An exciting new project is starting downtown. The long-vacant parcel at 700 NW Fourth St. is being developed into apartments of various sizes for various income levels. It will meet some of the demand for new residential in the urban core. The project, dubbed 700 West, will be five stories tall and include 302 apartments, many with views of downtown. The intent of the project is to infill a long-vacant parcel with a modern and timeless building that will support its current n

It’s not every day we can point to a new development and say that it will have a significant and daily impact on the quality of life for thousands of people in our community. Today is one of those days, when we announce the solution to a challenge that I and others have worked on for more than 20 years. I invite you to join Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and me on Oct. 1 at noon for the groundbreaking of the n

I was pleased to learn that Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma received $830,000 from the CARES Act. Within 31 days, the organization had housed 102 veterans experiencing homelessness – an exceptional step toward removing the tallest hurdle for employment. Since July, Goodwill has faced a bottleneck in finding permanent, low-income housing in Oklahoma City and is paying for more than 160 veterans to live in hotels. For those with lower incomes, quality housing is increas

Residents who live near downtown Oklahoma City now have a closer option for groceries and specialty food items. The Market at Commonplace at NW 12th Street and N. Walker Avenue opened in mid-August and has already seen steady sales. Open seven days a week, the store stocks staples including eggs, milk and bread as well as fresh produce with an emphasis on locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs. Additionally, owner operators Eric Berumen and Chris Castro are working to sou

Skydweller Aero Inc. has announced that it will establish its corporate headquarters and engineering operations in Oklahoma City, with testing and integration in Ardmore. Skydweller will increase its operations to 120 aerospace engineering and field technician jobs in Oklahoma by 2024. Skydweller is a U.S.-Spanish aerospace company that owns solar design technology used on manned aircraft capable of circumnavigating the globe using only solar power. It will convert the design

Oklahoma City has always been an easy place to do business. For developers and construction companies, Oklahoma City just got a little friendlier. What used to take months to get review and approvals for drainage, paving, fire system, sewer and water plans now will take less time with the city of Oklahoma City’s new streamlined technical review process for permit applications required at the start of a renovation or construction process. Before June 1 when the city adopted th