OKC suburb experiencing surge in home construction

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jun 21, 2002 by Matt Maile

An influx of new families and favorable mortgage rates are fueling a boom in new home construction in Moore, where city officials say housing development appears to be stronger than it has been in years. The community is seeing an influx of new developers and builders, who city Community Development Director John Adel said are quickly building out the city's housing.

Already, permits for new home construction are up 90 percent from the same period a year ago, exceeding the growth of many other suburbs of Oklahoma City. "Some areas are building up quickly," Adel said. "We're seeing a lot of new developers coming to town." Moore city officials said this week the city may be benefiting from a convergence of factors that are favorable to new home construction. As Norman to the south and Oklahoma City and Midwest City grow, demand for homes within an easy commute of both locations has also grown. The city also has seen its retail development increase near S. 19th Street and Interstate 35, bringing more commercial traffic to the area. In addition, home builders that came to the city to help it recover after the May 3, 1999, tornado that destroyed more than 600 homes in Moore have stayed long after much of the recovery was completed. The growth is evident on Moore's south side, where several new housing developments are taking shape. "The market in Moore is really strong right now," Adel said. "We've got a lot of new subdivisions coming on line." Earthwork has begun on another section of a 222-acre master- planned community at the southeast corner of SW 34th and Broadway in Moore being developed by Home Creations, an area developer and home builder. The development includes single-family homes known as Apple Valley and smaller single-family lots developed as Apple Village. Eventually, the project also will include Apple Garden, a development of homes on estate lots, and Apple Ridge, a development for older adults. Jalal Farzaneh, co-owner of Home Creations, said the 57- lot Apple Valley section 1, which opened nine months ago, has fewer than 20 lots still available. Construction of roads for a 27-lot Apple Valley section 2 will start soon, he said, and the company expects to start the building of at least 20 homes in both sections by year end. Farzaneh said earthwork also is under way in Apple Village sections 1 and 2 for a total of 106 home sites to be developed over the next 18 months. Section 1 will include 77 lots with an entrance off of SW 34th Street, and section 2 will have 29 lots with access off of Eastern Avenue. Farzaneh said Home Creations expects to start construction on about 30 homes in the two sections in 2002 and complete the build-out for those sections the following year. "Demand in this market is very high," Farzaneh said of the Apple Village development and plans to build out the development quickly. "For many years, Moore lacked good quality housing in the area and that is being changed," Farzaneh said. Other developers also are building out properties in south Moore. Adel said THA Development is putting streets in for the continued build-out of its 70-acre Oak Ridge development at the northwest corner of S. 34th and Santa Fe. Streets and earthwork are under way for section 3 of the development, which will include 58 single-family residential lots on 15 acres. Meanwhile, Bluestem LLC received preliminary plat approval from the city of Moore to develop about 62 acres at the northeast corner of 34th and Santa Fe. Further to the north, the Oak Creek addition developed by J.W. Mashburn continues its growth. Tony McGrew, sales manager for J.W. Mashburn homes, said sales at the company's development at the southwest corner of NE 12th and Bryant in Moore, have been strong. The company's 177-lot Oak Creek addition recently closed its first phase after opening one year ago. That phase has 18 homes already built and 11 more under construction. Four spec properties also will go up soon, he said. The company said it opened the 48-lot phase 2 at the end of May. Since then, seven homes are already under contract and under construction, McGrew said. Homes in the development range from 1,815 square feet to 2,500 square feet and are offered at prices ranging from $130,990 to $145,990. "We can't build them fast enough," McGrew said. Turnover has been so quick lately, that McGrew said new homes are not always immediately available for buyers. "I had a guy in here the other day who wanted to buy our model home," he said. Further to the south, plans are under way by developer Gene Methvin to build a mix of duplexes and single-family homes on land at the southwest corner of 34th and Eastern in Moore. The development will be marketed as Valley View, Katy Ridge, and Westermier Farm Estates. All the construction is evident in the rise in building permits issued for single-family developments. The city of Moore said it issued 428 permits in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year that ends June 30 compared to 282 permits issued in all of fiscal 2001. Permits for the current month have yet to be reported but are expected to exceed last year. Adel said the higher permits resulted partly from a fee increase for permits that went into effect March 1, which prompted many developers to file permit requests early to avoid the fee. Permit requests dipped in March and April from last year's levels, but rebounded in May. Adel said the permit issuance remains strong and so too should be the level of construction activity near term.