"The idea that The Village on Main is an extension of downtown Jenks is a very exciting opportunity to bring good urbanism to the city," Merrill said.

Sasaki won't fully design the project's eight buildings. Instead, the firm will develop general design guidelines for the area.

The goal is to make the area feel diverse yet unified, as well as give large tenants a degree of freedom in their building designs, said Bob Eggleston of The Village on Main LLC.

"Instead of having a design with one style, we wanted it to feel like a village with different styles within a certain set of guidelines," he said.

The goal is to incorporate "smart growth" — a building strategy in which developers use a limited amount of land in the most efficient way — with green areas, pedestrian-friendly spaces and a general feeling of openness.