Oklahoma City is one of the top 20 largest cities in the country and is expected to continue expanding. Despite the city of about 700,000 having plenty of space for sprawl and no density issues at the moment, a California real estate developer is itching to expand the Big Friendly upwards.
The Newport Beach, California-based company Matteson Capital and the architecture firm AO declared on Friday that they were asking the City of Oklahoma for more flexibility with regard to the height of one of the towers in their proposed development, which is known as the Boardwalk at Bricktown. The tallest building in the United States may soon be located in Oklahoma City if its proposal is approved.
According to the Oklahoma City Free Press, the Legends Tower’s total height was to be 1,750 feet in the original zoning application. The developer, however, now plans to erect the 1,907-foot-tall Legends Tower, which is 131 feet higher than the One World Trade Center in New York City.
1,907 appears to be a symbolic number to honor the year Oklahoma joined the Union rather than an arbitrary number.
But there’s a problem with the request from the developer and the announcement that goes along with it.
Approximately 5 million square feet would be occupied by the development, which would comprise 1,776 residential units, a 480-room Hyatt hotel with 85 residential condominiums, and 110,000 square feet of commercial and community space.
“Oklahoma City is experiencing a significant period of growth and transformation, making it well-positioned to support large-scale projects like the one envisioned for Bricktown,” stated Matteson in a statement released on Friday.
“We think this project will become a landmark for the community, attracting investment, new companies, and jobs while also advancing the growth and diversification of the expanding economy,” Matteson added. “We hope to see The Boardwalk at Bricktown stand as the pride of Oklahoma City in this dynamic environment.”
AO managing partner Rob Budetti stated, “It is an honor to craft a project of this magnitude, and working together with the City, Matteson Capital, Hensel Phelps, and an outstanding group of engineers, consultants, and development partners has been outstanding.” It is a big task to oversee the complexities of such a project and make sure that every component integrates seamlessly.”
The site of the ambitious development is currently occupied by an L-shaped parking lot in Bricktown, close to the Amtrak station, a movie theater, a planned soccer stadium, and the Paycom Center, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.