Opening new retail business in OKC

[JacksonW]

I am just about to sign a retail lease in OKC. In your experiences, how long does the application for permitting to first day of construction usually take? Any advice on how to make the process go as smooth as possible.

[khook]

depends on your contractor.

[Steve]

I covered City Hall for more than a decade and khook is correct. It's going to depend on who you hire as contractor. As far as permits go, the good news is you won't encounter any dirty stuff (that's not always a sure thing in other cities). The development office has been trying to speed up turnaround, but beware there are cutbacks at the city. They're not too bad yet - at least not as bad as elsewhere. But delay until this summer and staffing will likely be worse with the new budget year.

[JacksonW]

We are in the final stages of the LOI with landlord, hashing out tenant improvement allowances. Landlord is giving some free rent, once lease is signed. Hoping to have a quick turnaround with construction as it is pretty straight forward and have store open soon as possible. Nice to hear that the city is business friendly. Actually as economy has slowed some city departments elsewhere have become slower and tougher to deal with, the theory is they need to stay busy and drag projects out. Any insights or tips to business in your city is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[kevinpate]

Some permits move along because those on the project are engaged and stay on top of matters. Others just wait to hear back from the permit office and get around to responding when they get around to responding.

May you have the former, not the latter, working on your project.

[mugofbeer]

Good luck in your business venture! Let us know what it is!

[OKCTalker]

Jackson - It also depends on how extensive your improvements will be. A "dry goods" type of store is pretty easy - bathroom, exits, lighting. A restaurant is a nightmare. Permitting alone could take a couple of months. Again, ask your contractor, remember to factor in holidays, and try have someone on-site when an inspector shows up or else you could get put on the bottom of the pile for an extra day or two.

[Lurker34]

Usually 30 days if there is no complication. Construction on the other hand can take up to 90 days depending on the complexity of the buildout. My biggest issue has been electricians and plumbers. Not only do the charge the same rates as a surgeon, but they're masters at putting people off. I would only guess there's more demand for licensed contractors than supply.

Whoever mentioned that restaurants are a nightmare is absolutely correct! If you're opening up a restaurant, 90 day construction is a pipe dream, unless you have an amazing contractor.

[metro]

Yeah, could depend on the type of business and location. If it's in a historical or downtown district it could take longer or shorter depending on what it is.

Are you able to tell us what part of town the business is located and what it will be yet?

[OKCTalker]

I own a small restaurant building where a restaurant fire occurred 2-3 years ago. Nothing extensive - mostly smoke damage - but the permitting alone took two months, and we were frequently delayed by the several inspectors who were continually coming by during construction. Oh, and don't forget security - the contractors had scaffolding stolen all the time, but the economic downturn may have reduced the demand for such things.

[JacksonW]

Yeah, could depend on the type of business and location. If it's in a historical or downtown district it could take longer or shorter depending on what it is.

Are you able to tell us what part of town the business is located and what it will be yet?

It is a dry goods retail. The location is in the North May area south of the The Village city limits in OKC.
It has been primarily a small store owner type business similar to dress stores or drug stores 50 years ago.
This is a experiment to see if it is the type of business than can be replicated and scaled up. There are a couple of operators in other parts of the country that are working on a similar business model.
The construction will be demo to white box and rebuild.
Thanks for the interest and helpful information.