I don't understand why they'd do that if they have access to the parking below ground, wouldn't you want your car to be warm and ice free?

I have a friend who is on the crew there and she mentioned that they cannot park in the garage, that someone else has it and that they are having parking issues. Not sure if that is accurate but that's what she said.

According to the action line page (https://app.okc.gov/Applications/OnlineServiceRequest/Forms/CheckRequest.aspx) for that report number they are scheduled for an inspection today.



Request Number
Request Type
Request Status
Request Date
Request Resolution
Resolution Date
Action Type
Action Schedule Date
Action Date
Action Taken


C21-07918
CODE ENF - Yard Parking
Received
2/8/2021
Open

First Inspection
2/9/2021

Scheduled

I have a friend who is on the crew there and she mentioned that they cannot park in the garage, that someone else has it and that they are having parking issues. Not sure if that is accurate but that's what she said.
If that is the issue, they need to use some common sense and find other parking accommodations (there are plenty). Parking on grass is a trailer park mentality.

If that is the issue, they need to use some common sense and find other parking accommodations (there are plenty). Parking on grass is a trailer park mentality.

Plenty of other parking options around. Century center the surface lots on south side of Reno. There are options if you look.
Just not free and right at the door.

I’m assuming the garage underneath is not available for free…it’s $10 a day and that’s why is not “available”
As I know a couple coworkers who park there on a monthly basis and they are having no issues parking there

There are thousands of parking spots within a two block radius of the cox center. The cox center is built on a parking garage. The Cox Center is connected to the Santa Fe Garage via a sky walk. There is a surface lot literally across the street and two more just east of the bridge. This is just naming a fraction of available parking off the top of my head. If this doesn't work for them there just happens to be a streetcar that will literally drop you off at the front door of the Cox center. If the company/employees are to cheap to get an agreement with one of these lots for parking they shouldn't be rewarded with front grass parking along E.K Gaylord. Absolutely ridiculous.

Guess what everyone?



Request Number
Request Type
Request Status
Request Date
Request Resolution
Resolution Date
Action Type
Action Schedule Date
Action Date
Action Taken


C21-07918
CODE ENF - Yard Parking
Closed
2/8/2021
No Violation
2/9/2021
First Inspection
2/9/2021
2/9/2021
No Violation



Apparently the inspector could not find a violation. Maybe they should have sent one that wasn't blind?

Guess what everyone?



Request Number
Request Type
Request Status
Request Date
Request Resolution
Resolution Date
Action Type
Action Schedule Date
Action Date
Action Taken


C21-07918
CODE ENF - Yard Parking
Closed
2/8/2021
No Violation
2/9/2021
First Inspection
2/9/2021
2/9/2021
No Violation



Apparently the inspector could not find a violation. Maybe they should have sent one that wasn't blind?

All the workers had gone to lunch, lol...

All the workers had gone to lunch, lol...

This is how most reports go. The action center can be pathetic at times

I emailed this picture to Mayor holt.

New action center number : C21-08092

This is how most reports go. The action center can be pathetic at times

I emailed this picture to Mayor holt.

New action center number : C21-08092

All cars on the concrete now. Still probably shouldn’t be parked there as it says no parking on drive and plaza.
But obviously we’re told to get off grass

We could certainly understand if the vehicles parked on the plaza area were service or commercial vehicles needed to assist with bringing in supplies or making need alterations.

My question is does a violation of this kind threaten the safety (Fire Marshall's code) of those inside the Cox Center (Prairie Surf Media workers) or is this a leftover concern from when the Cox Convention Center served as the City's main convention center and arena events related to ice hockey, wrestling, gymnastics, rodeos or basketball.

Also, IIRC there is an area where service and commercials vehicles can drive into the Cox Center from the east side of the complex.

If this threatens the safe evacuation of the building; the Fire Marshall needs to be alerted...

New signs set to go up:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/prairiesurf021621a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/prairiesurf021621b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/prairiesurf021621ic.jpg

Awesome...love it!!!

Those look great!

Not a fan of the font or the layout for the "the next wave" bit.

Pretty interesting having this in our downtown though.

Not a fan of the font or the layout for the "the next wave" bit.

Pretty interesting having this in our downtown though.

I thought the same thing. I'm a graphic designer, so this literally screams at me.

Thanks for the pics, Pete. Glad the Cox Convention Center is being put to immediate use.

I saw someone post that one of the fist movies to be made at this studio was a biopic about Kurt Warner starring Zachary Levi. I went to Zachary Levi's Instagram page and he posted a few videos easier with what looks like the okc skyli e in the background.

