I-240 Penn Plaza Construction Pics

[Keith]

Things are coming right along at the new I-240 Penn Plaza Shopping Center. Mardel's, PetsMart, Radio Shack, and GNC are already open. It looks like Marshalls will be the next one opening.

[Jack]

Hmmm. Looks like any other strip mall.

[floater]

Hmmm. I agree.

[Jack]

Could almost pass for Lower Bricktown.

[floater]

Not quite.

[swake]

It's craptacular!

[Jack]

Yup, looks about like 71st between Memorial and Mingo in Tulsa.

[floater]

Yup, looks about like 71st between Memorial and Mingo in Tulsa.

You're makin' me

[jbrown84]

Could almost pass for Lower Bricktown.

Lower Bricktown isn't that bad.

[John]

Lower Bricktown isn't that bad.

I think this 240/Penn project actually has more brick/stone than Lower Bricktown, or Lower Town, as I call it.

[Patrick]

Don't even get me started! LOL!

[swake]

hey, south mingo was judged one of the ugliest streets in America, so if it looks anything like that mess, it's super craptacular!

[jbrown84]

I think this 240/Penn project actually has more brick/stone than Lower Bricktown, or Lower Town, as I call it.

Looks like nothing but stucco and concrete blocks to me. I see zero brick or stone in those pictures.

[TheImmortal]

If you look real close at the picture of Mardel you can find some. Hah.

[swake]

And such a lovely shade of off-white

[SoonerDave]

The lower third facade of the mall has brickwork. I think it looks rather nice; clean, simple lines, and a darned sight bette r than the hideous old Wal Mart that previously occupied that land. As far as that goes, the general style isn't terribly different from the Belle Isle mall east of Penn Square.

A FuddRuckers is supposed to be going up on the outparcel immediately west of the area where GNC and Radio Shack have opened up.

Anyone have any word on getting a Barnes and Noble somewhere south of NW 63rd and north of Norman??? There is empty land near this mall on Penn that would seem an ideal spot for a B&N...

-SoonerDave

[Patrick]

Is there not a B&N on the south side already?

[John]

Isn't a Books-a-Million supposed to be in the plans for that development?

[metro]

Yeah, nothing special by far. The sad thing is this is a drastic improvement from what the area was if that says anything. So much potential, sad to see the potential wasted

[SoonerDave]

Patrick -

No, there's no Barnes and Noble on the south side of Oklahoma City, which I think is patently pathetic. I contacted the South Chamber about that issue, and the best they could tell me was that they had pitched the area to B&N before, but they weren't interested - on top of the fact that (apparently) outlying areas were offering better tax breaks.

Its frustrating - Two B&N on May Avenue, one at 63rd, one at Memorial Road, with the other in Norman, 15 miles south. Its as if someone thinks no one can read south of Reno or north of Robinson...

I'd heard rumors of a BooksAMillion, but last I heard they were going into MWC. Incredible to me that the entire region of SW OKC doesn't have one nice big bookstore.

I also wonder what's going to happen to the Southern Hills Shopping Center, which has recently lost Burlington, PetsMart, and RadioShack - the latter two moving to the new Penn Plaza. All that's left is the nasty dollar store, a fabric shop, a golf store, and a discount optometrist...

-SoonerDave

[jbrown84]

That is crazy that the north side has 2 Barnes and Nobles, Full Circle, Books-a-Million, and Borders and there's nothing on the south side. You'd think far south OKC would have the demos for it easily. Maybe they can get one in Moore or along 240 somewhere.

[JOHNINSOKC]

It IS a sad shame that the southside is still to this day considered WAY behind the northside. If my memory serves me correctly, it's been published MANY times in the Oklahoman that the southside of OKC and Moore are the fastest growing areas in the entire metro. Also, at least one zip code(73170) is considered to be among the top three in the state in median income. Everything being built on the southside is upscale development, especially the Cleveland County part of Oklahoma City. Obviously, retail IS following new rooftops with all of the new shopping strips going up. I think there are several areas that a new B&N could do well, especially in the Riverwalk @Moore and on 119th between May and Western. I-240 should be a given with the traffic count in that area. The affluent do not live far away from there. I think the retailers need an education about the south metro. This isn't your father's OKC anymore.

[Keith]

I went by the I-240 Penn Plaza Construction site again this afternoon, and got some more pics. It looks like Marshalls may be opening in a week or so. Pier Imports is still one big area of dirt. No construction started on it yet.

[Patrick]

Thanks for the pics Keith.

[SoonerDave]

Keith,

Despite the fact that the Pier One sign is on that outparcel, I think that's where the FuddRuckers is supposed to go. Something is obviously amiss with that plan, however, because EatAtFudds.com (on their Oklahoma page) shows their restaurant opening in April in OKC, but that's pbviously not going to happen.

I think Pier 1 is going to be a tenant in the mall proper. Pier 1, Old Navy, and Lane Bryant are the last three "big" tenants to go in. Famous Footwear is finishing off the westernmost space in the small strip near the frontage road, leaving only one portion of it unused.

As an aside, the old portion of the Southern Hills Shopping Center (where the old, huge TG&Y used to be) that housed Radio Shack, a haircut place, and "Children's Orchard" was razed about two weeks ago and paved over. Since Stage went out of business, Burlington moved to the Shields mall, and PetsMart moved to the new 240 Plaza, that center has only Hancock Fabrics, Golf USA, Mazzios, and a Dollar Tree. Really makes me wonder if they're planning to bulldoze the whole place and put in something new. Its older than the hills - I remember when it was TGY next to Jim's IGA and Crystal's Pizza, and that goes back thirty-plus years!!

-SoonerDave