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LOCAL NEWS
Mixed-use development coming to Brookside Church site, planners say Courtesy of Tulsa World By Rhett Morgan Anew mixed-use development is planned for Brookside. Tulsa-based real estate firms CBC Builds and Ross Group are partnering with Brookside Church to create a residential and retail destination at the church’s location at 3615 S. Peoria Ave. Still in the concept phase, the development will feature apartments, restaurants, retail, parking, church offices and an event venue, planners said. The congregation began meeting at 3105 E. Skelly Drive, Suite 304, in November but plans to move into a modern church facility in the new development once it is completed. “The design team is assessing what features of the existing church buildings will be retained, if any,” the Ross Group’s Kevin Symcox wrote in an email. The church building was constructed in 1952, property records indicate. The development’s tenant mix will be weighted toward restaurants, but plans also call for it to include traditional retailers drawn to Brookside’s robust commercial profile. “We are excited to be a part of something that will serve our congregation’s needs for the next century,” Danny Stockstill, pastor of Brookside Church, said in a statement. “We love Brookside and are thrilled this project will contribute to the vibrancy of the neighborhood that has been our home for decades.”
The congregation dropped the word “Baptist” from its name, while maintaining its Baptist roots and doctrine, in 2018. With declining attendance, “we made a conscious decision to change the way we do church,” with a goal of reaching people who don’t attend any church, Stockstill said at the time. A partnership of CBC Builds and Ross Group acquired the property (for $3.5 million, according to Tulsa County land records) in early December, Symcox said. Baltimore-based architecture firm Hord Coplan Macht, which also has offices in Washington D.C., Denver and Charlotte, N.C., will assist with concept and yield studies. While Symcox said it’s “too early” to provide details on square footage and the amount of the investment, backers said in their announcement that it will amount to “one of the largest private investments in Brookside’s history.” “This development represents a significant contribution of resources and capital into Tulsa and Brookside,” District 9 City Councilor Jayme Fowler said in a statement. “It brings new retail amenities, much needed parking, homes and tax revenue to one of Tulsa’s most beloved districts.”
HOME BUILDING NEWS 2022
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