The Oklahoma City Council approved a zoning change on June 4, allowing a developer to build what is planned to be a 1,907-foot tower set to be North America’s new tallest building. The rezoning, which passed by an 8-to-1 vote, removes the height restriction originally placed on the site. However, further approvals from the council will be needed as the project progresses. The California architecture studio AO and the developer Matteson Capital originally proposed a different approach for Legends Tower.
The sleek structure was expected to host at least one hotel and more than 1,000 luxury apartments at 1,750 ft. The height was one foot shy of One World Trade Center’s 1,776 feet. However, earlier this year, they revised their plans and asked the City Council to approve a zoning change to allow them to build the tower up to 1,907 feet with no height restrictions on the site. The revised height symbolizes 1907, the year the union admitted Oklahoma, as One World Trade Center’s height represents 1776, the year the founders signed the Declaration of Independence.
Project Summary
Location: Oklahoma
Height: 581 meters
Significance: North America’s Tallest Building
Project duration of first phase: 1 year
The Significance of the Legends Tower
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the world’s tallest building at 2,717 feet. Legends Tower will become the tallest building in the United States. Moreover, it will be the tallest in the entire Western Hemisphere. It is also expected to be the sixth tallest in the world. “This is the moment we have all been waiting for, to see how tall we can get,” Councilwoman Nikki Nice said at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. This was before the council voted on the rezoning request.
“People asked me, ‘What do you think about this development?’ I mean, the sky’s the limit.” As currently envisioned, the project consists of a base with three mid-rise towers. The fourth, the Legends Tower, which, if built, will set a height record for the U.S. and North America. Mark Zitzow, a principal of civil engineer Johnson & Associates, said that in the three years since they first proposed the project to the council, “the vision changed and the project became much more exciting.”
Challenges Facing North America’s Tallest Building
In recent insights, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has raised its concerns about the height on America’s tallest building. The authority has stalled plans for Legends tower that was taking shape in Oklahoma City. Complementing the city’s skyline at a height of 581 meters, it is expected to be the tallest building in the United States. Furthermore, designed by AO architects and developed by Matteson Capital, the project is part of a proposed mixed-use development downtown. Jeff Mulder, the director of Will Rogers World Airport, issued the height concerns. In the letter to the FAA, he outlined his concerns over why the project should be stalled.
One of the reasons he noted is that the skyscraper’s height could increase travel time for flights. Other reasons include causing adverse changes to departure schedules and creating the issue of flight safety across Oklahoma City’s metropolitan area. The letter also emphasized how the tower’s height could elevate the minimum vectoring attitude (MVA). This could force aircrafts to take longer descents. Moreover, its location could also infringe on the airspace for multiple airports. These include Tinker Airforce Base and Max Westheimer Airport.
Optimism Amid Pushback
Scot Matteson, founder of Matteson Capital, noted the concerns were acceptable but expressed hope for the project’s future. “We expected some pushbacks from them,” he noted. “We are waiting for the full report from the FAA, which we are supposed to get by the end of the month,” he added. Matteson also noted that if needed, the tower’s height could be reduced. The reduction could contradict the unlimited height limit that the local government issued earlier this year. However, the project has also faced delays despite its ambitious endeavours. Other stalled ventures in Oklahoma include an amusement park, an oil refinery, and a solar panel factory. There is still optimism that, despite these challenges, the first phase of the Legends tower will be done by 2025. However, it will not include the skyscraper itself.
Read also: New tallest building in the USA to be in Oklahoma
Construction start for North America’s new tallest building
If the plan by developer Matteson Capital goes forward, work on the slender tower will begin in about two years as part of a second phase. Rob Budetti, managing partner of AO, the architectural consultant on the project, noted this to the council.
The council did not vote to remove all height restrictions on the site without detractors. Councilman James Cooper raised concerns about the developer’s plans to include about 200 affordable housing units within Legends Tower. He also showed concerns over two other buildings in the same complex. Matteson Capital pledged to set those units aside for low-income Oklahomans. Furthermore, an early reports said it would partner on that initiative with an organization called Aspiring Anew Generation.
North America’s new tallest building, the Legends Tower will be part of Boardwalk at Bricktown, a mixed-use development comprising four new buildings. The first phase of its construction will include a hotel and two smaller residential towers; the developer will begin the second phase, which will include the supertall building, in two or three years. Rob Budetti, a managing partner of AO, told City Council members on Tuesday that he will complete the entire complex in about five years.
Read also: All you need to know about the Legends Tower, the planned tallest building in the United States
