Looks like Bethany is about to do a small MAPS Project of its own. I'm glad to see the Renaissance spreading to our suburbian towns! This will go along nicely with all of the renaissance going on at SNU. They're planning to almost double the size of their campus over the next few years.

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Stretch of Route 66 restored?


By Jennifer Pierce
The Oklahoman

The following is a script from a NEWS 9 broadcast
Bethany is a step closer to rejuvenating a stretch of historic Route 66.


Restaurants, shopping, and a hotel are all on the drawing board for development by Lake Overholser.

Bethany city officials are getting ready to break ground on the Bridge Point development.

It's a development that could bring millions of dollars into Bethany.

Bethany city officials are banking on a plan that involves an attraction that draws people from all over the metro.

The city has dubbed it the Bridge Point Development.

People who live near the future development say it's about time.

While Jack Taley and his neighbors anticipate the convenient shopping and restaurants, the city is looking at the overall payoff.

The groundbreaking for the hotel is in about an hour.

I'm told the hotel should be complete in about a year and a half.

This could be cool. I'd like to see a rendering. Speaking of lakeside development, does anyone have any new info. on what's going on at Lake Hefner? I had heard awhile back that a few new restaurants were planned, have they been built yet? I like that area but I think they could make it better by building a restaurant actually out on the water on a pier. They could also do a better job of landscaping the shoreline. This would never happen but it would be neat to have sand put in where all of those rocks are on the shoreline by the lighthouse and restaurants. That way it would also be a small beach, and would look a lot better than those rocks. A big marina would be a good addition over there too, maybe in that cove by the lighthouse.

I heard on the city council meeting something about a "theme park" near Overholser.

I wonder if it is a REAL theme park or a city park with a theme. Also, what will it be like?

I think it is Route 66 park. :confused:

BG, the new restaurant will be a deli run by the Hal Smith restaurant chain. The building will be shared by a bike/skate shop run by the owners of wheeler dealer. I believe they'll have rentals as well as bikes, skates, and skate boards for sale.

I wish they'd do more at Lake Hefner too, but this will probably be it. Randy Hogan really had a fight against him building this latest project, as it wasn't part of the original East Wharf concept. The Sierra Club has also limited what can be built at the lake. Originally Hogan planned a boardwalk on the lake, a high rise hotel, and several more restaurants, but the Sierra Club whined and Hogan had to scale everything back. I always blamed Hogan for not getting what he promised until I tlake dot Hogan myself, and recently saw him put up a fight for this new development.

I don't like te rocks stacked up wither. Not sure whose idea that was. That was all put in after the lake was made smaller and the Parkway was built. Not sure why the Sierra Club has such a beef with Hogan....it isn't like any of that shoreline is original or anything. The Parkway put an end to what used to be a series of wetlands on the east side of the lake. The Parkway sits over all of that now. I'd much rather have the lake back the way it used to be, and I'd bet residents of Lakehurts would agree with me, but I couldn't imagine what May Ave. would look like now without the Parkway. It would be a mess. We needed the Parkway.

The rental shop is exactly what Lake Hefner needs. I hope the new Oklahoma! River will have one or more as well. A rental shop sited on that river stub or other downtown location would make it easy for people to enjoy this new parkland. They could go from enjoying lunch in Bricktown to rollerblading along the river until dinner at Cattlemen's!!