Developer Unveils Details About West Tulsa Outlet Mall Plan

An outlet mall coming to west Tulsa announce it will have 80 stores, 800 employees and open in less than two years. The developers want it to be an outdoor, plaza-style shopping area.

They haven't said what stores will come in, but said to expect stores seen in their other malls in Dallas and St. Louis.

At a news conference, Simon Premium Outlets says the new mall will be built in two phases. The first phase will be 318,000 square feet and an additional 82,000 square feet will make up the second phase.

Friday we got a first look at the planned design, without specific stores, for the Tulsa Premium Outlets - a 400,000 square foot shopping area.

The same company that owns Woodland Hills – Simon Premium Outlets - is developing the outlet mall, much like the ones they have in Dallas and St. Louis.

"There's a certain band of retailers in them and that's what we're looking at here, right sized for a market of about a million people," said Mark Silvestri with Simon Premium Outlets.

The site for the outlet mall is along Highway 75 at 61st Street. It's privately owned, but used casually by mountain bikers coming off the nearby Turkey Mountain Wilderness Area.

8/19/2014 Related Story: Developer Confirms Premium Outlet Mall Coming To Tulsa

The plans, which are subject to city approval, incorporate a landscaped buffer between mall parking and the wooded area on the east side.

“It's inward facing, so the pedestrian parks outside and walks in and you can see these are pedestrian courtyards, and you have a very nice pedestrian format, but it's open air so people can enjoy it year round. We've done this for a long time and our customers like it and it's become the industry standard in the business,” Silvestri said.

City Councilor Jeannie Cue likes the look of the place and the idea of a new source of sales tax.

"In my area, we have a lot of people from McAlester, Okmulgee, Bartlesville that come in to shop and we need those tax dollars for the growth and development of our city," she said.

The only comparable development in the state is in Oklahoma City; and Tulsa shoppers, like Carol McArthur, often go there.

"And we really like it and it looks like this one is similar, with the cars outside so you don't have to walk around all the cars, so I think it's going be very nice for Tulsa and Broken Arrow," McArthur said.

By this time next year they expect to be building.