Nichols Hills is being gentrified…

I guess the downturn in the Oklahoma economy hasn’t been bad for everybody.

Earlier this week, a local energy industry executive announced he’s demolishing an entire block of Nichols Hills rental properties to make way for a fancy new luxury home division. The Oklahoman has all the details:

A blighted street in Nichols Hills will give way to a tight enclave of million-dollar-plus homes after energy executive Tony Say tears down 23 ramshackle rent houses he owns on Cumberland Drive. Say leads an investor group that will turn the long-neglected street just north of Nichols Hills Plaza into a neighborhood called Cumberland Court. The street, about 800 feet long, extends from N Western Avenue west to Avondale Drive. Say said the small houses, most of them built in 1946 or 1947, will start coming down in February and that 23 lots will be offered for custom upscale homes by select builders who will follow set architectural standards. “We’re not going to dictate to the owners what they can build,” he said, but it “has to be within a certain architectural style.”

Whew, that’s a relief. It’s about time they tear down all those “ramshackle rent houses” that people call homes. Wouldn’t it suck to live in a slum where all the homes are valued over $200,000:

Seriously, I hope these relocated ramshacklers are able to find a more appropriate part of town to call home. We can’t have those $200,000 rent houses lowering Nichols Hills property values.

This new neighborhood, which I think is called “One-Percentville,” seems pretty cool. For example, residents will have a concierge service to take care of all those demeaning, time-killing, monotonous tasks that rich people are apparently too good for:

Cumberland Court will offer residents concierge service for dry cleaning, dog-walking and other errands; sidewalk access to Nichols Hills Plaza; and other conveniences, Say said. Entry will be from Avondale only; vehicle access to Western will be closed, but there will be a pedestrian gate, said Say, who is president of Clearwater Enterprises LLC. “This exclusive development will offer residents an urban living experience, with the security of a private neighborhood and the convenience of sidewalk access to Nichols Hills Plaza and other Western Avenue businesses and restaurants,” he said. “We are looking forward to providing a high-end, exclusive urban living environment that is unique to the Oklahoma City metro area. “It takes a street that has not been kept up for many years and turns it into a masterpiece.”

You know what would be a nice, generous act? What if they hire the people who currently lived in the ramshackle rent houses to serve as part-time concierges? They could probably use the extra money to cover their moving costs and all that fun stuff.