While Tax Increment Financing and zoning requests for the proposed arena and entertainment district in University North Park north of Rock Creek Road continue to move through city approval processes, plans for continued build out of Legacy Village south of Rock Creek Road are beginning to take shape.
Latest development plans show Main Event, a family entertainment chain, will construct a 48,000-square-foot facility in Legacy Village, directly south of the Holiday Inn Express.
In addition, Oklahoma City-based arts and craft store chain Hobby Lobby will construct a new 60,000-square-foot facility with an adjoining Mardel occupying an additional 20,000 square feet north of Crest Fresh Market.
Over 125,000 square feet of additional retail and restaurant space is contemplated across 9 but do not have proposed tenants at this time. A 3.4-acre tract is to be an additional hotel.
Main Event touts itself as “the most fun you can have under one roof” with activities that include bowling, laser tag, mini golf, and escape rooms.
The company was founded in 1998 and currently operates 59 locations in 20 states, including locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Hobby Lobby was founded by David Green in 1972 and operates over 1,000 locations across 48 states. Mardel was founded by Green’s son, Mart, in 1981 and operates 41 stores in 12 states.
Hobby Lobby and Mardel currently lease 92,000 square feet of space at the corner of 24th Ave and Main Street. The space was home to Target before they built their new location in University North Park in 2006.
Requests for comment from Main Event, Hobby Lobby, and Mardel went unanswered at the time of publication.
Legacy Village is a 30-acre area that sits east across 24th Avenue from Legacy Park and bordered by Crest Foods on the south, Embassy Suites on the north, and Max Westheimer Airport to the east.
Originally described as a “Lifestyle Center,” and later a “Town Center,” the area was to be a “high-end retail development” with “key entertainment components, including a [movie] theater” according to the 2006 University North Park TIF Project Plan.
The area was envisioned to be walkable, with buildings pulled close to the street and parking lots tucked behind the buildings.
The Norman Planning Commission is set to hear the University North Park Entertainment District rezoning and TIF project plan at their June 13th meeting.