USA BMX, City Finalize Agreement Bringing Headquarters To Tulsa

The headquarters for Olympic-level BMX training is on its way to Tulsa after USA BMX finalized an agreement with the City to move from Phoenix to a spot just outside downtown Tulsa.

The site off of North Lansing has been idle for decades. Once considered but rejected for the ballpark, it’s now turning into a headquarters and indoor stadium for BMX.

It’s anything but exciting now, but the potential is there for the rusting relic of manufacturing to become a destination for extreme sports.

USA BMX already visits Tulsa with championships at the fairgrounds, and, after success there, decided to make Tulsa a permanent home.

6/18/2018 Related Story: USA BMX Signs Contract For Tulsa Headquarters In Greenwood District

“Rather than just being here two times a year, they will be here year-round generating activity, and, they will be training kids and doing camps, so kids within eight hours of here will be trailering bicycles here with families and showing up to Tulsa,” said Ray Hoyt with the Tulsa Sports Commission.

USA BMX plans to build on a corner of the Evans-Fintube site that covers 22 acres once used for manufacturing.

Taxpayers are investing $15 million from the Vision tax with the expectation of at least 20,000 visitors a year and an $11 million impact over five years.

The commitment from USA BMX is their headquarters for 30 years, the BMX Hall of Fame and an indoor stadium with tracks for amateurs and Olympians.

“It will be the largest indoor BMX track in the U.S., so we're excited about that,” Hoyt said.

The Evans-Fintube building will be demolished and the larger Oklahoma Iron Works building will be rebuilt as part of the still-developing plan.

BMX will need about four acres, leaving a much larger section open for development.

It's part of a larger strategy for the city, that includes other cycling events like Tulsa Tough, to make Tulsa more of a destination for extreme cycling.

The work to clear what needs to go and build what's coming is planned to start this fall.