That is correct. It's all about tax dollars.

Was just a joke fellas

University Town Center readies for Christmas

By Trisha Evans
Business Writer

NORMAN — Residents here won't have to go far to find items on their friends' and families' wish lists this Christmas.
The city's newest shopping center, University Town Center, is filling up with tenants as retailers prepare to open in time for Santa.

More than a dozen stores are hoping to open their doors in time for holiday shopping, said developer Brad Goodwin.

"Their goal is, as for all retailers, is to be open by Christmas,” Goodwin said. "In the next 30 to 60 days that whole area is really going to open up.”

Kohl's and T.J. Maxx opened earlier this month.

Dress Barn, Maurices, Rack Room Shoes, Petco, Circuit City and Office Depot are expected to open before Christmas. Most will open by the end of November, he said.

To the north of SuperTarget, several smaller stores — T-Mobile, Sally Beauty Supply, Sports Clips, Motherhood, Great Clips and AT&T Wireless — also are expected to open by the end of November, Goodwin said.

"We're really surprised to be ahead of schedule,” he said.

Other businesses scheduled to open soon include: Vintage Stock, Citi Financial, Allure Nail Salon, a hair salon for children called Snip-its, and Westies Shoes.

"Most everything you see is already leased,” Goodwin said.

Athletic Village will open in February, and Qdoba Mexican Grill will open in May.

However, the development is far from finished. University Town Center's master plan calls for 2.5 million square feet of new retail space, and the shopping center is only in the first of six phases, said Stanton Nelson, partner and spokesman for the University Town Center LLC.

"I think the exciting part for us is we're starting to work on the lifestyle center portion of the development,” Nelson said. "When you look at what's going to separate this project from any other is the lifestyle center.”

Nelson said the shopping center will be the first pure lifestyle center in the state, and he compared it to The Plaza in Kansas City.

"It's an outdoor pedestrian mall, basically,” Nelson said. "It will have a real Main Street feel.”

He said there are still a couple steps before construction can begin on Legacy Park, an 8- to -10-acre public park that's part of the project. A water feature, more than an acre large, will create an appealing site for restaurants around the water, Nelson said.

The first restaurant, Pei Wei, is expected to open sometime near the end of the year. Goodwin said Cheddar's, Mimi's and Logan's Steakhouse have signed contracts, but construction for those hasn't started yet.

The City of Norman estimates it will derive $1.25 million in tax revenue from the center for fiscal year 2007, which began July 1.



http://static.newsok.biz/article/3155212/UTC.jpg_10-24-2007_9Q53DMA.jpg

Work continues Tuesday on University Town Center, NW 24 near Robinson and Interstate 35 in Norman. by STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

Like the Plaza? That would exciting, I do love the Plaza. Somehow I don't see us getting that level of retailers though. Clothing places like Standard Style and Armani Exchange would be amazing, but they've been hesitant to move out here so far.

^ My guess is it would be retailers similar to what is already present in Quail Creek and Penn Square, maybe a couple new ones to Oklahoma. I doubt it's anything TOO upscale. I think if you were an upscale retailer you would want something more unique, like Campus Corner. I'd much rather see those types of stores there or in downtown rather than in UNP.

I could definitely see this destroying Sooner Mall though if their stores bail for the new lifestyle center. Their site plan shows space for three department stores, one of which could be a new Dillard's. Losing Dillard's would be a big blow to that mall. I'd rather Norman have one "mall" though and that would be UNP. Redevelop the Sooner Mall site and concentrate more upscale and/or local retail in areas like Brookhaven, downtown/Main, and Campus Corner.

Guess so venture...Just thought it weird they would put another that close is all

No more strange than 2 Super Wal Marts within 3 miles of each other.

I'm surprised how negative folks are on this project. There are big names working it... let's hold out, I think it's really going to happen.

Norman doesn't have a Macy's, so hopefully it will be going into UNP. Other than that, there are several department stores that are common in the region but not in OKC, such as Sak's, Mervyn's, and Nordstrom. Hopefully we will get one or all of them.

I dont disagree with what you mentioned, except with mervyns. There isn't one of those anywhere within 500 miles of here if not further. That place sucks anyway.

For the sake of my checkbook, i hope saks or nordstroms doesnt come here. my wife will have a hey day

Here's one that they have in Wichita that is very upscale and very out of place in their dumpy mall.

http://www.vonmaur.com/Default.aspx?PageID=48

There used to be a Mervyn's in Tulsa. Not sure if it is still there.

Checked their website, looks like it went out of business.

There's also one in Austin, TX.

The Mervyn's in Tulsa is now an empty shell of a buildings. Not that anyone is terribly sad about that.

I think this will be a nice area but I hope the shops on Ed Noble survive, not to mention the mall....

