Lawton's RISE Plan: Can the City Build 2,000 New Homes in 10 Years?

Lawton officials want to change where new homes get built, and they’re putting a number behind it: 2,000 houses in ten years. Mayor Stan Booker and Lawton Economic Development Authority director Richard Rogalski are proposing the RISE Plan, built around Tax Increment Financing to make residential construction more attractive inside city limits. The motivation is simple. Lawton holds 74% of Comanche County’s population, but 65% of new home sales in 2024 and 2025 happened outside the city.

The plan targets two kinds of areas: undeveloped greenfield sites and older neighborhoods that need redevelopment. A review committee including Booker, Planning Commission representative Ron Jarvis, and Lawton Public Schools superintendent Dr. Neal Weaver will help shape how it works, an important detail since TIF districts can affect future school funding. Supporters point to signs of momentum already: 153 new housing construction permits issued since August 2025, with more than 100 additional residential structures expected within the next year.

There’s a cleanup component too. The city approved demolition of six dilapidated properties at a cost of $38,551 and condemned nine others as dangerous, part of an effort to stabilize neighborhoods from the ground up. For homeowners, the stakes come down to property values and the tax base that funds roads, parks, and services. So what do you think: can Lawton hit 2,000 new homes in ten years, and would you want one of them?