Keep in mind that The Kurt Warner Story is being produced by Kingdom Story Company, which only does faith-based films with very limited release.

Same with The Unbreakable Kid which was also produced by Kingdom and filmed here in OKC; Zachary Levi also starred in that.


Just saying these are probably not films you are going to be able to easily see/stream.

Do any of these other studios have arenas in them? I'd think one of the 1st things they should do is reach out to every major studio and ask if they have any indoor sports productions in the pipeline because if you've already got the equipment there plus you have a stadium already built without having to fight for scheduling, this would be a great draw.

I feel like the city gave them a favorable deal just so the city can say "We have a movie Studio!" Also, they don't want any attention taken away from the new convention center so their completely removing the old cox convention center off the market.

Hopefully, this movie studio starts producing something a little more mainstream. Nothing wrong with these small independent Christian films, but they were producing those before this studio came about.

nothing wrong with the city wanting a movie studio or wanting to take Cox off the market. Truth be told, Cox was already off the market anyway due to COVID and market conditions - so why should the city maintain a white elephant when they can get new life in it temporarily?

As to the nature/scope of the films, I would be concerned if Prarrie focused ONLY on Christian/Religious films and didn't go after all other sectors including big box productions. OKC has an edge with a ready arena available and downtown that wouldn't be as constrained with on-street productions unlike the other big markets. Although Albuquerque has studios - OKC's being right downtown must be a better draw.

We'll have to see how the state (and possibly city) responds to make OKC competitive though but OKC has a fighting chance given its geography, downtown location, and the studio's captive/available resources.

I spoke today with a (well-known) broker friend of mine who said most commercial inquiries in OKC right now are either MMJ related or film industry related.

This studio is a definite net gain for OKC during a time when we really need to lean into industries outside of our historic wheelhouse. And this is a rare occasion when we are particularly well-positioned to embrace a dramatic market shift. There is very little downside here.

I spoke today with a (well-known) broker friend of mine who said most commercial inquiries in OKC right now are either MMJ related or film industry related.

This studio is a definite net gain for OKC during a time when we really need to lean into industries outside of our historic wheelhouse. And this is a rare occasion when we are particularly well-positioned to embrace a dramatic market shift. There is very little downside here.

The downside is the city is losing a ton of money on the deal, hoping to make it up through very hard to quantify "economic development".

The downside is the city is losing a ton of money on the deal, hoping to make it up through very hard to quantify "economic development".Was an overpaid YMCA basketball team a better use of the space?

Was an overpaid YMCA basketball team a better use of the space?

I mean if this doesn't work out, there are plenty of large churches that could use the space? Save money on the fairgrounds arena and just have state basketball tournaments and Disney on Ice at this location?

The downside is the city is losing a ton of money on the deal, hoping to make it up through very hard to quantify "economic development".

Just curious... did you have another beneficial short term use for the facility that would absorb some or all of the costs, or were you in favor of shuttering it or tearing it down? You have been very critical of this deal, so I assume you think a better one was available. I hadn't heard of any, but perhaps you did.

The downside is the city is losing a ton of money on the deal, hoping to make it up through very hard to quantify "economic development".

Yes, I’ve seen your observations/reservations upthread. It should be pointed out that many of the maintenance and utility costs would have continued on a mothballed building.

The biggest downside in my own opinion is that there will likely be some missed opportunities related to sports bookings. But again, I believe the ROI will greatly exceed the cost footprint for the City, and the conversation I had today only convinces me further in this regard.

Please note that I said “very little downside” as opposed to “no downside.”

Just curious... did you have another beneficial short term use for the facility that would absorb some or all of the costs, or were you in favor of shuttering it or tearing it down? You have been very critical of this deal, so I assume you think a better one was available. I hadn't heard of any, but perhaps you did.

I'm not critical of it, just pointing out facts. I've documented the millions to be lost up-thread.

Yes, I’ve seen your observations/reservations upthread. It should be pointed out that many of the maintenance and utility costs would have continued on a mothballed building.

The biggest downside in my own opinion is that there will likely be some missed opportunities related to sports bookings, but again, I believe the ROI will greatly exceed the cost footprint for the City, and the conversation I had today only convinces me further in this regard.

Please note that I said “very little downside” as opposed to “no downside.”

SOME of the maintenance and utility costs but not the large majority.

And there are other directly related costs like paying to move scheduled events and the Blue.

SOME of the maintenance and utility costs but not the large majority...

Which I why I said “many” rather than “all.” ;)

No matter how you slice it, the city will lose a lot of money until the very end of this deal, if they make it that long.

