In a booming part of eastern Canadian County, families are a driving force of development.
Families move in for the schools, for the houses and for the communities, said Carol Hefner, the spokeswoman for a development that has landed a future amphitheater that will bring family entertainment to thousands.
Just south of Interstate 40 near the Kilpatrick Turnpike will be Mustang Creek Crossing, the vision of Dr. Sam Coury, a retired dentist and Oklahoma entrepreneur responsible for the first commercial development in the Deer Creek school district.
Coury announced the plans to develop Mustang Creek Crossing in 2019.
The latest news is that the 12,000-seat Sunset Amphitheatre will attract shows for the families in an area that continues to see population growth in far west Oklahoma City limits, where many have Yukon mailing addresses.
The development is within the boundaries of the Mustang school district.
Coury’s daughter, Hefner, ran for mayor in Oklahoma City. She is the designated spokesperson for the development, and she confirmed a contract is final to bring the amphitheater to Mustang Creek Crossing.
Ground will break in 2024, she said.
Mustang Creek Crossing is a family business venture, too, with Carol and her siblings also involved as co-owners.
Hefner said her telephone had not stopped ringing since the announcement about the amphitheater, and she filled in details about the plan in another call.
“I am super excited to represent Mustang Creek Crossing on behalf of my family as owner and licensing agent for this transaction,” Hefner said. “(T)his particular venue that is coming to Mustang Creek Crossing is now past the point of discussions. We are now under binding contract with Notes Live Inc. and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“We are super excited to announce that we are in the phase of putting together the project and laying it out. This particular amphitheater will be the largest in the United States put out by this group.”
There will be 120 suites – and some have already been sold, Hefner said.
“It is just astounding the swell of support that we’ve had,” she said of the feedback. “People are super excited. … (W)e are not corporately owned, we do not have a partnership. It is simply individuals – my dad, Dr. Sam Coury, myself as agent of record and owner, and my three siblings who are also part owners.
“We really strive to bring to the communities where our developments sit, experiences and adventures, dining and entertainment and sports facilities that really see the culture of American family life,” she added. “And because we sit between pockets of residential areas, we seek to be really great neighbors and bring those people together under the umbrella of just having generational interaction and fun to grow the culture of family.”
In eastern Canadian County, the Mustang Creek Crossing amphitheater will sit near three airports and a major interstate with access from the John Kilpatrick Turnpike.
MUSTANG CREEK CROSSING
Mustang Creek Crossing will be developed on land south of I-40 and north of SW 15th, between Mustang Road and Sara Road.
The future Sunset Amphitheatre will be on 21 acres with another 15 acres for parking. The sound from the stage is on the southern part of the venue and there is a buffer zone that will be designed to minimize sound travel.
There will be roundabouts and a street named Sunset Boulevard.
Traffic in the area will be improved with both Sara Road and S.W. 15th widened to include additional turn lanes, according to Hefner.
“We are going to be doing a lot to help that region and this will help drive up property values significantly,” she said. “What we are doing there is all quality and high-end dining options and hotels, not the high-rise chain hotels that you see elsewhere.”
Developments have been completed along Mustang Road south of I-40 with a coffee shop, car wash and a fast-food restaurant.
Groundbreaking for the amphitheater will be in early 2024 with the first headlining concert in spring or summer 2025.
There will be 60 to 70 big-name artists a year.
“We really want it to bring families together and make multi-generational experiences,” Hefner said.
“We want to really make sure we are great neighbors. We will have strong security and it will all be very family friendly concerts geared toward every age level.”
Access to Sundance Airport, Wiley Post Airport and Will Rogers World Airport was a reason Mustang Creek Crossing has been chosen for the amphitheater, according to Hefner.
Being on the I-40 corridor near the turnpike also was a factor, she added.
More announcements are expected about venues that will open at Mustang Creek Crossing.
“There is going to be a lot popping with the hotels and all the interest, there are so many people calling me I can’t answer all the calls,” Hefner said.
