Wheeler District, Oklahoma City

New neighborhood marries best of urban and suburban...

Developed by OKC-based developer, The Humphreys Company, the “Wheeler District” is a 150-acre completely new neighborhood district under development located adjacent to Downtown Oklahoma City, and is an example of a more walkable, bikeable, mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood offering a diverse range of for-sale and for-rent housing options.

In 2006, the Humphreys family (father Kirk was a long-time mayor of the city, and sons Blair and Grant are developers) purchased the 90-acre bankrupt former airport facility along the south side of the river and years later purchased an adjacent 60 acres in 2014, assembling the 150-acre site in the middle of the city. Soon after, a planning charrette planned a vision for the site. In 2017, Oklahoma City Council approved a plan to create a $120 million tax increment financing (TIF) district for the Wheeler development (ad valorem tax increase will generate $11 million over the long term), calling for 2,000 housing units in addition to office, retail and other commercial space constructed over the next two decades. The total private investment in the area is projected at $576 million, according to the city’s financial impact report (source), which also states the plan spurs a “catalytic effect” for surrounding Oklahoma City south neighborhoods.

Wheeler District welcomed its first residents in April 2019, and since then the neighborhood has grown to include almost 100 single family homes.

Overview

100 units	bedrooms
stories	SF Footprint
Total SF	SF/Occupant

Proposal Origins

Designed Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Produced Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Located Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Innovations

• Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs)
• Walkability
• Mixed Use