Mixed-use development proposal revised

TULSA — The Tulsa Development Authority on Thursday approved the addition of a retail element to a proposed downtown development on Greenwood Avenue.

Proposed by Hartford Crossing LLC, the project at 111 S. Greenwood Ave. will include a four-story building with 50 residential units and about 2,600 square feet of retail on the west end of the structure, developer Shaun Bhow said. It will feature 165 linear feet of storefront glass along First Street and Greenwood Avenue.

“The cost of construction of full retail, incorporating tenant improvement budgets and fire ratings, was cost-prohibitive,” Bhow said following an executive session during which the project was discussed. “We wanted to maintain First Street vibrancy and retail exposure, so we did incorporate approximately 2,600 square feet of retail on the west side of the building, wrapping the whole building.

“From a civic planning standpoint and from a walkability perspective, we’ve satisfied the concerns of the board while still maintaining economic viability for us as business people.”

At the October TDA meeting, Bhow had asked the authority to amend the development agreement, allowing him to eliminate a proposed ground-floor, 11,500-square-foot food hall and drop the building from five stories to four.

But the board balked at the proposed removal of the retail portion, with Commissioner Nancy Roberts saying that was “a deal-breaking kind of conversation.”

In April, the TDA voted to award $500,000 lowinterest loans to two affordable housing proposals, including Bhow’s project at 111 S. Greenwood Ave. The new proposal eliminates five apartments from the original plan. Construction on the project is scheduled to start in late March or early April with completion set for the first quarter of 2020, said Bhow, who is exploring his options on what kind of retail the building will include.

Earlier this year, the Bhow family completed a roughly $7 million refurbishing of the 74,000-square-foot Hartford Building (110 S. Hartford Ave.), which remains unoccupied.