Healthy boost
Oklahoma City Clinic, Global Health to anchor redevelopment along NE 23
The Oklahoma City Clinic and Global Health are set to anchor redevelopment of a prominent corner along NE 23 as efforts continue to revive northeast Oklahoma City’s major commercial corridor.
The 18,000-square-foot building at 1720 NE 23 was originally built in 1931 as “Clary’s Super Service Service Station,” a major stop for travelers along what was once a U.S. highway. In more recent years, however, it has been boarded up and one of the significant eyesores along NE 23.
The development marks what is set to be a series of investments along NE 23 by the Pivot Group along with longtime northeast Oklahoma City resident and businessman Sandino Thompson. Jonathan Dodson, who also helped lead last year’s “MAPS for neighborhoods” discussions, said he and his Pivot Group partners David Wanzer and Ben Sellers concluded NE 23 could no longer be left out of the revival of Oklahoma City’s urban core.
At the same time, Scott Potter, CEO of Oklahoma City Clinic, began looking at potential new homes for the clinic, working with Dodson, a longtime friend. Thompson and the Pivot Group purchased both sides of NE 23 at Rhode Island Avenue after striking a deal with the clinic and GlobalHealth.
“Quality health care that is accessible is something we heard was needed from Maps 4 Neighborhoods,” Dodson said. “It is a critical element to reactivate this historic main street commercial corridor. The next step will be revitalization of the surrounding buildings and empty lots to retail.”
The clinic will occupy 10,000 square feet of the building, with another 8,000 square feet to be leased to other tenants. In a unique setup for Oklahoma City, if not the state, Global Health, a major provider of health care to state employees, also will staff the clinic with a representative to address claims and questions about insurance for procedures.
“The thing that kicked this off was in July, the University of Oklahoma bought the building we’ve occupied for 40 years,” Potter said. “That was good luck for us. The way we are going to model our practice in the future is where we don’t want big buildings with a lot of doctors. The best way to do primary care is to be out in the neighborhoods.”
Oklahoma City Clinic has three other locations, all of which also will be moved and restructured similar to the approach on NE 23.
“I told Jonathan what we wanted in a clinic, and he was the one who presented the idea of the northeast side,” Potter said. “I and the doctors fell in love with the idea. Being a part of redeveloping a part of town we care about, for us to get to be a part of something future, that’s exciting.”
Staying close to clinic’s patients
Staying close to the clinic’s patients, many of whom either work for the state or live on the northeast side was another attraction, along with a far less intimidating location.
“We serve a lot of Global Health clients from northeast Oklahoma City, so getting to stay close to the Capitol and those employees was important to us,” Potter said. “The other constituency are seniors with Medicare Advantage, and this is in the middle of that. The one thing that was difficult for them is at our current location there is a big parking lot, a hill to ride up, and then enter a big building and take an elevator. That was difficult for them.”
The new location has parking at the door, is across the street from a bus stop and will include transportation provided by the clinic to patients who otherwise can’t make their appointments.
“We want people to feel like they are pulling up to a neighborhood restaurant or church,” Potter said. “They can park, walk in and see the smiling face of one of our coordinators.”
Patients also will meet representatives of Global Health as part of a new model of service being started by the state insurer.
“We’re all concerned about the rising costs of health care and insurance and the impact on our state budget as well,” said Scott Vaughn, CEO of Global Health. “This is a joint commitment by Global Health and Oklahoma City Clinic to improve service and costs. We believe health care needs to be local. And how better to do that than to team up with Oklahoma City Clinic and open where our clients live and work. “
Vaughn said the goal is to work closer with physicians, allow them to spend more time with patients and compensate accordingly. The clinic also will include a community room, access to computer and educational events addressing nutrition, diabetes and Medicare.
“If we pay doctors to spend more time and provide better care for our patients, we can avoid more costly hospital visits,” Vaughn said. “We’re able to reduce emergency room and hospital admissions by over 30 percent by getting them in to seeing the doctor. It’s about getting people to the right health care and seeing their doctors when they need it.”
Uptown mix on the eastside
Thompson, whose family lived and worked along the “eastside” most of his life, has a background in construction and more recently in social services. He is hoping to see their development followed by retail and other amenities for an area that has been skipped over in the urban core revival.
“NE 23rd and Martin Luther King is the heart of the eastside,” Thompson said. “It’s historically a prominent commercial corridor. When we were growing up, we shopped at the grocery store at 23rd and Martin Luther King.”
Thompson admits, however, the area has been in decline for most of his life.
Efforts to revive NE 23 date back 20 years. The city did a streetscape along the corridor, adding sidewalks and streetlights. Perry Broadcasting and Perry Publishing stayed and grew along the street and Tinker Federal Credit Union built a branch where a dilapidated motel once stood. Another NE 23 anchor, First Exchange Bank, provided acquisition financing for the project.
The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, meanwhile, followed the lead of Ward 7 Councilman John Pettis in proceeding to buy and eventually clear several blighted properties. Efforts to redevelop the corner that is home to a grocery at NE 23 and Martin Luther King have hit complications, though talks on the area’s future continue.
Thompson believes NE 23 is ready for the same mix of retail, restaurants and neighborhood services that have brought NW 23 — “Uptown” —back to life.
“We’ve been trying to figure out how to get good partners who know how to make these things work,” Thompson said. “There are so many properties like this that have been owned by people for so many years. They have title issues and people don’t have a lot of capital to get things started.”
“We go and spend our time in Uptown because we don’t have those amenities close to home,” Thompson said. “I think this can spur the surrounding neighborhoods to help this development occur.”
The project is moving along with further pieces potentially requiring participation by the city, which already has set the area up as a tax increment financing district. The team has support in its current project from Pettis, who has aggressively pursued redevelopment in his ward.
“The next step will be revitalization of the surrounding buildings and empty lots to retail,” Dodson said. “This will be critical to the longterm success of these kinds of projects. We feel like ‘place-making’ that includes entrepreneurs and businesses from this community is what will ultimately allow this part of 23rd street to reach its potential.”
Dodson, whose team redeveloped the Tower Theater on NW 23 and the Sunshine Cleaners building on Classen, believes NE 23 has the same sort of potential.
“This so often gets overlooked, but thoughtful local retail districts bring people from different walks of life together,” Dodson said. “Our hope is that the east side of OKC continues to see new and entrepreneurial endeavors and our effort is just one piece of the bigger pie.”