John Gilbert believes he’s secured the best site in town to build upscale apartments.
And now that the City Council on Thursday night approved the zoning change needed for the project to move forward, Tulsans can expect construction of the 261-unit complex at the corner of Denver Avenue and Riverside Drive to begin early next year.
“It’s bike friendly, pedestrian friendly,” Gilbert said of the site. “What can you say when the river trail is across the street and the Gathering Place is a half, three-quarters of a mile down the street?”
If Gilbert’s name rings a bell, it’s because his company, Bomasada Group of Houston, Texas, was responsible for another high-end apartment complex in Tulsa, The Enclave at Brookside.
That 240-unit complex was built at 41st Street just east of Peoria Avenue. Bomasada subsequently sold the property, but Gilbert said he’s back in Tulsa because he believes it’s a thriving town.
Approximately 150 of the apartments at Denver Avenue and Riverside Drive will be one bedroom, Gilbert said, with about 75 two-bedroom and the remainder three-bedroom units.
Parking will be built in the interior of the four-story structure. A yoga room, a workout room and a pool — possibly on the roof — are also planned.
The apartments will start at $1,000 a month “and go up from there,” Gilbert said Thursday.
“We realize this is a focal intersection coming into downtown from the south and we are going to treat it appropriately,” he added.
The project is expected to be completed in late 2017, about the same time as the scheduled opening of A Gathering Place for Tulsa park.
The development has drawn some opposition from neighborhood residents concerned about the impact to traffic flow, especially directly north of the project.
In response to those concerns, the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission required Bomasada to allow only entrance to the complex off of 17th Street.
Gilbert said he’s met twice with members of the Riverview Neighborhood Association and that Bomasada always tries to be sensitive to residents’ concerns.
“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, it (traffic) will be the same as a vacant piece of property,” Gilbert said. “But I don’t think traffic will nearly be as significant as (the) perception.”
Bomasada is “bullish on Tulsa,” Gilbert said.
The company is also doing work down the turnpike in Oklahoma City. The Metropolitan, just north of Bricktown, is set to open early next year. It will have 329 units.
