Most of the shoppers the city expects at the new Scheels north of the Kilpatrick Turnpike don't live in Oklahoma City. When the City Council approved the store's incentive in August 2025, the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City estimated that more than half of its sales would come from shoppers living more than 25 miles away. It also estimated that over 75% would come from outside the city limits. That one projection explains most of what's happening on the 144 acres along Portland Avenue. It also explains why the parts of the project built for everyday neighborhood life are still the least settled.
The store was approved as a tourist attraction
The Journal Record's coverage of the council vote reported that the store is projected to draw 2.5 million visitors a year from as far as 250 miles away. The city's incentive is built around that kind of traffic. The council voted 8-1 to approve up to $8 million over ten years under the Retail Incentive Policy it adopted in 2008. That policy exists to grow the city's sales tax base.
The incentive only pays out if the store performs. As reported in August 2025, the numbers work like this:
- Scheels has to reach a minimum of $100 million in sales each year to qualify.
- If it does, the company receives up to $854,000 a year for ten years, capped at $8 million total.
- At an estimated $130 million in annual sales, city sales tax would generate about $2.9 million a year for the general fund.
- After the incentive is paid, the city would keep roughly $2.1 million in new revenue each year.
Those figures only work if shoppers drive in from well outside northwest Oklahoma City. A store that mostly served the surrounding neighborhoods would struggle to clear the $100 million floor. So the project was planned around the Kilpatrick Turnpike and Highway 74, and it sits on the land beside that interchange.
What's on the ground right now
The site's address is 14401 N. Portland Ave., north of the Kilpatrick Turnpike and west of Lake Hefner Parkway. The Oklahoman reported on May 21, 2026, that dirt was moving. Developer Randy Hogan said the project was on schedule for a March 25, 2028 grand opening. The paper's August 2026 update said first-phase dirt work was continuing and the store was still on track for spring 2028.
The store's size has changed in the reporting. When Scheels announced the project in August 2025, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce described it as a 300,000-plus-square-foot store. The 2026 coverage puts it at 330,000 square feet. It will be the company's second Oklahoma store, after the Tulsa location that opened the year before the OKC announcement.
The neighborhood-scale pieces are still filling in
A regional anchor brings a ring of smaller projects with it. Hogan described the site's progress in July 2026 by saying, "We've got a lot of irons in the fire right now. So far so good on activity level." Here is where each piece stood as of The Oklahoman's August 2026 reporting:
- Cavender's has bought land. The Western-wear retailer closed on a pad site and plans a 20,000-square-foot prototype store on the frontage, just south of where Scheels will stand.
- Apartments are under contract. A 285-unit apartment complex is under contract as part of the development.
- A grocery store is planned. A new Crest Foods store is planned for an adjacent area. No size, exact location, or opening date has been reported.
- A hotel is only in talks. Hogan said he is talking with a boutique hotel group about an upper-end hotel, but financing details have complicated those discussions.
- One tenant is still unnamed. A July 30, 2026 Oklahoman headline reported that a "new-to-market concept" had signed a letter of intent at the development. The article we reviewed did not name the company.
For people who already live along this stretch of Portland, the grocery store is the piece most likely to change a weekday routine. It is also the piece with the fewest public details. The Scheels date is fixed in public reporting. The Crest Foods date is not. Our recent post on where Gaillardia residents walk covers the errands and dining spots around Chisholm Creek that already serve the area. A grocery store on this site would add another option nearby.
What fills 330,000 square feet
Scheels presents itself as a destination, and the attraction list in its announcement shows why. The Department of Commerce release lists a Ferris wheel, a candy shop, a 16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium with more than 600 fish, a wildlife mountain, interactive arcade games, and a restaurant.
Nearby residents may get more regular use from the service counters. The same release describes more than 80 specialty shops under one roof. It also lists golf club fittings by certified Scheels Master Fitters, baseball and softball fittings using HitTrax technology, archery tuning by certified technicians, and bike service by trained mechanics. In a golf community, a club-fitting bay a short drive from home is a practical addition, separate from the Ferris wheel.
The company also expects to bring more than 500 jobs to the area.
Traffic is the open question
A store expecting 2.5 million visitors a year raises an obvious question for anyone who drives NW 150th or Portland Avenue every day. That question came up before the project was approved. At the September 2025 Planning Commission meeting, nearby residents raised concerns about traffic and property values. KOCO's coverage quoted a resident who described a neighborhood traffic light on 150th where drivers regularly run the signal. He said visitors coming from the west and southwest would have to use 150th to reach the site. The developer told KOCO he was taking traffic into account and planned to be a good neighbor. The commission approved the rezoning.
In the reporting we reviewed, we did not find a published plan for road improvements on Portland Avenue or NW 150th tied to this project. The Oklahoma City Planning Commission agenda for October 8, 2026, has no item for 14401 N. Portland. The next phase may still require road work. If so, it will likely come before a public meeting first.
Separate turnpike work is also underway nearby. We covered the two Kilpatrick projects aimed at the Gaillardia area, and which one has actually started, in this September breakdown. Those projects and the Scheels site affect the same set of roads.
Where things stand this fall
The most recent project update we found is The Oklahoman's August 2026 report. It named no letter-of-intent tenant and gave no Crest Foods timeline or construction dates for Cavender's or the apartments. At that point, first-phase dirt work was still underway at 14401 N. Portland Ave. The fixed date is March 25, 2028 for the Scheels opening. The neighborhood-scale pieces around it, like the grocery store, will arrive as developers and their financing allow.
If you own near Portland Avenue and want to know how a project like this tends to show up in nearby home values and buyer questions over the next two years, Lindsay Greene Homes follows the 150th corridor closely. We're happy to walk through what we're seeing with you. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll keep you posted as each piece of the site is confirmed.
