I am curious about the clearing of land near the creek on Price Road between Highway 75 and Madison. There is a lot of heavy equipment working there clearing quite a bit of the land.
The project is a new senior living complex. According to Community Development Director Lisa Beeman, Bartlesville Assisted Living Center is under construction on the south side of Price Road just west of the First Methodist Church. The center will be approximately 43,000 square feet and will contain 57 resident rooms, a dining area, beauty salon, laundry, library and support services. The developer of the property is BAL Holdings (short for Bartlesville Assisted Living). The City of Bartlesville has issued the building permit for the project and construction is underway.
The property in question was formerly owned by Spirit Church. Following the sale to BAL Holdings, Spirit Church purchased and began construction of a new facility on land located approximately half a mile away, on the west side of Madison Boulevard just north of Price Road. That project is underway as well.
Casey’s plans new store at Madison & Nowata
There is a sign on the southwest corner of Madison and Nowata Road. Any idea what type of structure might be discussed at (the City Planning Commission and Bartlesville City Council) meetings?
The structure proposed for that location is a new Casey’s General Store. The City Planning Commission will hear the request to rezone the site, which is required for the development to proceed.
The City Planning Commission will review the request at a public hearing during its meeting at 7 p.m. on July 25, and then will make a recommendation on the request to the City Council. Following a second public hearing, the City Council will make the final decision on the rezoning request. The City Council is scheduled to hear the request during a regularly scheduled meeting beginning at 7 p.m. on Aug. 7.
Spokespersons for Casey’s have indicated the existing Casey’s Bartlesville store, located just up the street at Madison and Adams Boulevard, will remain open even after the new store becomes operational.
What’s going on at Eastland Shopping Center?
I am wondering what the latest status is regarding upgrade(s) to the Eastland Shopping Center, including upgraded turning lanes and access for shoppers in and out of the center. Now that the nearby bridge work has been completed along Washington Boulevard, it would be great to see additional NEW business development at Eastland along with the new Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A. A smooth parking lot overlay would be welcome in addition to some new retail shopping options to generate more sales tax revenue for Bartlesville.
Long story short, the project is on hold while City officials work with other governmental agencies to identify alternative funding sources for the improvements, which include turning lanes, sidewalks, concrete work and an upgrade to the existing traffic signals at the Eastland Parkway/U.S. Highway 75 intersection.
Earlier this year the project was considered for funding as a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district. TIF districts are a tool used by local government to drive economic development in under-utilized areas (or a host of other conditions) by capturing a portion of property tax (and sometimes sales tax) generated by development in the district to finance incentives and/or improvements.
The proposed TIF district has been presented to the City Council, but it has not yet made a final decision on the matter. However, the proposed TIF district is opposed by one of the five taxing jurisdictions that receives ad valorem tax revenues, which has prompted local leaders to seek other sources of funding.
Work is progressing at the site despite the delay, though, with contract crews working to extend water and sewer lines for the center. The utility upgrades are needed to accommodate the anticipated construction of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, as well as the relocated Hobby Lobby and, hopefully, future development at the center.