New store coming to Ponca City

A Hampton Inn has been in the works and now Ponca City is ready to announce Atwoods is coming to town.

Next Monday the planning commission will hear a zoning petition for property on Prospect.

Chris Henderson, development services director said he anticipates the zoning will pass.

“The Atwoods guys have stores all over the state of Oklahoma and I am sure we have the population base and the need to have a farm and ranch store in Ponca City, just like they have in Enid and Stillwater and towns our size," Henderson said. "So, I think it’s a natural fit.”

Atwoods will be a 60,000 square feet store just west of the railroad tracks.

As for Hampton Inn, the land transaction is already complete.

Henderson said the hotel will go right next door to the Holiday Inn Express off 14^th and Prospect.

" I don’t know if Ponca City needed the Hampton Inn, but clearly our occupancy rates at our hotels are very strong and they’ve been trending upward," Henderson said. " A lot of that is being pushed by oil and gas folks and that Hampton Inn thinks they should be here, because there is obviously a need for more hotel rooms in Ponca City."

Ponca City is just waiting on the building plans from Hampton Inn.

There is not a date set for either project to begin construction.