stimulate housing development

One of the functions of the Alliance for Economic Development is to manage the programs of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority.

As part of an ongoing effort to revitalize the JFK Urban Renewal Area in northeast Oklahoma City, OCURA is working with several private residential developers to build single-family homes on lots owned by the authority. Nearly 20 lots are under redevelopment for construction of new homes, and there are additional lots available for development. Currently, OCURA has two different active requests for proposals to encourage developers or prospective homeowners to build single-family houses on OCURA’s scattered, vacant lots.

Because the lots are located within existing neighborhoods, there are design guidelines in place to ensure that the style and scale of the new homes being constructed are in keeping with the homes already existing on the same block. Last year, the OCURA board of commissioners adopted the Northeast Residential Design Standards manual in an effort to help preserve and respect the existing architecture in the area. All new proposed housing for OCURA-owned property must meet these standards.

Residential redevelopment will be an important piece of the revitalization of the area over the next few years. Other elements of the revitalization include the programs of the city of Oklahoma City’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, and the recent creation of the Northeast Renaissance TIF District.

Read the full article here in the February 17th edition of The Journal Record.