By Stuart Graham, Senior Vice President, CBRE; Mark Inman, Senior Vice President, CBRE; and Kendra Roberts, Associate, CBRE The Oklahoma City retail market has had a growing and changing landscape over the past few years as the sector’s healthy fundamentals continue to draw both local and national investors. Although much of the growth has been focused on the downtown Oklahoma City area, we are beginning to see a new hotspot emerge in the Far North neighborhoods. High-quality schools and affordable housing in the Far North Oklahoma City submarket of Edmond, as well as in the surrounding neighborhoods, have been major draws for young families. Both the Deer Creek and Edmond School Districts rank among the top three school districts in the state and also enjoy high national rankings. As a result of these residential and educational features that are attracting younger households and driving population growth, the Far North Oklahoma City submarket has recently seen a significant uptick in both retail investment and development activity that better support this underserved and growing community. To illustrate this submarket’s rise, consider the fact that nearly 20 percent of the total volume of retail product currently under construction in the Oklahoma City area …
