I think you guys are beating a dead horse. It is a vacant parking lot and building that is being removed and in it's place will be a hotel and smaller parking lot. Would it be great if it was a hotel and parking garage? Sure it would, but that isn't what is being proposed. It gets 4 out 5 stars on my downtown development scale, which is based 100% on the philosophy of 'build up - not out'.

I think you guys are beating a dead horse.

Oil Capitol keeps beating it, as usual, so I keep defending it..

If that is the case, although structured parking would be far better, the parking would be between the hotel and the rail line that runs behind the property.

If this is true, that would be very good. On either side of the Walnut Bridge there are large parking lots, but there is also a great area of underutilized space that has remained grass.

I have walked that rail line several times in transit planning. The rail line offers a unique opportunity for a front door entrance to transit service for a future commuter line/direct linkage to the future transit hub.

Also, one other really unique thing about that property is the elevation change. It is a bit of a slope down the hill on the back side.

Similar to the lofts?

Similar to the lofts?

It slopes quite a ways down hill south to the tracks. It is actually an incredible view of downtown.

It slopes quite a ways down hill south to the tracks. It is actually an incredible view of downtown.

Great view of downtown? Let's pave it for parking!


:)

Structures replace surface parking lots when there is an economic reason. It is strictly economics. Tall structures replace short structures when economics dictate. Until the value of land increases there will continue to be surface lots and low rise development.

BTW, there are very, very few hotels in excess of 250 rooms being built these days. For instance, I am working on two new Four Seasons hotels ....Toronto and Baltimore. Both have been downsized and at or under 250 rooms. The one in Baltimore has been delayed for the past 3 years. The only large hotels we are working are convention center hotels and a few resorts for Disney and Starwood. The convention hotels are all subsidized (like Dallas we are doing now).

I have got to say that I am really excited about this hotel project. It is just what we need downtown. Just to help the discussion, here are pics of the site.

I used to live in Deep Deuce across the street and just walked all the way around it. Hopefully these will incite some good positive discussion that will provide solid feedback that maybe will be observed by the developers.

511

Looking SE

512

Looking at Southern Terminus of OK Ave as Developed by the Triangle People

513

Looking due East at prospective site

514

Aloft Site slope towards tracks, gradual here but steeper towards the Walnut Bridge

515

Looking SW from site towards CBD

516

Adjacent tracks (Tracks lead to Del City, Mid West City, and the Adventure District)

517

Existing City Parking Lot

518

2nd Perspective of Existing Surface Parking

519

Walnut Street Bridge (New Surface Parking Under Construction)

520

2nd look at new parking curbs

521

Tracks split here for siding

I have done only a few pictures on here. What format works best to get them to simply "be up"??

There is another round of the existing buildings that could be posted.

Great view of downtown? Let's pave it for parking!


:)
So you'd rather people have to climb to the top of the garage to see the view?

If there were a parking garage there then it would
block those great views of downtown for guests in the hotel. By putting surface parking there you actually preserve the view from hotel rooms. Perhaps that's the explanation for the surface parking.

If there were a parking garage there then of would block those great views of downtown for guests in the hotel. By putting surface parking there you actually preserve the view from hotel rooms. Perhaps that's the explanation for the surface parking.

Because there is a hillside, I think some of it could be buried. Obviously they will need basement space for mechanical, but a fair number of cars would fit in a singular recessed parking deck into the hill.

This seems like a real candidate for city redevelopment incentives to improve the project.

Man I hope Tom Elmore doesn't see those train tracks. If he does the Aloft will never get built.

Those train tracks will not be effected by the hotel development; further, those tracks are not used anymore.

Those train tracks will not be effected by the hotel development; further, those tracks are not used anymore.

LOL - by those standards Tom should be all over this. The only thing that would be more up his alley is if the tracks were already gone.

Those train tracks will not be effected by the hotel development; further, those tracks are not used anymore.

That is correct. The tracks exist on what is mostly city/state property now. Union Pacific has had rights to operate on these tracks for years but possession of the rail infrastructure is mostly the city/state.

LOL - by those standards Tom should be all over this. The only thing that would be more up his alley is if the tracks were already gone.

Hahaha. Win.

Sorry--I've been out of the loop for a while and can't quite picture the area as well as I should. I'll drive by after work today to get a better ideat of the layour, but I remember talk a several weeks back that someone had bought much of the property where Maywood was ostensibly going to build more brownstones or other lofts. Is this on that property and are they the buyer? Or is that something entirely different?

Now---That is cool ! What a step up.

... but I remember talk a several weeks back that someone had bought much of the property where Maywood was ostensibly going to build more brownstones or other lofts. Is this on that property and are they the buyer? Or is that something entirely different?

This is the property and they were the buyers.

I'm not aware of any reason why the Finley Bldg is important other than its name. It's facade certainly does not fit in a style of historic architecture. I'm pretty sure it's post war.


