TULSA, Okla. — A movement to revitalize Route 66 at 11th and Lewis is seeing major growth as the next big development nears completion.
It is on Route 66 where a revitalization effort curated a new neighbor in Tulsa.
On the corner of 11th and Lewis sits the Mother Road Market Shops. One of the store fronts is Visit Tulsa an information hub for all things Tulsa.
"I think people are excited and energized by the fact that new things are happening and good things are happening in this part of town," said Kenny Smith Coordinator at the visitors center.
Smith said the area is being awoken by the new developments.
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The city has been pushing for years to increase tourism along Route 66. As part of this effort, the 11th and Lewis Corridor was laid out in a multi-step plan.
That plan included shops, a multilevel apartment and retail space and the Mother Road Market.
The local food hall has been a part of the city’s landscape since 2018 and launched the revitalization.
Now a minutes walk away is a nearly 260 unit apartment complex.
The new development is welcoming more businesses to the area.
"What we want to bring here to NOMA, is we do have eight retails spots and six of those are leased at this time. And we just actually handed keys over to our retail partners last Friday and we are excited for them to open their doors over the coming months," said Heather Shipman the community director of the NOMA apartments.
Shipman said they welcome people to live in the new Market District.
The $65 million complex is just the latest addition to Route 66. 2 News with Sara Jones and Jennifer Jones, who spent time at the Mother Road Market.
"I think there's pockets of new developments and really shows that Tulsa is trying to bring this area into a more workable space," they said.
They added that limited parking and some lingering road construction are still issues. But despite those issues, they said they would be back.
For added fun, the street lights up at night with neon signs as a throwback to the mother road.
The city will continue to work on updates and repairs ahead of the Route 66 centennial in 2026.
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