Plans for Oklahoma City’s Legends Tower still alive, but developer says demand is biggest hurdle

Plans for Oklahoma City’s proposed Legends Tower are still alive, but the developer says the biggest challenge may not be federal approval, it’s whether there’s enough demand to fill it.

Developer Scot Matteson told News 9 that while discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration are ongoing, his primary concern has shifted to the market.

“We’re excited to get going,” Matteson said.

The Boardwalk at Bricktown project has been years in the making, with progress slowed in part by uncertainty surrounding its centerpiece, a proposed 1,907-foot tower that would rank among the tallest buildings in the country.
In a 2024 report, the FAA called the massive structure a potential “hazard to air navigation.”

Matteson pushed back on those concerns, saying the site is outside protected airspace zones.

“We are not in the flight pattern,” he said. “We’re outside of that zone, just like Devon Tower is.”

Still, he said the tower’s future may ultimately depend less on federal approval and more on market realities.

“It does have a lot of residential units in it, for sale and for rent,” Matteson said. “We’ll just see how the market plays out before we start construction on that.”

For now, developers are moving forward with Phase 1 of the project, which does not include the tower. That phase is expected to feature an underground parking garage, approximately 150,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, apartments, and a dual-branded Hyatt hotel. All planned buildings in the first phase would stand under 500 feet tall. He’s hopeful for a phase 2.

“We just felt that there was market demand when we looked at it and we think that demand will keep growing,” he said. “The city, population and job growth are all trending in the right direction.”

Matteson said surrounding developments could help drive demand for the project, from the future Thunder arena and MAPS 4 soccer stadium to the convention center and Riversport facilities.

“I think it’s more of a sports and entertainment district now than it was before. We believe we’ll be able to have a lot of synergies within that district.”

Groundbreaking for phase 1 is expected later this summer. Matteson said the project could eventually get a new name as developers look at rebranding.