This link contains TIF information and renderings of the Embassy Suites and Legacy Park:

http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/pdf_files/UnivNorthParkTIF.pdf

Just an update: University Park was dead useful on Black Friday. If only circuit city had been open, I could've done all my shopping in one place!

I'm with Hyper...I did quite a bit of my Black Friday shopping at UNP. Kohl's was busy, but not overly packed. All the other stores flowed pretty well also. It is going to be so nice once everything is completed and more stores are in there. It will definitely be my primary shopping stop - no more need to drive to the City.

I think the stores at Ed Noble should be okay. There aren't going to be any duplicate stores at UNP. I definitely think Sooner Mall may see an impact though. However, there is a trend to get away from the old standard mall designs. I personally would not be hurt to see the mall close and land redeveloped into a business park.

Yeah I also would like to see the stores inside Sooner Mall just get absorbed by the lifestyle center portion of UNP. Then raze the mall and build a combination of office buildings and new dense residential. Build the more upscale and local/regional retail in downtown or Campus Corner. Norman then has two major retail zones: UNP by I-35 and central Norman along Main and Boyd.

Interestingly, I heard from a source that American Eagle plans to have a store in the lifestyle center in addition to Sooner Mall, which is one of it's highest volume stores in Oklahoma.

Really? That seems like a bit of overkill. Maybe it'll lead to other clothing stores moving in through. Preferably better ones.....

Really? That seems like a bit of overkill. Maybe it'll lead to other clothing stores moving in through. Preferably better ones.....

I like AE, though it may be a bit expensive sometimes, but not as much as others. It's still nice either way.

It's really no different than Bath & Body having a store in Quail Springs and one across Memorial in front of Old Navy.

does anyone know the timeline for the phase that will include the water feature with the restaurants and boutique shopping area?

And does anyone know specifically what"upscale" stores and restaurants are signed up? I keep hearing stores like Nordstroms, Saks etc. Give me a break. The demographics in this region do not justify putting in that type of store. There is no Nordstroms in OK and I would think OKC would be the priority over University Park. The only Saks in OK is Tulsa and it has been rumored for years they would like to pull out after their long term lease is up. If Saks is not happy in Tulsa they would not be happy in Norman. So what upscale stores do you all realistically think might come here?

And does anyone know specifically what"upscale" stores and restaurants are signed up? I keep hearing stores like Nordstroms, Saks etc. Give me a break. The demographics in this region do not justify putting in that type of store. There is no Nordstroms in OK and I would think OKC would be the priority over University Park. The only Saks in OK is Tulsa and it has been rumored for years they would like to pull out after their long term lease is up. If Saks is not happy in Tulsa they would not be happy in Norman. So what upscale stores do you all realistically think might come here?

Wow, you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?!!! No need to be a Debbie Downer dude, lol.

LOL. I think some people forget all those nice college kids with their parent's credit card. They aren't paying for that new BMW or Land Rover they are driving around themselves.

Also...if a brand doesn't have any locations in about 150 miles - that will help UNP's cause. I think the one big thing we are waiting on, at least the upscale retailers are waiting on, is to see how much foot traffic there will be. When we get into the mode where you see people walking from store to store and the parking lots getting full - then we'll see the big guys jump on.

Of course it wouldn't hurt if retailers in Sooner Mall decided that they would move. Granted GGP would have a stink about it, but that plot of land would make a really nice business park.

this sounds great, maybe they'll put in some really really cool stores like Game Xchange, Gordman's, or Payless Shoes. I always thought this center was going to be upscale stores but it sucks ! ! ! same ol poop as everywhere else in okc.

Turnacus: The phase being built right now is not supposed to be upscale. The upscale portion will be located in the lifestyle center that will be built on the east side of 24th, adjacent to the new John Q Hammonds hotel.

this sounds great, maybe they'll put in some really really cool stores like Game Xchange, Gordman's, or Payless Shoes. I always thought this center was going to be upscale stores but it sucks ! ! ! same ol poop as everywhere else in okc.

I dont understand people like you Turanacus...i guess it is just ignorance. You may not know that this is just the beginning. What you thus far has always been planned to be those stores and never rumored to be more than that. The next phase is the lifestyle mall which they havent even broken ground on yet. That will be the part that has the upscale stores and not the payless or game xchange.

It might help for you to get informed on something before you bash it. It just makes you look like you dont know what you are talking about, as in this case, you dont.

does anyone know the timeline for the phase that will include the water feature with the restaurants and boutique shopping area?

The water phase is Phase three i believe and the boutique shops are phase four. they are currently working on phase 3 and phase four i think is planned to open in fall of 2009. This is just what i remember reading in the daily oklahoman.

I think people need to realize that what is there now, is the initial every day stuff to get people out there. Since it is pretty well established, it will make for a much easier launch for the lifestyle center stores. If I were to take a stab at some of the stores we will see in there, the list would reflect some of what is at Penn Square...

