Rainier To Develop OU’s Rock Creek Entertainment District

The Rainier Development Company will build the University of Oklahoma’s massive mixed-use sports entertainment district.

The Dallas-based firm, launched by Rainier Companies in 2023, signed a master development agreement with the University of Oklahoma Foundation for Rock Creek Entertainment District, the Dallas Business Journal reported. The mixed-use project, spanning 269 acres in Norman, has an estimated construction cost of $1.1 billion. It will include more than 1,000 residential units as well as office, retail, hotel and dining space by a new 8,000-seat stadium for the university’s basketball and gymnastics programs.

Construction will start within the next 30 days, Rainier CEO Danny Lovell told the outlet. The first phase of construction should end no later than 2029, and the full project could take 10 years.

The development site is at the intersection of Rock Creek Road and I-35, between the interstate and 24th Avenue, according to the Rock Creek District website. The arena will span 310,000 square feet.

Rainier plans to build 758 multifamily units totaling 720,500 square feet, according to the website. A 150-key hotel will encompass 110,000 square feet, office space will span 180,000 square feet and retail space will span 140,000 square feet. The development will include 37 single-family homes.

The third phase of the project will add townhomes, but the website doesn’t specify whether they’ll make up the remaining 205 residential units.

OU’s basketball teams currently play at the Lloyd Noble Center, which the university spent $9.5 million to renovate last year, according to the outlet. Lovell expects the new arena to host basketball games by the 2028-29 season.

Cleveland County approved a $50 million note to help fund the project in March.Rainier’s portfolio includes 1001 Ross, a 30,000-square-foot multifamily development at the intersection of Ross and Lamar Avenue in Dallas’ West End, which the company acquired through a joint venture with Discover Multifamily in March 2025, the outlet reported.