This is an article originally published here by the Journal Record on 04/02/2026.
Wreckers hired by the city housing authority will begin demolition of the Motel 6 on Reno next week, and the people living there are being paid to relocate temporarily, a representative of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority said Thursday.
Assistant Executive Director of Development & Community Revitalization Greg Shinn gave a quarterly update to the MAPS 4 Citizen Advisory Board Thursday morning.
“We’re still working towards meeting our overall goals of our MAPS 4 Homelessness Operating Agreement, which is 500 units of supportive housing, renovating at least 1,500 units of public housing, and creating 150 units of workforce housing,” Shinn said in Thursday’s meeting.
All of the money from the first allocation of the MAPS 4 Homelessness Program has been committed, though not all has been officially spent yet, he said.
The MAPS 4 Homelessness Program has a total budget of $55.7 million but includes plans to access additional funding of more than $400 million from other sources, including tax credits. The stated plan is to use these funds to tackle homelessness in the city by building affordable housing, referred to by city documents as a housing-first strategy.
There are now nine projects on the map, mostly dotting around the central Interstate 40 corridor and veering up to Forest Park on Interstate 35, but with outliers north near the Kilpatrick Turnpike and southwest of the city center near Interstate 240.
Once Motel 6, soon Vita Nova
Previously a Motel 6 at 1800 E Reno Ave, the Vita Nova project is in its beginning phases of development, Shinn said.
“Construction fencing went up yesterday,” Shinn said.
Midwest Wrecking will begin demolition at that site April 8. He said some people had to relocate from the former motel, but there is a plan in place for these individuals.
“There’s a very small relocation plan for a handful of residents that were living there long-term when we acquired the property,” he said. “They weren’t just overnight motel guests; they had actually been living there for months.”
Because the city is using HUD money for this development, which Shinn said came to the city in HOME funds, those funds kick off the Uniform Relocation Act.
“Those long-term residents had rights to be there, and we had to proceed with a Uniform Relocation Act policy,” Shinn said.
He said the people affected are working closely with a relocation specialist on the staff at the housing authority.
“We will pay for them to move temporarily, and then they will have the right to return to the facility if they choose to do so, but they don’t have to. That’s all under federal regulations,” Shinn said.
He said there would be updates on those people as the project moves forward.
Housing for family, workforce and veterans
The Shiloh Flats, with 132 units, will be a family workforce housing project near Southwest 59th Street and Shiloh Drive.
“This is an affordable housing project in the middle of an opportunity zone where there is no affordable housing,” Shinn said.
Of these 132 units, Shinn said 55 units will be project-based vouchers, meaning those units will be subsidized in a project-based voucher contract with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, he said.
Meanwhile, Dorset Place Veteran Community, located at 2435 NW 122nd St., is going into its second phase, renovating the second building.
“The first phase is 37 units for Dorset Veterans Place, and that’s already open and operating. I think we’re up to 31 units out of 37 occupied right now,” Shinn said.
The first phase opened in fall 2025, formerly an assisted living facility for seniors. OCHA purchased that property to provide permanent supportive housing for veterans and their immediate family as part of the MAPS 4 housing projects, according to data released in October.
The second building at that site has 33 vacant units to undergo renovation. At Dorset Place, daily meals are offered as well as case management and healthcare on-site by HUD-VASH. HUD also pays some of the housing costs for veterans through its voucher program.
There is one new project on the map this quarter: Westlawn Gardens, near Interstate 44 and I-40. While this site is a new addition to the plan, Shinn said more information would be available in the near future.
“That is for a family affordable housing project adjacent to the Mark Twain Elementary School. It’s an infill urban development project,” Shinn said.
The Creston Park site, near the west side of I-35, is on hold for refinancing and community input, he said, stating that a revised design will be provided at a future meeting.
The financing for the Oak Grove project at 3301 Southwest 17th Street, meanwhile, is waiting on approval of a tax credit application, as Oak Grove is a low-income housing tax credit project. Shinn said construction should begin for Oak Grove in 2027. This site is a conversion from public housing to an affordable housing location, he said.
“Oak Grove is 288 units,” Shinn said. “In the end, it will be 306 units in our plan with OnCue for a commercial development across from the Dell plant on Southwest 15th.“
We Host Alliance, another permanent supportive housing project, will hold 38 units. This development will be near The Homeless Alliance. Shinn said that the permanent debt financing was approved Thursday for that site, so they have a mix of funding sources. He said this project is scheduled to start in June.