I've made some calls and there are no personal guarantees on the agreement, which means if this tenant fails, the city will never even come close to break-even.


This is not a "nothing to lose" deal.

I’ll add that investing in (for instance) higher education as you suggest in the Enable thread (with which I fully agree) is another example of taxpayers investing in economic growth.

As taxpayers we employ government representation to make judicious usage of our funds, and in this case I believe that investing in a sector that has clear momentum and for which we already own an easily-adapted facility free and clear with very little other economically sound options is indeed judicious use.

In this case we are also leveraging existing state incentives and hopefully making 2+2=4 (or perhaps even 14). Until proven otherwise I’m a fan of this endeavor.

I spoke today with a (well-known) broker friend of mine who said most commercial inquiries in OKC right now are either MMJ related or film industry related.

This studio is a definite net gain for OKC during a time when we really need to lean into industries outside of our historic wheelhouse. And this is a rare occasion when we are particularly well-positioned to embrace a dramatic market shift. There is very little downside here.

Glad to see you back in the game; really miss your contributions to this board.

I'm not against it, just adding some much-needed facts to offset the incorrect reporting, editorial repeating the same false information, and the typical 'This is great!!' rhetoric from the city.

...This is not a "nothing to lose" deal.

I’m not sure where I’ve seen anyone refer to it as such. Certainly I haven’t.

I just think it is a pretty well-reasoned gamble, and most taxpayer incentivized economic development efforts are indeed gambles.

Glad to see you back in the game; really miss your contributions to this board.
Thank you Laramie! Appreciate your posts too.

I’m mostly just lurking, and have been doing so a bit over the past few months. Just felt like I had something relevant to add to this particular conversation. Most of the time when I have previously undisclosed info on a topic here, it’s privileged in some way. But this wasn’t.

They are paying $1 in rent for the first year and only a very small fraction of the utilities. Not much better for the next couple of years, only getting close to the city breaking even by the end for their 5-year term, after which it is completely their option whether to continue or not.

And since there are no guarantees on the lease, they could bail at any time.


Having said all that, it would be awesome if they could book some big productions. I know the city (independent of Prairie Surf) was working on a big deal that fell through.

Here's hoping this all works out.

The New Orleans Hornets were essentially gifted a brand new Ford Center in 2005 in part because the City hoped to create a proof of concept that OKC could indeed become an NBA-capable city. Sometimes you have to roll the dice.

Thought it would be nice to review this diagram:


https://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/coxrent.jpg

As Pete mentioned the fifth year when this goes into the black. Who knows, since we're not selling the convention center--we may need it as a backup in the next 6 to 10 years (fingers crossed; not double-crossed ;)).

The New Orleans Hornets were essentially gifted a brand new Ford Center in 2005 in part because the City hoped to create a proof of concept that OKC could indeed become an NBA-capable city. Sometimes you have to roll the dice.

Put your chips on 9; gambling in time.

Meanwhile, the biggest gift we received was from an NBA ownership group which comprised most of the deepest pockets of investors in Oklahoma City & Tulsa. These investors had 10x the purchasing power of our 1997 NHL expansion derby group.

No matter how you slice it, the city will lose a lot of money until the very end of this deal, if they make it that long.

I've made some calls and there are no personal guarantees on the agreement, which means if this tenant fails, the city will never even come close to break-even.


This is not a "nothing to lose" deal.

So, you would be in favor of shuddering it to lose less money? Or level it? Or do you think this deal was taken while better deals were available?

So, you would be in favor of shuddering it to lose less money? Or level it? Or do you think this deal was taken while better deals were available?

I think this is it exactly. Better to get something to help offset it than just have it empty doing nothing. If you lock the doors, it's just as simple as just turning the lights off and the bills go away.

So, you would be in favor of shuddering it to lose less money? Or level it? Or do you think this deal was taken while better deals were available?

I'm not advocating for anything, merely trying to contribute factual information, especially because the reporting on this (and then the subsequent editorial from the Oklahoman) has been in complete error.


And a reminder that Blue already had a contract as did several events, with more planned for the future. The city not only loses that revenue but now has to pay to move them.

So what all is being done to turn this facility into a movie studio? Is it mostly just the empty space they need and sets are built?

I'm not advocating for anything, merely trying to contribute factual information, especially because the reporting on this (and then the subsequent editorial from the Oklahoman) has been in complete error.


And a reminder that Blue already had a contract as did several events, with more planned for the future. The city not only loses that revenue but now has to pay to move them.

Do we know what the terms of the Blue contract was? Or the projected income of already planned and potential new events?

