A buyer with a pipe yard, a rail siding and a loud machine shop usually has one problem: finding a lot where the neighbors cannot complain. In Elk City the city has platted exactly that kind of ground, and we build the steel shops, warehouses and equipment buildings that go on it. If your business is heavy, noisy or truck-intensive, the zoning matters as much as the frame.
The City of Elk City describes Big Elk Industrial Park as 130 platted acres with individual sites from 6.6 to 35 acres, zoned I-3 (Heavy Industry). Sites of that size are large enough for a main shop, a yard, a laydown area and room to expand. They are bigger than most small-industrial lots, and they let an owner build in stages without running out of ground. We plan the first building so that trucks, cranes and later additions can move around it.
Elk City sits in a petroleum and wind-energy region, and the same park also suits fabricators, distributors and equipment dealers. We design for whichever industry arrives, and we tell the owner what the zoning allows and what the neighbors are likely to accept.
Wikipedia states that the petroleum industry is the heart of Elk City's economy and that Great Plains Regional Medical Center is Elk City's largest employer. We use those statements cautiously, since they come from a general reference. Taken together, they point to two kinds of steel buyers. Oilfield and energy service firms want shops, pipe racks, covered storage and truck bays. Health care and support firms want storage, maintenance and vehicle buildings near the hospital. Our manufacturing page covers fabrication shops, and the warehousing and distribution page covers supply yards that mix covered and open storage.
Wikipedia also reports that Red Hills Wind Farm near Elk City, in Roger Mills and Custer counties, has 82 turbines producing 123 MW, was commissioned in June 2009 and created 15 new full-time local jobs. A wind farm creates a small number of permanent jobs, but each one needs a base: a service building, a parts store and a vehicle shed. We build those, and we do not build turbines.
On a large heavy-industrial lot, we usually draw four elements. First, a main shop of 6,000 to 20,000 square feet with tall doors and an overhead crane if needed. Second, a covered storage structure, often open on one side, for pipe, tubulars or equipment. Third, a small office or crew building. Fourth, a fenced yard with a gravel or concrete surface, drainage and truck access. The shop is the most expensive part, but the yard decides how much work the company can handle.
The crane industrial building page explains runways and loads, and the clear-span building page shows how a wide shop stays free of columns. We encourage owners to plan the whole lot first, then build the shop and add the rest as cash allows.
The City of Elk City says Big Elk Industrial Park is on rail, adjacent to the Farmrail main line, which links to BNSF and Union Pacific. It also says the park is less than 1.5 miles from the I-40 access ramps, with both east and west entry and exit. The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture says Elk City sits at the intersection of Interstate 40 and State Highway 6 in northeastern Beckham County. For a buyer, that is rail, interstate and a state highway, all within reach of the same lot.
Wikipedia reports that Elk City Regional Business Airport lies about 1 mile northeast of the city and has a 5399' x 75' paved runway. A company that flies executives or parts can keep an aircraft within a short drive of its shop. Our Weatherford page covers a nearby interstate market, and the Woodward page covers the market to the north for owners who work across both.
A shop in a heavy-industrial park carries loads that a light commercial building never sees. Trucks, forklifts, welding machines and stacked pipe push on the slab, and a crane adds more. We build the slab forms, place the reinforcement, set the anchor bolts and coordinate the pour. We schedule and inspect the crews that erect the frame, hang the panels, install doors and finish trim. Licensed trades handle the electrical, plumbing and mechanical work.
Having one team build both the base and the steel avoids the finger-pointing that follows a misplaced bolt. If a bolt is off, we know before the frame arrives. Our anchor bolt and foundation page describes the checks we do. For owners who want a covered area with a roof only, the structural steel erection page explains how an open-sided structure is built.
The National Weather Service Norman office's Oklahoma tornado table, which covers 1950 to the present, shows a total of 4,518 tornadoes, an average of 59.4 per year, with May as the peak month at 1,851. Those numbers are for the state as a whole, but they help owners in Elk City think about spring scheduling and shelter. A steel building is designed for the code wind load and not for a direct strike by a strong tornado. For people on shift, we recommend an interior shelter or a nearby one.
Industrial shops also have everyday risks: fire, fuel, welding sparks and falls. We plan egress doors, fire extinguisher locations, emergency lighting and exhaust for welding and paint areas. Insurance carriers often have their own rules, so we ask for them before we draw.
Heavy industrial zoning gives freedom but adds cost. Stormwater control may be required on a large lot. Fire access roads and hydrants may be required if the building is large. Truck aprons need thick concrete. Landscaping and screening can be required at the edges of the park. Each item has a price, and we list it in the estimate so the owner sees the real total.
Compared with a small lot in town, a large park lot trades site cost for freedom: a bigger yard, fewer neighbors and the option to expand. Many owners prefer to spend more on the lot and less on the building at first, then add bays as revenue grows.
Send the lot, the zoning conditions and what you plan to run inside. We will price your Elk City shop and yard as a staged plan.
The zoning ordinance sets the answer. In general, heavy industrial zoning allows shops, yards and manufacturing that would not be allowed near homes. Ask the city for the permitted-use table and any conditions, and send it to us.
It depends on trucks and storage. A 10,000 square foot shop with a 2-acre yard fits on a 5-acre lot with room for later additions. Larger yards or a rail connection call for more land.
It sets the door wall, the apron and the slab layout. The railroad and park control spur rights and construction. We design the building to use the track once access is in place.
Yes. A roof-only steel structure with open sides works well for pipe and tubulars. We design it for the weight, the wind and the fork or crane that loads it.
Usually a shop bay, a parts room, a small office, vehicle parking and a fenced yard. Most of the cost is in the shop and the power service. We can size it for a small crew and add bays later.
Tell us about the site, the building and the schedule, and we will set up a review of scope, schedule and permitting.
See the services, building types and industries we plan and manage across Oklahoma.