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Developer Kevin Stephens aims to develop mixed-use, urban environments that will bring people back downtown.
Downtown Tulsa was once a busy, bustling place, before the lure of suburbia drew Tulsans out of the city center in droves.
But with the same enthusiasm that they moved out decades ago, Tulsans are moving back in.
Residential development downtown is spurring a new urbanism in Tulsa, and Kevin Stephens Design Group is at the forefront of that movement.
Based in San Francisco, Kevin Stephens had never visited Tulsa when he first invested here. The city stood out in his market research, he says, with its high growth rate in white-collar jobs, low cost of living and one additional factor in particular.
“I felt like downtown Tulsa had good bones,” he says.
In Tulsa’s rich architectural legacy and conspicuous lack of investment downtown, Stephens saw opportunity. A year and a half ago, he began developing 70 residential condominiums downtown, all of which are currently in the planning or construction phase.
Among Stephens’ most ambitious projects in Tulsa is the plan to restore the long-abandoned synagogue at East 14th Street and South Cheyenne Avenue, converting the historic structure into a community arts center. The facility will include space for visual and performing arts groups to exhibit their work, as well as a venue for cultural exhibitions. He also plans to include office space for nonprofits and a learning center for sustainable growth and development, which will present regular workshops.
Stephens says that because the building was the first home of Tulsa’s oldest Jewish congregation, and because Tulsa’s Jewish community makes such significant philanthropic contributions to the city, he wanted to commit the facility to a purpose that complements its roots.
Plans derailed slightly last January when a fire in its basement engulfed the building, gutting it and causing structural damage. The project looked doomed. Despite the setback, Stephens plans to move forward with the plan and is working to save the historical façade of the building.
“I see it as an opportunity to think outside of the box even more,” he says.
Stephens thinks outside the box in other ways. He makes his developments as “green” as he can, he says, using local materials when possible and pre-wiring all units to use solar power, should the inhabitant choose to install the panels.
Ultimately, Stephens aims to create mixed-use, urban environments, where people live, work and play in a dynamic urban setting.
Before coming to Tulsa, Stephens worked on open-space and housing developments in San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as public projects in Tampa, Fla. He also worked on downtown development in the Central Business District in Sydney, Australia. Stephens says his efforts have always focused on the redevelopment of urban spaces, rather than suburban projects.
In Tulsa, he began his work with condominium units on 15th Street and restoring historic single-family homes in midtown. When these projects are completed, he looks forward to returning his focus to downtown.
A city where the automobile is king, surrounded by large suburbs, Tulsa might seem an unlikely place for urban residential development.
However, there are people living downtown already.
“There are pioneers down there,” Stephens says. “They want to live urban; there’s just no one who has provided that for them.”
Stephens says his focus is on creating more affordable housing with space on the first floor for retail and restaurants. He also would like to develop a boutique hotel.
As development downtown continues, Stephens says Tulsa inside the inner dispersal loop is bound to change.
“I really see it being a very different place in three years,” he says.
The question remains, how so?
“I hope there’s a good balance of historic preservation and urban redevelopment,” Stephens says.