Not trying to be difficult, but trying to figure out why you think they would turn down better possibilities to take this deal. If there were better options, they were either not wise/smart or something nefarious was going on.

I'm working on getting all the numbers.

I don't think anything was nefarious; just sold by economic development people in a typically one-sided way.


I am not against economic development; just the only one in this town trying to present objective information instead of running PR propaganda.

The Blue ended up in the bubble this year in Orlando with 17 other teams. They will finish up in March. Not sure if anything other than practice after that.

The Blue ended up in the bubble this year in Orlando with 17 other teams. They will finish up in March. Not sure if anything other than practice after that.

They still have a contract with the Cox Center and the city will have to pay to move them regardless.

They still have a contract with the Cox Center and the city will have to pay to move them regardless.

I have a fuzzy recollection that the city gave the Blue the logo floor they play on and some other Blue logo specific signage or somesuch to close out the contract.

I have a fuzzy recollection that the city gave the Blue the logo floor they play on and some other Blue logo specific signage or somesuch to close out the contract.

Part of the deal was to let the Blue take things with them at no cost to the team.

The city still has to pay to help them move.

The G-League Blue should be able to play in the Chesapeake Arena just like the Thunder for the (2022) season since the Cox CC will no longer be an option. It would give the players familiarity with the court or make the new coliseum available as an option for AA hockey and G-League basketball.

We approved MAPS 4 in December 2019 which will provide $104 million in arena upgrades and $11 million to renovate the Thunder practice facility; $63 million for a new fairgrounds coliseum with hotel sales tax revenue.

Since 1992, Chesapeake Arena investments funded thru MAPS & Go-Bonds will total $313 million after funds are collected.

We realize the Thunder are the anchor tenant ($40,000 per game lease); we appreciate their investment: $350 million NBA franchise ($2006), $75 million settlement & $30 million relocation fee totaling $455 million--franchise now valued at $1.575 billion .

My point; this arena can be shared with the G-League Blue as well as the possibility of ECHL AA hockey entering our market in 2022 or beyond.

Here is hoping that this new business grows in this State and attract people from outside the State. Although, it does sound like OKC is losing out on revenue in a city owned building, here I am hoping that lots of movies are made in Oklahoma. This State needs good jobs with people that have skills that are in demand.

^^^ Amen!

I know Georgia has a similar set of state-level incentives and has done a nice job of landing major productions.

However, that State also received some pushback from producers concerning certain conservative proposals pending in the State’s legislature.

If Oklahoma is going to land projects that air on Netflix or Amzn, we need to do a better job of managing the crazies on 23rd Street.

I know Georgia has a similar set of state-level incentives and has done a nice job of landing major productions.

However, that State also received some pushback from producers concerning certain conservative proposals pending in the State’s legislature.

If Oklahoma is going to land projects that air on Netflix or Amzn, we need to do a better job of managing the crazies on 23rd Street.

That’s a legitimate concern. Always worried about what some rural OK yahoo will propose in the legislature and scare off companies wanting to invest in the state.

And a reminder that the only thing booked thus far is for a faith-based, limited distribution film with a production company that was already filming another similar project in OKC.

I know Georgia has a similar set of state-level incentives and has done a nice job of landing major productions.

However, that State also received some pushback from producers concerning certain conservative proposals pending in the State’s legislature.

If Oklahoma is going to land projects that air on Netflix or Amzn, we need to do a better job of managing the crazies on 23rd Street.
New Mexico, a liberal state, just landed a billion dollar expansion of Netflix production in Albuquerque.

New Mexico, a liberal state, just landed a billion dollar expansion of Netflix production in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque City Council approves funding for Netflix expansion: https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/albuquerque-city-council-approves-funding-for-netflix-expansion/

2,000 jobs over the next decade (10 years). Does this equate to mean permanent jobs...

So, what are the benchmarks that will indicate this was solid decision? How many projects? Do they need to be totally new to the state? In two months.. six months ... a year?

Of course, we will never know an apples to apples alternative to decide if the city could have made a better choice. Would like to see analysis of the alternative uses and how many were realistic.

We need to give this production company time to explore all of its options and see what comes to fruition.

As for the future use of the Cox Convention Center, as for its demolition, it does give us time to weigh options for this huge facility spanning 1.3 million square feet.

Prairie Surf media has plenty of room for growth; they have connections in Hollywood if they need future investors.

IMO Oklahoma City did the right thing to minimize its losses vs having the Cox Center sit idle waiting on other potential uses for the structure or as a possible overflow venue to backup the new convention center in the future.