Information obtained by Norman Development and details that have emerged publicly in recent months indicate that Dick’s House of Sport is the mystery retailer eyeing the former Sears building at Sooner Mall.
Although the proposed sales tax rebate agreement does not identify a specific tenant, publicly discussed details surrounding the project closely match the rapidly growing concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Representatives of the mall have previously stated that legal nondisclosure agreements prevent them from publicly identifying the prospective tenant. Mall officials have also argued that maintaining confidentiality is necessary to prevent competing developments from attempting to recruit the retailer.
If negotiations are successful, the project would fill one of the city’s largest vacant retail spaces.
Nearly Six Years Vacant
Opened in 1976, Sooner Mall encompasses more than 550,000 square feet and more than 40 retailers. The former Sears parcel, one of the mall’s three anchor spaces, has remained vacant since mid-2019.
According to information presented to city officials, the mall last underwent a major renovation in 1999-2000.
Despite the loss of Sears, annual visitation has remained relatively stable in recent years at between 2.2 million and 2.5 million visits. According to mall representatives, visitation peaked at approximately 3.5 million annual visitors in 2014, when all anchor spaces were occupied.
Incentive Discussions Trace Back to Early 2025
Conversations regarding a potential incentive agreement began in early 2025, when representatives of Sooner Mall approached members of the City Council about mechanisms intended to support future investment and tenant recruitment at the nearly 50-year-old shopping center.
Those discussions eventually led City Council to consider a sales tax rebate and directed the preparation of a proposed term sheet.
The proposal was reviewed by the Economic Development Advisory Board during a special meeting on March 18, 2026. While board members generally supported the concept of a sales tax reimbursement agreement, concerns were raised about rebating 100% of future sales tax growth and about including sales generated by properties not owned by the mall, such as Dillard’s and the former Sears parcel should it be sold to another retailer.
Ultimately, the board unanimously recommended continuing negotiations while addressing those concerns. Members expressed a preference for either a 50-50 split in future sales tax growth with a higher annual cap of $500,000 or a declining percentage structure that would provide more upfront assistance while preserving future tax revenue for the city.
On March 24, 2026, City Council unanimously approved the proposed term sheet as presented by the mall.
Under the framework approved by the council, Sooner Fashion Mall LLC would be eligible for reimbursement equal to 100% of the growth in the city’s non-dedicated sales tax collections above a baseline established using 2022 through 2024 collections, subject to a maximum annual reimbursement of $300,000.
Eligible expenses include tenant allowances, lighting upgrades, landscaping, signage, restroom renovations, common area improvements, paving and other property enhancements.
Based on updated figures presented to City Council in June, 2026 sales tax collections are currently projected to fall below the established baseline, meaning the mall would not qualify for any reimbursement this year.
City presentations indicate that approximately $13 million in additional annual taxable sales would be required for the mall to qualify for the maximum annual reimbursement. Businesses relocating from elsewhere in Norman would not count toward those calculations.
The agreement itself has not yet been approved. City Council voted to postpone consideration of the contract until June 23, and members are expected to continue discussing the proposal during a June 16 study session.
More Than a Sporting Goods Store
Launched in 2021, House of Sport is Dick’s Sporting Goods’ experiential retail concept.
The first location opened in Victor, New York, where the company transformed a former Sears department store into a 103,000-square-foot destination featuring a 17,000-square-foot outdoor field and running track, batting cages, golf simulators, a 32-foot climbing wall and other amenities.
Since then, Dick’s has expanded the concept to 38 locations across 22 states, with additional stores under development. Oklahoma currently has two House of Sport locations, in Tulsa and north Oklahoma City, both of which opened in 2024.
Unlike traditional sporting goods stores, House of Sport locations are designed around experiences and services in addition to retail sales. The Oklahoma City location offers golf lessons, simulator rentals, batting cages, youth camps, birthday parties and field rentals.
According to published reports, the average House of Sport location generates approximately $35 million in annual sales, compared with roughly $20 million for a traditional Dick’s Sporting Goods store. Traditional Dick’s stores average roughly 50,000 square feet, while House of Sport locations typically range from 100,000 to 140,000 square feet.
Representatives of the mall have indicated the retailer would occupy the entire former Sears building and invest approximately $25 million to redevelop the space. Mall representatives estimate the concept could attract between 500,000 and 1 million additional visitors annually while creating dozens of jobs paying wages well above the minimum wage.
Using independently developed assumptions and data, city staff estimated the Norman location could generate approximately $26 million in annual taxable sales.
Negotiations between mall ownership and the prospective retailer remain ongoing. As of the June 9 City Council meeting, the Sears parcel had not yet been split from the larger mall property and no sale had occurred.
A Familiar Redevelopment Strategy
The first House of Sport prototype opened in Victor, New York, inside a former Sears department store.
Since then, Dick’s has repeatedly repurposed former Sears buildings into House of Sport locations.
In Arlington, Texas, the company is redeveloping the former Sears anchor at The Parks Mall, another Brookfield-owned property. A similar conversion occurred at a former Sears location in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
House of Sport projects have frequently been accompanied by public incentives. In Joliet, Illinois, local officials approved a multimillion-dollar incentive package for a planned House of Sport location. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, city leaders approved tax increment financing assistance tied to the redevelopment of a former Sears building into House of Sport.
Those examples mirror comments made by Sooner Mall Manger Derick Colwell during a June 9 City Council meeting.
“This is the type of retailer that normally cities do incentivize,” Colwell said.
Mall representatives said discussions and presale negotiations with the prospective tenant began in late 2025. They indicated projects of this scale typically take about a year and expressed hope that the retailer could be publicly announced during the third quarter of 2026.
Many of the projects share characteristics that have surfaced in Norman, including the reuse of vacant department store anchors, substantial private investment and destination-oriented amenities designed to drive traffic to surrounding retail centers.
Incentives Draw Debate
The proposal has generated criticism from Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development, a nonprofit organization formed by Norman residents advocating for greater public involvement and scrutiny in economic development decisions. The group has been active in opposing the proposed University North Park arena TIF and has argued for additional public vetting of major incentive proposals.
The Norman Downtowners Association also issued an open letter urging city leaders to establish clear priorities and eligibility standards before proceeding with projects of this nature.
Norman’s economic development policy, adopted in 2013, specifically identifies sales tax rebates among the tools available to attract jobs and investment. City records also show the Economic Development Advisory Board discussed incentives aimed at attracting Costco to Norman in 2019.
The proposed term sheet is based entirely on future sales tax growth, and any reimbursements require documented private investment by the property owner.
During the June 9 City Council meeting, Colwell expressed disappointment with the Downtowners Association’s opposition.
“We never push anyone away from different areas of Norman. We never do that,” Colwell told council members.
“I want Norman to understand that communities can have different districts, different shopping districts.”
Colwell argued that downtown businesses are not competitors to the mall.
“Main Street is not a competitor of ours. North Park is,” he said.