Coach, Sunglass Hut, Yankee Candle, Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, Express, J Crew, Ann Taylor, Bombay, pick a bookstore, Chico's, Christopher and Banks, Coldwater, Lane Bryant, New York & Co, Starbucks (not upscale, but duh lol), Talbots, blah blah blah.

I'm sure there are others that are better choices, but that would be my guess on who you will see in most of the buildings.

http://soonerinvestment.com/pdf_flyers/univ_town_ctr_norman_dp-0807.pdf

Check this out and it will clarify a little bit about the general layout for everyone.

http://soonerinvestment.com/pdf_flyers/univ_town_ctr_norman_dp-0807.pdf

Check this out and it will clarify a little bit about the general layout for everyone.

Also....

http://www.soonerinvestment.com/pdf_flyers/univTownCenter_BigBrochure-0607.pdf

$88,653 average household income within a 1 mile radius of the center

That's pretty good demographics...

I think people need to realize that what is there now, is the initial every day stuff to get people out there. Since it is pretty well established, it will make for a much easier launch for the lifestyle center stores. If I were to take a stab at some of the stores we will see in there, the list would reflect some of what is at Penn Square...

Coach, Sunglass Hut, Yankee Candle, Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, Express, J Crew, Ann Taylor, Bombay, pick a bookstore, Chico's, Christopher and Banks, Coldwater, Lane Bryant, New York & Co, Starbucks (not upscale, but duh lol), Talbots, blah blah blah.

I'm sure there are others that are better choices, but that would be my guess on who you will see in most of the buildings.


I may be a DebbieDowner but these stores mentioned above are not my idea of upscale stores. I thought the stores would be unique and these are not. Same ole, same ole as in any decent mall. I was told by a city development planner that I would be happy with the upscale area so hope I am but not holding my breath! Naturally he declined to give me any hints. Maybe that is because there are not that many great prospects who would sign on?

Maybe Williams Sonoma since the CEO Lester is an OU grad and I would love to see WS in Norman. So what stores have any of the rest of you have heard that are truly upscale?

Hey, I am just being realistic and not with my Norman colored glasses on. Excuse me if that does not work for you. :)

I heard Williams Sonoma would be a possibility as well...They definitely need to offer something different than the traditional retail fare if they want to go for a Utica Square style concept. We'll see how it pans out I guess...

I'm not saying they are the upscale we want...what i'm saying is those are who you'll probably see most likely. We'll probably get some other upscale stuff mixed in with those typical crowd drawers.

Relax people... your upscale will be in the OKC metro before you know it.

Many retailers are starting to take notice to the fact that we have several locations of most national chains. We are not a city that has only one two locations of a particular retailer. When every major retailer you can think of has three or four stores and planning more locations that speaks volumes about a city.

I am willing bet by 2010 we will have 95% of the retail stores Dallas and Kansas City has. By 2020, we will have everything every major city has across the country.

We are on the map, the seeds are planted, now we just have to wait for the seeds to grow. As long as our government officials do not do something stupid, we will have one hell of a crop to harvest.

The latest plans for UNP show a 45,800sf "Specialty Foods" store:

http://cdx.xceligent.com/Attachments/696/1094696.pdf

The updated plans also show a third department store at the Town Center.

Now if they would just make the theatre bigger so Hollywood can finally get replaced. Hollywood is in a nice spot for another hotel. :)

I am willing bet by 2010 we will have 95% of the retail stores Dallas and Kansas City has.

I don't know about 95% in 2 more years, especially in regard to Dallas.

wow by the looks of the new plan, this thing is going to be huge i mena really huge, wow i can not wait, south moore is getting all these shops and a lifestyle center and down the road indian hills is turning into a fun kid and family activity area, now this huge i mean huge development is going in at norman, there is no need to ever drive to okc for any retail or dinning

Pretty much. Once the new theatre opens in Moore, that is as far north as I will drive for "entertainment". I like Harkins and all...but Bricktown doesn't have anything for me that I can't get down here. I don't really bother with the local minor league teams, so they aren't a draw for me. Dining and retail though...yeah, no point to go north anymore.

Hollywood can finally get replaced.

I'll second that! The Hollywood (or Spotlight, as it is also known) is the most poorly managed and maintained movie theater I have ever experienced. I have not been there now for almost a year, opting instead to make the drive up to Harkins. However, when the Warren opens (only four miles north of the Norman city limits) I'll be heading there.

I do want to go to the Warren. I think we'll continue going to Harkins. We like to go down and maybe eat lunch at Nonna's and then watch a movie. We just don't do it very often.

We haven't been to Hollywood in a long time either.

anyone have an updated pic or pics of UNP?

I have heard the Specialty Food store will be a Whole Foods Grocery Store.

