09/09/2026
Dear Lilyfield Friends,
We have incredible news to share.
The Oklahoma City Housing Authority (OCHA) and the City of Oklahoma City have been awarded a $25,115,577 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to transform Will Rogers Courts and the surrounding Westwood Exchange neighborhood.
For Lilyfield, this announcement is deeply personal. This is our neighborhood.
That is why we are honored to serve as co-People Lead, alongside Community Action Agency, for this Choice Neighborhoods work. Our role is to help ensure this transformation is centered not only on new housing and neighborhood improvements, but on the people and families who call this community home.
For Lilyfield, this moment reinforces something we have believed for years: our investment in South Oklahoma City is more important than ever. We will continue to make financial investment in the project.
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We are grateful to the residents who have shared their hopes and vision for their neighborhood, to the partners who have invested in this work, and to the community members who have believed in what is possible for Will Rogers Courts and Westwood Exchange.
Will Rogers Courts is a publicly-owned housing development built in the 1930s by the WPA program. It is in a neighborhood known as Westwood Exchange, just south of the Oklahoma River and just two miles from downtown Oklahoma City.
We have been focused on many aspects of OKC housing for the better part of a decade, and MAPS 4 includes over $50 million for truly affordable housing. Much of that funding has gone towards projects spearheaded by the Oklahoma City Housing Authority (OCHA).
Over the last three years, OCHA has been developing a plan to completely rebuild Will Rogers Courts and significantly improve the entire Westwood Exchange neighborhood. OCHA has had many partners in this effort, including the city government, the Community Action Agency, Lilyfield and Brinshore Development. The total commitment to the plan has exceeded $225 million, and the city has committed over $30 million, coming from sources like MAPS 4 and the 2025 bond issue.
This week, we received the exciting news that the Choice Neighborhoods program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded this project a grant of $25 million! These resources will not only help fund the capital needs of this ambitious project, but will also enable programs supporting the residents.
We expect the first new units to open in 2029.
We congratulate and thank everyone involved in this impactful project, and we thank HUD for their commitment to the people of OKC!
(Aerial photo by Bryan Terry)
