New multi-story building announced in downtown OKC

JRB Citizen LLC (JRB Citizen) has announced plans for a new building in downtown Oklahoma City called Citizen. With an expected groundbreaking in the fall of 2022, the $65 million project will be a significant development downtown. The Citizen will be constructed on the undeveloped portion of land at the northeast corner of Robinson Avenue and N.W. 5th Street, and includes 12 stories with 160,000 square feet of space. This will be a commercial mixed-use office building. In addition to office space, JRB is contemplating a variety of non-office uses, including retail, restaurant and hospitality.

“I believe downtown Oklahoma City is the ideal place for us to develop our bold vision for Citizen, which will impact the community and state for generations to come,” said Bond Payne, managing partner of JRB Citizen. “This project expands upon the success of The Heritage and is the first high rise to be designed and built in Oklahoma in the post-pandemic era. It’s a unique opportunity for us to re-think how people will work and socialize in the future. We are excited about the opportunity to invest in our community.”

Payne will soon go before the Oklahoma City Industrial and Cultural Facilities Trust and request approval to exercise a purchase option negotiated with the Trust in 2015 and amended in 2017 of the undeveloped portion of land, as well as the area where The Heritage Parking Garage stands, for $1,275,000. Additionally, Payne will request the Trust to approve the conceptual plans for the Citizen and an expansion of the garage, which will include adding 1.5 floors and increasing parking by approximately 125 spaces to accommodate the additional demand. The cost of the parking
garage expansion is estimated to be $5,100,000.

A completion date for the building is tentatively set for 2024 or early 2025. The project manager for the Citizen is Genevieve Quick, Chief Integration Officer for Polis OKC Investments. Polis OKC is a Payne family entity that invests in high-quality, generational assets that positively impact the community, and will lead as the project sponsor. “Bond’s vision for this project and the opportunity to work with this team are what attracted me to join Polis OKC Investments in 2017. Citizen echoes my experience at Old Parkland in Dallas by creating a significant development that was revitalized through thoughtful design and construction,” said Quick.

Internationally-renowned architecture firm and Greater OKC Chamber member Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) has been hired to design the building, with the company’s Oklahoma-based team leading the project. Other notable Oklahoma City projects include Social Capital near Scissortail Park, 8th Street Market where Prairie Artisan Ales resides, Central Exchange where Parlor and Eôté are located, in addition to international projects such as Google’s Kings Cross HQ building in London.

Additional development, building, and construction support will come from fellow Greater OKC Chamber member Lingo Construction and Atlanta-based real estate development organization Urban Realty Partners. Chamber member PreCor Ruffin will serve as the property manager.

If you are interested in learning more, please visit CitizenOKC.com.