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Redevelopment of the old Kmart facility in Bartlesville became more of a reality at the conclusion of the Bartlesville Development Authority meeting on Wednesday morning.

The BDA decided unanimously to make a recommendation to the Bartlesville City Council to allocate $203,830 to Foraker Company for the redevelopment of the old Kmart. BDA President David Wood said the recommendation will go before the Council on Monday, Oct. 7th.

The developer, Wood said, is ready to wrap this process up so he can execute the leases and move forward. All indications show that Foraker will move forward immediately if and when the item is approved.

The old Kmart is located at the intersection of Highway 75 and Frank Phillips Blvd. Looking ahead, 5 stores are anticipated to go into the area. So far, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Burkes Outlet, Tuesday Morning and a Dollar Tree expansion are anticipated to go into the redeveloped space. You can find a grapic on what the area could look like below.

Wood said the decision of the fifth tenant will be made by Foraker and his tenant. He said the BDA has no role in that whatsoever, but he said for the various stores that are out there and that are consistent with the other four offerings in place, he knows Foraker is prospecting for that business. It was guessed by Wood that before the project begins physically, the fifth tenant could be announced.

As for the stores themselves, Ollie's Bargain Outlet is an American chain of discount retail stores founded in 1982 with 330 locations in 23 states. They deal in merchandise obtained from various retailers, suppliers or manufacturers throughout the country, whether in the form of closeouts, bankruptcy sales or other similar means of buying the stock at below wholesale costs.

Burkes Outlet is a privately held company. Florida-based Beall's Inc. is the parent company of Burkes. The company was formed in 1915 and the corporation now operates over 500 retail stores. Customers at Burkes can find brand name apparel and accessories for the entire family at up to 70-percent off other stores' prices. Most Burkes stores carry shoes, home furnishings, gifts and toys.

As for Tuesday Morning, it is an American discount off-price retailer specializing in domestic and international, designer and name-brand closeout merchandise. The company has 700-plus stores across the U.S and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

And finally, there is Dollar Tree. This is an expansion of the Highway 75 store. This is located near Truity Credit Union and across the highway from ALDI.

Mayor Dale Copeland attended Wednesday's BDA meeting. He shared positives thoughts on the progression of the redevelopment efforts after the fact.

According to Mayor Copeland, this redevelopment is the result of hard work over many years. He looks to the Silver Lake Development and the revamped Eastland Shopping Center as testament to the truth. But when it comes to having an area redeveloped where most of the traffic in the community ends up, you can go a long way.

Mayor Copeland said this redevelopment will have high desirability for Bartians. He said you have asked for more shopping and this will add way more shopping opportunities in an area where the City of Bartlesville can greatly approve.

From what has been gathered, the old Kmart facility has been vacant for two years since its closure. Again, the recommendation to the Bartlesville City Council to allocate the proper funding for the redevelopment of the old Kmart will be presented on Monday, Oct. 7th when the Council holds their first meeting of the month.