Student housing development to replace infamous OU Motel

Aerial of the narrow tract outlined in red along the road, holding the low OU Motel buildings, between a golf course and apartments.

St. Louis, Mo based real estate developer Subtext gained City Council approval for their latest development to take the site of the OU Motel on South Classen Boulevard.

The Verve Norman will be 5-story structure spanning 210,000 square feet and have 650 beds. The complex will have 12,000 square feet of common space inside and will be geared toward student housing.

The units will be built in a donut style with a central courtyard and pool. The complex will also have a dog park, walking trails, hammock area, and a frisbee golf park in the green space on the south side of the property.

The project is anticipated to be completed in 2024. The Verve Norman is Subtext’s first complex in Norman. Subtext currently operates or is constructing Verve complexes in Madison, WI, Columbus, OH, Boise, ID, St. Louis, MO, Bloomington, IN, and New Brunswick, NJ.

Aerial overview of the student-housing site outlined in red on S. Classen Boulevard near the Jamie Austin Golf Course, Reeves Park, and Hitachi.

Street-level photo of the current OU Motel on the site — a low green motel with an older two-story wing and a red 'OU Motel' sign.

Proposed elevation rendering of 'Verve' — a five-story student-housing building with a leasing entrance and ground-floor retail.

Site plan for the student-housing project overlaid on an aerial, showing the building's pool courtyard, parking, and a floodway/compensatory storage area along the creek.