One of the biggest bets yet on downtown mixed-use development is nearing completion along Film Row where the $80 million West Village apartments and retail are starting to open around the 21c Museum Hotel and the Jones Assembly.

The transformation of the west edge of downtown started with an announcement five years ago that the 1916 former Ford Model T assembly plant was to be converted into a 21c Museum Hotel that opened with a full-service hotel, curated art galleries open all hours, restaurants, and adjoining offices for ADG, an architectural, engineering and planning firm.

Soon after, Fred Hall, whose family owns the former plant and surrounding blocks, approached Andy Burnett and Mark Beffort and asked them to develop what is now West Village, an $80 million mix that includes 345 apartments, 20,000 square feet of restaurants and retail, four garages and four live-work units.

The first building to open is the state’s tallest apartment club house with 20,000 square feet spanning four stories. Amenities include a library, two community kitchens, a game room with Ping-Pong, pool tables and free vintage arcade video games, a Barre studio, a room for yoga with instruction expected to be provided every Saturday, a spin class room and a Cross Fit gym.

“One of the things we decided to do early on was to go big,” Burnett said. “We needed to create a special place, a neighborhood that fully functions in and of itself.”

A floor-to-ceiling book shelf is at the center of the first floor of the club house, compared to others that are typically designed around large televisions. Reading nooks, comfortable seating and tables are located along each floor.

The building is topped with a rooftop pool, courtyard and outdoor kitchen where the views include the 21c Museum Hotel, the surrounding development and The Jones Assembly.

“We felt like creating an environment where people could live life together, hang out, enjoy a coffee or a cocktail, work out or sit by the pool,” Burnett said. “That is what the Millennials and Generation Z want — they want life spent together. We really tried to design this project around that premise.”

West Village is set to open in phases, with residents already moving into the first apartments around the club house, and more set to move into the neighboring building at Fred Jones Boulevard and Main Street by January. The next building, to the west of The Jones Assembly, will open by late Spring of 2019, with the final building at Main and Classen Boulevard to open by late summer of 2019.

The upfront cost for trying to top the competition comes with a cost. The developers spent $50,000 on what they believe will be the city’s first package concierge room. Burnett noted how the city’s larger apartment complexes are struggling with the advent of online shopping and how staff time is diverted to sorting through deliveries and apartment space is sometimes sacrificed for storage.

“When you think about 300 residents, think about that many apartments getting overwhelmed with boxes and the task of sorting that,” Burnett said. “With this, Amazon, UPS, they just punch in the resident code for the locker, and the resident comes down with their phone, swipe, and it will open for them.”

Four live-work units are set to open facing Fred Jones Boulevard, which Burnett describes as the Main Street of the development. Strings of lights will drape the street, which is lined with the 21c Museum Hotel, The Jones Assembly and West Village itself.

Burnett admits it’s an unproven experiment for the local market with units consisting of 700-square-foot ground floor store fronts and 1,000-square-foot upstairs apartments consisting of a kitchen and two bedrooms.

“The idea, when we thought of this, was to activate the storefront, bring life to the street, and for an aspiring artist, architect, or somebody who wants gallery space to show off what they’re doing and to live above their space. It’s huge in Europe. But it’s never been done here.”

For a brief time, one of the units was being eyed for an ice cream shop, which would have fit the “vibe” Burnett says he is seeking with the overall retail mix for the area. Leases already signed for the retail at the clubhouse building include “Stitch” by Chad Grubbs, which is a rebranded, relocated relaunch of Okay Yeah that was previously located by the nearby Paramount Building, The Plant Shoppe operated by his wife Jenn Grubbs, and a new market.

“I loved both of those concepts, and I was excited to bring those over here with homemade pop tarts, coffee, plants, all the fun things they do,” Burnett said. “They will have a market where you can buy wine, breads, cheeses, meats and anything else you want. And there will be a valet system where you can order any of that to be delivered to your apartment.”

A second location for the Social Club, a combined gift shop and salon already in Norman, will anchor the building along Main Street across from the 21c.

“Women will love it,” Burnett said. “It will be a great place for women to get a haircut, to get a massage, to do their nails, and they will also have a tremendous retail component as well.”

Only one 5,000-square-foot storefront remains at Classen and Sheridan Avenue, and Burnett said he is sorting through potential tenant proposals.

A dozen years ago all of this investment would have been seen as a risk along what was then known as “skid row.” West Village is opening at a time when the surrounding area has been transformed into restaurants, offices, bars and entertainment venues thanks to the pioneering efforts by developer Chip Fudge.

The Jones Assembly, surrounded by construction since its opening, has still drawn large crowds for its restaurant, its upstairs and outside bar, and concert hall. Burnett credits The Jones Assembly with proving the area is ready to grow even more.

“The Jones Assembly has hit it out of the park with their concept, their menu, their restaurant and the overall experience,” Burnett said. “They are doing incredibly well in spite of us and the tractors running all around them. They’ve done a wonderful job branding this neighborhood as a cool, fun place to hang out.”