I'd like to see Academy open up in UNP

I'd like to see a Dave and Busters open up in UNP

Man a Whole Foods would be awesome!! Trader Joes would be even better.

I'd like to see Academy open up in UNP

Academy is a crappy store. Why not go for a Dick's or an REI?

Man a Whole Foods would be awesome!! Trader Joes would be even better.

Agree completely. As I understand it though, Trader Joes will not expand into Oklahoma because of our archaic liquor laws which prohibit selling wine in a grocery store. That's a shame, because Trader Joes is awesome.

Trader Joe's closest locations are in Santa Fe, NM and St. Louis. They aren't even in Texas.

Im so glad that Norman is becoming the Retail shopping mecca of the south, (emphasis on sarcasm)
but it sure would be nice to see someone develop some of this real estate into some residential or some other kind of development (entertainment, etc) like that of downtown okc.

we seem to be nothing but a shopping mall, for cars and what ever retail store you can dream of .

When is Norman going to get a developer to work on the infrastructure of the town, or should we just let the town become Edmondized as ive seen on someone 's bumper sticker.

Come on Norman do we need all this retail here? Guess we gotta give those football fans something to do before and after the games. After all , the University had something to do with this UNP anyway...things that make you go hmmmmm.

Yes, Trader Joe's is not even in TX as posted above. I have been to many TJ's on east and west coasts and AZ and I have gotten the phone number of HQ and called and put in a good word. It is something about distribution network with the products they sell.

A Whole Foods although pricey is better than nothing. The Whole Foods in Tulsa which was a Wild Oats until the merger is one of their top selling stores percentage wise and I was told they want to move from their 41 and Peoria location to way out south so they can have an even larger store. And of course the Tulsa one does not sell wine and is thriving anyway.

Agree completely. As I understand it though, Trader Joes will not expand into Oklahoma because of our archaic liquor laws which prohibit selling wine in a grocery store. That's a shame, because Trader Joes is awesome.

At one point there was a group trying to get a petition going to call a vote on this very subject and make grocery store liquor sales legal. Does anyone know the status of that?

The last time I looked the website for that group had not been update in a really long time.

Recently, I know that Qdoba and Athletic Village have both opened stores in UNP; the John Q. Hammons hotel (which in my opinion, all look the same, and they don't look good) is also almost complete. It will at least be nice to have a big, nice hotel in Norman.

It seems like Phase I, or whatever they are doing right now, is the more basic retail stuff. Hopefully the later phases of this project will bring some better tenants than a Pet's Mart and a Cingular Wireless. Otherwise, this thing will be not much to get excited about, IMO. Just another spiffy oversized strip center on I-35.

That's a bit negative, though. Maybe that was the intention: to see if phase one could be bursting at the seams supporting "regular stuff" to encourage the higher end merchants to sign on.

[QUOTE=john60;141953].

It seems like Phase I, or whatever they are doing right now, is the more basic retail stuff. Hopefully the later phases of this project will bring some better tenants than a Pet's Mart and a Cingular Wireless. Otherwise, this thing will be not much to get excited about, IMO. Just another spiffy oversized strip center on I-35.

A person involved with this told me that indeed Phase I is as expressed above. I'm not sure if it is Phase II or Phase III that is supposed to have the "upscale" merchants. But anyone I ask can not tell me who some of these might be. I think it will be mid level chains like Black and White and Anne Taylor Loft. I can't imagine Nordstrom's, Neiman Marcus, Saks coming in there since there are no Nordstrom's or Neiman Marcus' in OKC or Tulsa so why one in Norman which does not have the demographics of Tulsa or OKC. Saks has a very successful small store in Tulsa but think they think one is enough for the state. I can see the possibility of a Williams Sonoma since the CEO is an OU grad.

does anyone have any recent pics of UNP?

UNP is great and all. ( i guess) but does anyone really live or drive around the nw side of norman, the traffic situation is worse than ever., can we say urban crowding?

ODOT is going to widen I 35 through Norman, and the city is considering construction on the service roads down the east and west side to make them one way.
wow how much fun that will be to have so much construction going on between lindsey and robinson.....

not to mention they are going to shut robinson down to 2 lanes soon at 36th to work on the waterway there...i also heard they are trying to connect rock creek at the west end of UNP across the interstate to create another overpass ?? has anyone heard about that plan?

and you thought main and 36th st was a mess..
I m glad i dont live on the west side of I35.

We went to Qdoba the other day for lunch. There were a lot of people all throughout the center and a pretty good line at Qdoba. It is very convenient for us since we come from the north. When the new hospital complex is completed and operating there will be a lot more people there, too.

I think the center is done very nicely on a good many of the small details. They are expensive details and probably few people would notice them.

On one of the maps I saw of UNP one of the fashion department stores was a Belk which is a nice department store.

my wife loves belks, good news finally a department store that is not be in every other town in the metro