014_second_round_funding_100814.pdf

Yup. Not a single OKC or Tulsa deal.

I really don't think they'd proceed with market rate first without the larger component moving forward (I wouldn't). I really think the whole development timeline is pushed back, which comes at a time that OCURA has pressure to hold developers to timelines.

In the first round of applications for 2014, the Classen Commons (northwest portion of the Villa Teresa block) was awarded a LIHTC. Not sure what your implication is here, to be honest. Most of the applicants are rural; it stands to reason that most of the awards will be given to rural developers then.

Most states commit 2/3 of the deals to urban areas. Granted, I have very little familiarity with Oklahoma's development agencies, but I can't imagine it being too different from OH PA MI WV KY..

Sorry if I'm being really clueless right now, but I appreciate that you seem familiar with how this is done in OK. I know that the historic tax credit awards are specifically biased toward rural areas because that is where its political opposition comes from.. so I assumed a similar situation.

The allocation plans for these kinds of programs tell you everything you need to know about a state's urban/rural power split.

Does anyone know of a site or someplace we might see pics of the inside of Page Woodson when it was still open and fucntioning as a school? Any vintage pics?

10766

Anything going on here?
Did oil kill this deal?

10766

Anything going on here?
Did oil kill this deal?

While anything is possible, I've seen nothing to indicate the deal is off. The original article in the Oklahoma just said it would start this year and we still have 8 months left in the year.

They are probably waiting to get a housing tax credit allocation.

Big update in the article at the top of the page and in our News section.

They will be starting work very soon.

I learned something very interesting from Ron Bradshaw while discussing this project with him, something Urbanized probably knows but was new to me.

He said when applying for historic tax credits. that when it comes to windows in particular they require a complete mock-up and installation at the building site before approval is provided.

Which completely explains why there has been one new window installed at The Plow and 21c for a long time.

I'm sure it was to get the needed approval, then the larger order was placed. Interesting stuff.

Good to know. Will have some great views to the West and North sitting on higher ground.

There's an article from Steve in the Oklahoman about this that is accessible through this tweet (https://twitter.com/benfelder_okg/status/598888060885958657) by Ben Felder (for the sake of politeness to Ben in providing these free links to an otherwise unavailable article I'm just posting the tweet).

Why does it seem when someone brings up an old project/site/thread asking about what is going on, announcement of redevelopment/renovation takes place almost immediately. Maybe I am imagining that this happens more often than it actually does...

Just seems odd that Stickman asks about this after half a year of crickets, then suddenly days later there is information.

I don't think these are so much "announcements" as they are stories. I don't feel like developers are lining up at Daily Oklahoman, Journal Record and OKC Talk's doors to update us on what's going on. I imagine Pete, Steve, Brianna, and Molly all have to go pull permits, initiate conversations with developers, inquire from other sources what's going on and then they relay that information to us.

Truth be told, I think OKC has enough going on that any given source of information is capable of completely missing a story, or letting a story slip through the cracks after an initial announcement.

Yes, it's true that when someone asks about a project and I haven't check on it in a while, I'll go looking.

And usually with renovation / redevelopment projects, there is a specific process so there are usually steps along the way that can be checked on.

I learned something very interesting from Ron Bradshaw while discussing this project with him, something Urbanized probably knows but was new to me.

He said when applying for historic tax credits. that when it comes to windows in particular they require a complete mock-up and installation at the building site before approval is provided.

Which completely explains why there has been one new window installed at The Plow and 21c for a long time.

I'm sure it was to get the needed approval, then the larger order was placed. Interesting stuff.

When OCU was restoring the old Central High School...they replaced all the windows, (other than the leaded glass windows over the doors)...and they had to use exact replicas of the old windows, but the first ones they ordered did not meet specifications for the historical site as the pitch of the window sill was off by a couple of degrees So they had to send those back and get order new ones with the right pitch.

Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency Approves Funding for the Conversion of Page Woodson School in Oklahoma City Into Affordable Housing Apartments
05/27/2015

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency’s Board of Trustees approved during its May meeting reservations of four percent Affordable Housing Tax Credits and the issuance of tax-exempt multi-family bonds for the creation of 136 affordable apartments.

New Page, LLC was awarded a maximum of $1 million in four percent Affordable Housing Tax Credits and a maximum of $25 million in tax-exempt multi-family bonds to convert the former Page Woodson School, 600 N. High Ave. in Oklahoma City, into 68 apartments and to construct a new building to house an additional 68 apartments on the same property. All 136 units will be rented to residents earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income.

“This is a very important historic rehabilitation in Oklahoma City in an area experiencing a housing renaissance,” said OHFA Executive Director Dennis Shockley.

OHFA is authorized to issue tax-exempt bonds for the construction and rehabilitation of low and moderate income multi-family rental developments. Tax-exempt bonds provide a source of long-term below market interest rate financing since interest on the bonds is exempt from federal income taxes for investors.

The tax credit amount listed is received each year for the first 10 years of a project’s operating period. For example, a $500,000 reservation results in a total tax credit award of $5 million. Those credits are then sold to investors. Proceeds provide equity financing that ultimately results in reduced rents for tenants. OHFA serves as both the bond and tax credit issuer for this development.

Has anything happened with this?

11623

That's a big bond deal.

I'm very pleased to hear they are still moving forward with this.

Basically says they plan to start construction this August and be completely finished by 2019 with the first phases opening up in 2017.

School development is seen as catalyst for JFK neighborhood's revival in Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/school-development-is-seen-as-catalyst-for-jfk-neighborhoods-revival-in-oklahoma-city/article/5455731)

They have construction fences all around but otherwise not much evidence of progress.

Walking around there makes you appreciate the property and the surrounding area. So much potential and such easy access to the HSC and downtown.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/page111515.jpg

There's a lot of site testing and underwriting approvals that must happen with tax credit developments. Every entity involved in the deal will want to dissect that pro forma. Perhaps they weren't as far along on Phase 2 Environmental Tests for example, given that it's kind of surprising the project cleared OHFA's underwriting standards so quickly. This really seems like more of a 9% project, but this being a feasible 4% deal just speaks to the huge demand for affordable housing within the primary market area.

It will be after the first of the year before you see any progress. My understanding is there is a hang up somehow on the financial end of this deal. Until that is ironed out, (which I'm told will happen) no work will begin. They are spending quite a bit a day on security. They now have 24 hour security from what I am told.

It will be after the first of the year before you see any progress. My understanding is there is a hang up somehow on the financial end of this deal. Until that is ironed out, (which I'm told will happen) no work will begin. They are spending quite a bit a day on security. They now have 24 hour security from what I am told.

Thanks so much for the info.

You can see in that photo I posted that they actually have portable lighting in both the front and back of the property, no doubt to help keep it secure.