Tulsa's newest apartment complex has underwater speakers in its pool

Michael Dekker

Tulsa World Business Writer

May 19, 2024

Ed Leinbach was in the San Francisco Bay area about a year and a half ago when a friend of his noticed something at a local hotel.

Its pool had audio speakers under water.

“I found the company that does that and they said, ‘Yes, we can do that ... it’s just like installing underwater pool lights,’” he said.

The Leinbach Company, a Tulsa-based construction and development firm, has now incorporated that feature at Crown at Seven Oaks, 13818 E. 51st St., between 129th and 145th East avenues.

Tulsa’s newest apartment complex is a $50 million, 356-unit complex that recently marked its grand opening.

The opening is one of the first since the debut of the Tulsa Housing Strategy in April, which is serving as a guide for an ambitious effort to address Tulsa’s housing shortage. The report was developed with input from developers, philanthropists, neighborhood stakeholders and social service providers and will be implemented through public-private partnerships, officials said.

It details ways the city can continue to spur and support development toward the goal of adding nearly 13,000 housing units, both rental and for sale, over the next decade.

Officials said some of the recommended actions are already underway, including analyzing office buildings to determine which are best-suited for conversion to housing; identifying funding for additional city staff to support and expedite housing development; and development of preapproved housing plans to expedite the process and reduce costs associated with building housing.

At Crown at Seven Oaks, the apartments range in size from 725 to 1,222 square feet. Monthly lease rates start from $1,200 for a one-bedroom, $1,500 for a 2-bedroom and $1,800 for a “villa” with a garage, Leinbach said.

Residents will have access to vegetable gardens, pickleball courts, a giant chess set — complete with 3-foot-tall chess pieces — a gated entry, Flock cameras and an oversized pool with an 8-by-12-foot TV screen.

The development, which began with a lot of dirt work about a year ago, should be officially completed by August, Leinbach said.

The complex will be 100% smoke-free. It also allows pets, but with limitations on breeds of dogs, including Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows and Pit Bulls, which its website said will not be permitted to live on the property.

However, Leinbach said it was important for the property to be pet friendly, even with those limitations.

“The world has changed,” he said. “Particularly with women and security ... and any dog of any size that makes noise ... people feel better about that from a safety and security standpoint.”

Also, he said, about 14 adjacent acres from Crown at Seven Oaks will eventually be developed into a dog park.

“People will have a place to take their dogs right next to the property and I think that is going to be something really special,” he said.

The Leinbach Company has been building multiresidential projects in Tulsa since 1995. It boasts more than 6,000 apartment units in the state over the last 35 years, including 5400 South, just west of LaFortune Park, and Crown Chase, just north of the Creek Turnpike and East of Riverside Parkway in south Tulsa.

Crown at Seven Oaks residents he is hoping to attract, Leinbach said, include young professionals, older people who “are just tired of the upkeep of a home,” and middle-aged married couples.

“We sort of pride ourselves on pretty big experiences for our residents. There are a lot of people who are looking for that,” he said.

And of the underwater pool speakers, he said, “There are speakers around the pool, so you can hear music. But in order to hear the speakers under water, you have to lay your head in the water.”