Oklahoma City’s ongoing push to expand affordable housing reached another milestone this week as Lincoln Avenue Communities (LAC) broke ground on The Reserve at Chisholm Creek, a 267-unit mixed-income residential community designed to meet the growing demand for attainable housing options in Northwest OKC.
The project, supported by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) through federal and state tax credits, aims to provide high-quality, affordable homes for working families, teachers, and community service professionals who are increasingly priced out of market-rate housing.
“These rents will be about $200 to $400 less than comparable market-rate properties in this area,” said David Garcia, vice president and regional project partner at Lincoln Avenue Communities. “They’ll generally range in the $1,000 to $1,600 per unit range for the one-to-four-bedroom units that we have here.”
According to Garcia, residents must meet specific income qualifications—earning up to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI)—to be eligible.
“$40,000 or so for one-bedroom apartments and not exceeding $60,000 to $80,000 for our three- and four-bedroom units,” he added.
The Reserve at Chisholm Creek will cater to the city’s essential workforce, including educators, healthcare workers, and service employees, who often struggle to find affordable housing near their jobs.
“It’ll be a great place for working families, teachers, preschool teachers, the people who serve our community in various ways, for them to come and live,” said Holley Mangham, communications manager for the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.
Mangham emphasized that the location—near Chisholm Creek’s retail and entertainment corridor—will allow residents easy access to shopping, dining, and employment centers.
“People will be able to just be close by all the shopping, the grocery stores, everything that they need is just right here, just steps away,” Mangham said.
Although The Reserve is classified as affordable housing, developers are committed to maintaining market-rate standards for design, materials, and amenities.
“They’ll have pools, they’ll have gyms, they’ll have nice community rooms, we have a media room and a work-from-home area,” said Garcia.
Each unit will include durable, upscale finishes typically found in higher-end properties.
“Hard top countertops, quartz, and granite. They’ll have stainless steel appliances,” Garcia added.
Renderings show a contemporary three-story design with landscaped courtyards, outdoor play areas, and community gathering spaces—intended to foster a sense of belonging among residents while supporting family-oriented lifestyles.
The Reserve at Chisholm Creek represents a significant investment in Oklahoma City’s housing infrastructure, addressing a persistent shortfall of affordable units across the metro area. With rent and home prices continuing to climb, developments like this are crucial to stabilizing the local housing market.
City leaders and housing advocates say projects like The Reserve are helping bridge the affordability gap while supporting workforce retention in Oklahoma’s growing economy.
The development will generate hundreds of local construction and trade jobs during its build-out phase, while long-term property management and maintenance will sustain employment once completed.
Construction began this month and is expected to continue through late 2027, with occupancy anticipated to begin by next year, according to project officials. Once completed, The Reserve at Chisholm Creek will stand as one of the largest new affordable housing developments in northwest Oklahoma City.
The project adds momentum to Oklahoma City’s broader effort to expand equitable housing opportunities—balancing growth with affordability as the metro continues to attract new residents and businesses.
Originally reported by Sydnee Batzlaff/KFOR in KFOR.
