Moore, OK: A bedroom community or growing metropolis
Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Aug 26, 2005 by Brandice J. O'Brien
Moore's Riverwalk development and its proximity to Interstate 35 continue to help the one-time bedroom community tucked between Oklahoma City and Norman grow into a suburban metropolis.
Retail districts are sprouting up in the 22.6-square-mile city with more than 46,000 people. Moore is home to more than 1,500 businesses, including national retailers Walgreens, Aldi Foods, Buffalo Wild Wings and IHOP, which opened last year.
Moore really started booming with the development of the Wal- Mart Supercenter at 501 SW 19th St. in 1995. There's a direct correlation between Wal-Mart and sales tax growth, as well as the Riverwalk development that started in 2001, said Steve Eddy, city manager for the City of Moore.
The Riverwalk, which is 90 percent complete, has Kohl's to thank for its success. Kohl's opened in 2001 and was the first major component of that development.
That's really when it began to mushroom, Eddy said. Water attracts people.
Since 2001, retail sales have risen more than 23 percent, according to the Moore, Oklahoma Economic Profile 2005.
A second phase of the Riverwalk is planned for north of 19th Street by the upcoming Warren Theatres, said Deidre Ebrey, director of economic development for the City of Moore.
Different from the traditional cinema, this theater is being dubbed as the world's largest luxury 20-plex complex, complete with a diner, cry room for parents with screaming children, a waiting area with high-tech fireplace and a balcony in select auditoriums, as seen in older movie houses. The theater's ground floor will be 150,000 square feet and have about 7,000 custom-designed, high-back seats. Auditoriums will range from 175 to 700 seats.
The lobby will compete with Las Vegas casinos, said Shelia Haworth, City Council member of Ward 3 in Moore and Moore Economic Development chairwoman, in a July Journal Record article. It's just amazing. It's the Taj Mahal of theaters with a '30s twist. The wood and marble is everywhere there. It's just awesome.
By opening several retail stores and national chains, Moore earned a significant amount of money from sales tax revenue, changed its reputation from a one-time bedroom town to a suburban metropolis and gained a steady clientele.
We're bringing in concepts that are not available in Norman or south Oklahoma City, Ebrey said. They're only in Moore. We create a tourism-type draw. Warren Theatres will be like that. (Patrons) will have to come to Moore.
Last year, Moore made approximately $13 million in sales tax revenue and town officials said their goal is for a 10 percent increase in sales tax collection each year.
One of Moore's best attributes is Interstate 35. As the saying goes, it's all about location, location, location.
The very reason Moore has grown so much is because businesses want to be on the frontage of I-35, Eddy said. On average, about 90,000 cars drive up and down I-35 each day.
Darren Currin, vice president of OKC Property Research, and a commercial real estate expert, agreed.
I believe Warren will have a sustained effect on the market due to the fact that its prime location in Moore off Interstate 35 will be able to draw patrons from all over the southern quadrant of the metro area, Currin said in a July Journal Record article. Older movie theaters in this area will most likely have to reposition themselves into discount houses in order to stay competitive with stadium-seating theaters.
I-35 is considered a new frontier and is a relatively untouched market, compared with I-240.
In the 2003-2004 fiscal year, approximately 824,000 square feet of land was developed along the I-35 corridor in Moore. Roughly 985,000 square feet was estimated to be developed in the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
The city will continue to grow. Only about 60 percent to 65 percent of Moore is developed.
We've got a lot, a lot, a lot of room to grow, Eddy said. We're one of the fastest-growing communities in the state.
Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Aug 26, 2005 by Brandice J. O'Brien
Moore's Riverwalk development and its proximity to Interstate 35 continue to help the one-time bedroom community tucked between Oklahoma City and Norman grow into a suburban metropolis.
Retail districts are sprouting up in the 22.6-square-mile city with more than 46,000 people. Moore is home to more than 1,500 businesses, including national retailers Walgreens, Aldi Foods, Buffalo Wild Wings and IHOP, which opened last year.
Moore really started booming with the development of the Wal- Mart Supercenter at 501 SW 19th St. in 1995. There's a direct correlation between Wal-Mart and sales tax growth, as well as the Riverwalk development that started in 2001, said Steve Eddy, city manager for the City of Moore.
The Riverwalk, which is 90 percent complete, has Kohl's to thank for its success. Kohl's opened in 2001 and was the first major component of that development.
That's really when it began to mushroom, Eddy said. Water attracts people.
Since 2001, retail sales have risen more than 23 percent, according to the Moore, Oklahoma Economic Profile 2005.
A second phase of the Riverwalk is planned for north of 19th Street by the upcoming Warren Theatres, said Deidre Ebrey, director of economic development for the City of Moore.
Different from the traditional cinema, this theater is being dubbed as the world's largest luxury 20-plex complex, complete with a diner, cry room for parents with screaming children, a waiting area with high-tech fireplace and a balcony in select auditoriums, as seen in older movie houses. The theater's ground floor will be 150,000 square feet and have about 7,000 custom-designed, high-back seats. Auditoriums will range from 175 to 700 seats.
The lobby will compete with Las Vegas casinos, said Shelia Haworth, City Council member of Ward 3 in Moore and Moore Economic Development chairwoman, in a July Journal Record article. It's just amazing. It's the Taj Mahal of theaters with a '30s twist. The wood and marble is everywhere there. It's just awesome.
By opening several retail stores and national chains, Moore earned a significant amount of money from sales tax revenue, changed its reputation from a one-time bedroom town to a suburban metropolis and gained a steady clientele.
We're bringing in concepts that are not available in Norman or south Oklahoma City, Ebrey said. They're only in Moore. We create a tourism-type draw. Warren Theatres will be like that. (Patrons) will have to come to Moore.
Last year, Moore made approximately $13 million in sales tax revenue and town officials said their goal is for a 10 percent increase in sales tax collection each year.
One of Moore's best attributes is Interstate 35. As the saying goes, it's all about location, location, location.
The very reason Moore has grown so much is because businesses want to be on the frontage of I-35, Eddy said. On average, about 90,000 cars drive up and down I-35 each day.
Darren Currin, vice president of OKC Property Research, and a commercial real estate expert, agreed.
I believe Warren will have a sustained effect on the market due to the fact that its prime location in Moore off Interstate 35 will be able to draw patrons from all over the southern quadrant of the metro area, Currin said in a July Journal Record article. Older movie theaters in this area will most likely have to reposition themselves into discount houses in order to stay competitive with stadium-seating theaters.
I-35 is considered a new frontier and is a relatively untouched market, compared with I-240.
In the 2003-2004 fiscal year, approximately 824,000 square feet of land was developed along the I-35 corridor in Moore. Roughly 985,000 square feet was estimated to be developed in the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
The city will continue to grow. Only about 60 percent to 65 percent of Moore is developed.
We've got a lot, a lot, a lot of room to grow, Eddy said. We're one of the fastest-growing communities in the state.
Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.