On a November morning at Gray Owl Coffee, the whirring of machinery outside drew confused customers to ask baristas where they should exit. As Gray Owl staff learned just that day, construction crews were removing the sidewalk outside the door, creating uncertainty about whether the shop was open.
The Gray Street two-way conversion project is voter-approved through the city’s 2019 Transportation Bond Program and aimed to transform Gray Street from its current one-way westbound configuration to a two-way configuration traveling east and west. Construction began on Aug. 5 and is expected to last until August 2025.
Worker-owned coffee shop Gray Owl Coffee is located on Gray Street between Peters and Crawford avenues. Since construction began, the rightmost lanes have been closed and customers have been required to park in neighboring lots.
Gray Owl co-owner Erika Barker said the sidewalk connecting Peters and Crawford had been closed throughout October and November, occasionally disabling access to the business’s front door. Customers can access Gray Owl through its back patio, but Barker said it has been challenging communicating changes day by day.
“I think the biggest thing has just been trying to communicate to customers where they can park, how they can get in, how long it's going to take, that kind of stuff, …” Barker said. “We basically have just been told day-of when certain things are going to happen, so it's been a little bit tricky.”
In an Instagram post on Nov. 13, Gray Owl Coffee wrote:
“The sidewalk outside our front door will be cut out today. We just found out! It’s loud! It’s a mess! But we are STILL OPEN! You can use our front door, but we HIGHLY recommend using our back entrance for the next two days. We appreciate your patience and support through it all!”
Located on the corner of Gray and Crawford, restaurant and beer garden The Standard has also been impacted by the construction.
The Standard opened in October 2022, and co-owner and managing partner Cameron Brewer said part of the reason he and his family chose the location was the knowledge that Gray Street would eventually be two-way.
Brewer, who received a master’s degree from OU in regional and city planning, said he is excited about the changes that will come from the project and expects an improvement in retail visibility and the street’s safety.
“If they go two-way, then you'll have some cars coming east, and … the visibility of our business will be much more profound, …” Brewer said. “That goes for everything up and down Gray Street, it kind of opens up twice the amount of possibilities that are here currently.”
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant told OU Daily that a two-way Gray Street will make downtown Norman more attractive for developing residential areas.
“That would mean more housing in downtown, and there is a demand for it, but it's harder to do when the infrastructure doesn't support the housing you want to see,” Grant said.
Grant encourages people to attend the open houses for the city’s Area and Infrastructure Master Plan, or AIM Norman, at 6:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Young Family Athletic Center and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Norman Development Center to learn more about the city's master planning efforts directly from the planning team.
Grant also said, through Norman City Manager Darrel Pyle, city council is able to speak directly with the public works department which is handling the project. Grant said business owners can work with the city to see public improvements like streetscaping on their property.
Lindsey Street saw a construction project from 2016 to 2018 that significantly affected small-business owners in the area. Brewer said he feels the city “learned a lot of lessons” from the project and he was able to give his feedback about what he hopes to see for Gray Street.
“I think through some business owners being actively involved in that conversation, (we) were able to make the projects quite a bit better,” Brewer said. “Originally, the design did not include a lot of the features that will be included as part of this.”
Brewer is also on the Norman Planning Commission, which is responsible for investigating issues relating to development and improvement of the city and making recommendations to the city council.
Barker said she has felt mostly helpless throughout the process but has felt supported by Grant. She said Grant campaigned with city council to increase Gray Owl’s parking time limit from one hour to two hours.
“On the one hand, sometimes it kind of feels like we don’t really have any control over anything, but on the other hand I do know that we have really good support from our city council member,” Barker said.
Gray Street’s construction began two weeks before the first day of OU’s fall semester. While The Standard’s parking lot was not affected by construction, Brewer said business is typically busier as students return and he believes the perception of construction has deterred potential customers.
“What was tricky about it is that the construction started the same week that most OU students got back into Norman,” Brewer said. “So we did see a pickup in business, but I have a strong assumption that we would have seen a larger pickup in business had the construction not started right then.”
Gray Owl Coffee on Dec. 4.
Barker said business has been “a little bit slower” but she understands that the changes needed to be made at some point.
“It gets worse before it gets better, you know,” Barker said.
The sidewalk from Gray Owl’s front entrance to the corner of Gray and Peters is currently closed but customers can enter through the front and back entrances. Construction has extended to the intersection of Gray and Santa Fe Avenue.
Both businesses have been using social media, signage and direct communication with customers to share updates, and both Brewer and Barker emphasized the importance of support from the community.
“During construction, support from the OU community, inclusive of students and faculty, goes a long way in Norman. Come try out a new place or come back if you’ve already tried it. Every dollar matters when there are obstacles in the way,” Brewer wrote in a message to OU Daily.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