Dr. Gravely Finley was our family physician. He practiced up until he was 99 before his death. I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't have stood in the path of progress.

God Rest Dr. Finley's soul--he was truely an outstanding individual who cared more about his patients than he did money--money was never an issue when we came to see him and he made house calls.

Do you think the people from the coasts whine about that when they're staying in a hotel in Manhatten or San Francisco? It's all a matter of expectations, I suspect.

Exactly.

So going back to the pre-announcement buzz on this deal, can anyone venture a guess on what any of this has to do with the Scaramuccis? Or can we expect to see more if they are still planning to do something with this land..

(just my guess)

Ok, i'm late getting in on this conversation. Is this thing approved? When will construction start, etc?

Approved. Construction starts next March.

LOL - by those standards Tom should be all over this. The only thing that would be more up his alley is if the tracks were already gone.

with any luck, Tom has gone the way of the Not This Maps and Steve hunt for Mayor crowd, in hiding.

Aloft to add color to OKC
By Brianna Bailey

OKLAHOMA CITY – Conceptual plans for a new Aloft Hotel on NE Second Street between N. Oklahoma and N. Walnut avenues include the brand’s trademark Swoof, a large, rainbow-colored metallic roof that will be a highly visible downtown feature.

A metal manufacturer with offices in Tulsa builds the so-called Swoofs. The company’s handiwork crowns about a dozen Aloft hotels across the country.

“It’s a very bright, multicolored roof,” said Gabby Trad, director of operations for New Century Investments, the development group that wants to spend $18 million to build the hotel.

The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority on Wednesday approved the conceptual design for the 130-room, seven-story downtown hotel that will feature the colorful roof.

With locations in Tulsa, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Georgia, metal manufacturer Madison Industries makes the Swoofs out of aluminum composite material and steel framing.

The Swoofs vary in size at each hotel, but can be up to 32 feet by 259 feet long, said Joe Weigand, general manager and vice president at Madison Industry’s Tulsa plant.

“We modularize the Swoof and ship it out on special trucks in anywhere from seven to nine modular sections,” Weigand said.
The roughly 2.5-acre site of the proposed hotel just north of Bricktown is made up of three parcels owned by three different landowners, including developer OKC Town Center, the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority and the city. Oklahoma City runs an alcohol detox center out of a building at 211 N. Walnut Ave. that is part of the proposed hotel site.

The developer hopes to break ground on the project in 2011.

Owned by the international hotel giant Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Aloft entered the U.S. market in 2009 and has quickly expanded over the span of 18 months to include 40 hotels across the United States and seven foreign countries scattered across Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East, according to the Starwood website. Starwood expects to add 10 more hotels to the Aloft chain by the end of 2010, according to the website.

http://journalrecord.com/2010/07/21/aloft-to-add-color-to-okc-real-estate/

Warren, your link doesn't help much unless you're a subscriber.

If they approved the conceptual designs, then can we see them? Under the OKC.gov meeting minutes, the documents aren't clickable in the Oklahoma Urban Renewal section. So you can't see the details. Can someone get a hold it so we can see the conceptual design please?

Here is what the Swoof on the Aloft in Broomfield, CO looks like lit up:

http://www.h-hmetals.com/Aloft_Swoof_Night_Light.jpg (http://www.h-hmetals.com/pre-fabricated_canopies.htm)

Approved. Construction starts next March.

This answer here is the only reason I checked out this thread. Thanks Spartan!

So this brings OKC hotels in downtown/bricktown to 8?

So this brings OKC hotels in downtown/bricktown to 8?

That would be correct.

This looks pretty cool, but I hope someone takes time to think about traffic flow in that area. The ramps up at 5th onto 235 are getting steadily busier and traffic gets backed up pretty badly. I think a lot of it has to do with how close together the traffic lights are and I would bet could be alleviated with some timing work done on the lights...the lights in that part of town have always been pretty bad and changing at the wrong times!

Anyone have an official height in feet on this?

How tall will this compare to the Residence Inn or the Hampton Inn?

Anyone have an official height in feet on this?

How tall will this compare to the Residence Inn or the Hampton Inn?

Someone else will need to answer about the actual height but since it sits on top of hill it should tower over Bricktown.

I thought it was 7 storeys, but Im not sure of the actual roof height.

There is a lot of banging and hammering going on in the Finley today. I don't know if they're stripping it before demolition or what. I can't think of what else they would be doing.

Sorry for the ignorance, if any, but what are they doing with the Finley building? Parking?

It's being demolished, I believe, to make way for this hotel.

They should call one of the meeting rooms - The Finley Room

They should call one of the meeting rooms - The Finley Room

That would be a nice touch

There's a wrecking truck there now, and they're taking all the windows out. It looks like this is it for the Finley building. Does anyone know when the new "Inebriate Alternative" (love that euphemism!) will be completed, as I assume it's next to go. I'm also hoping they take down the tacky fences and remove the asphalt adjacent to the Finley building, but that's probably too much to hope.

Bye bye Finley Building...
(today)
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll14/Platemaker_photos/Finley.jpg

That is a great pic.

I hope they build a nice plaza there instead of the planned hotel.

Where's that preservation group for this building?

Bye bye Finley Building...
(today)
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll14/Platemaker_photos/Finley.jpg

Great photo platemaker! thanks for taking the time to post it! Bring on the Aloft! Ignoring the retarded comment from those who cannot seem to let things go...its time to move on, this isn't sandridge and that ship has sailed.

There's a wrecking truck there now, and they're taking all the windows out. It looks like this is it for the Finley building. Does anyone know when the new "Inebriate Alternative" (love that euphemism!) will be completed, as I assume it's next to go. I'm also hoping they take down the tacky fences and remove the asphalt adjacent to the Finley building, but that's probably too much to hope.

Last I heard, they wanted to move it in Uptown on NW 23rd (near Big Truck, Market C, 23rd Street Body Piercing, etc.) but the neighbors were fighting for it to be moved elsewhere. It's one of those NIMBY issues. There is an old thread on it somewhere.

Where's that preservation group for this building?

There is none, because we agree that the Aloft is a higher and better use for the site unlike Sandridge's proposal of filling dense space with vacant land that will be underutilized.

Where's that preservation group for this building?

No doubt, lol ^^^Sarcasm^^^

Last I heard, they wanted to move it[Inebriate Alternative] in Uptown on NW 23rd (near Big Truck, Market C, 23rd Street Body Piercing, etc.) but the neighbors were fighting for it to be moved elsewhere. It's one of those NIMBY issues. There is an old thread on it somewhere.

I actually discussed this with a woman who works there the other night. She said the building is under construction and, if my memory serves, it sounds like it's going in in the Virginia area that some of the other city services are relocating to. She said that there was a lag in funding this year and that's why they haven't moved yet. The Finley building is three quarters demolished now.

Where is the Virginia area?

Wouldn't mind having a more contemporary "high end" hotel in OKC. Sometimes you just want to get away, but don't want to travel very far.

Where is the Virginia area?

Virginia runs North and South just east of Pennsylvania between Reno and NW 11th.

Where's that preservation group for this building?

Grrr. [fangs]

Virginia Ave is a nice tree-lined blvd, but that area is going to go way downhill once it becomes homeless central when all the poor services are relocated there. Probably a higher-use for that part of town anyway.

Too bad that couldn't move the facility to somewhere along General Pershing Blvd.

Last I heard, they wanted to move it in Uptown on NW 23rd (near Big Truck, Market C, 23rd Street Body Piercing, etc.) but the neighbors were fighting for it to be moved elsewhere. It's one of those NIMBY issues. There is an old thread on it somewhere.

Metro, that area was never considered for the new facility...

The facility will be at Virginia and Linwood, on the southeast corner. The neighbor to the east fought the location b/c they were next to it when they were located in Bricktown. The City agreed to require every person to leave in a vehicle (taxi, private car, etc.), no walk-outs. I believe the taxi will be paid for if the person is lacking funds...

As for preservation of the Finley building, word on the street is that the family said "OK" to demolition, and that it was going to be structurally difficult to re-use for any other purpose than a clinic. The walls seemed to be all load-bearing (which I find odd, but possible). Saving the building would bring an interesting situation, are we preserving it to show the history of the African-American culture in OKC, or is it bad to preserve an element that shows the history of a segregated community? Yes, it was a free/cheap clinic for African-Americans, but wasn't it there because they weren't given service elsewhere? Save it as a monument to segregation, or as a monument to someone who helped the less fortunate? It's an interesting discussion.

The facility will be at Virginia and Linwood, on the southeast corner. The neighbor to the east fought the location b/c they were next to it when they were located in Bricktown. The City agreed to require every person to leave in a vehicle (taxi, private car, etc.), no walk-outs. I believe the taxi will be paid for if the person is lacking funds...

They should be dropped off where they got picked up, and preferably at the same time of day. If you got picked up for being drunk at 2AM you should be dropped off at 2AM where they picked you up. Hopefully you won’t get hit by a drunk driver.

They will no doubt have the best view of any downtown hotel...

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll14/Platemaker_photos/Photo0737jpgPhoto0737.jpg

They will no doubt have the best view of any downtown hotel...

No question!

Grrr. [fangs]

Virginia Ave is a nice tree-lined blvd, but that area is going to go way downhill once it becomes homeless central when all the poor services are relocated there. Probably a higher-use for that part of town anyway.

Is there something proposed that I'm not aware of, Spartan? I doubt that many of the people in the drunk facility are homeless or even necessarily poor. They just use really poor judgement.