This news is depressing to me. The neighborhood already has one chicken strip joint, now we will have two. Wow. Looking at the menu, there is literally nothing that I could safely eat, being a diabetic, so it will be one more place in the neighborhood not to spend money.

The on-going NW expressification of NW 23rd west of Classen seems unstoppable. Fortunately we have the Plaza district to remind us that we are in an urban area, not a suburb.

Completely agree with this. I really don't think any more fast food restaurants should be approved on 23rd between I-235 and I-44. Too many times it seems like any time we get a chance to build a district with character in OKC, the national fast food chains scramble to get in making the district a mere shadow of what it could have been (think Lower Bricktown).

This news is depressing to me. The neighborhood already has one chicken strip joint, now we will have two. Wow. Looking at the menu, there is literally nothing that I could safely eat, being a diabetic, so it will be one more place in the neighborhood not to spend money.

The on-going NW expressification of NW 23rd west of Classen seems unstoppable. Fortunately we have the Plaza district to remind us that we are in an urban area, not a suburb.

Chains can coexist with local stores...its not the end of the world. There are plenty of local flavored things all along 23rd (Tuckers, Mutts, BTT, etc.) and room for more, especially with things like The Rise coming along.

The Plaza and the Paseo are nice districts that should be kept as local and walkable as possible, but 23rd is a busy street that links with a lot of large and diverse neighborhoods, and its business makeup will naturally reflect that.


Completely agree with this. I really don't think any more fast food restaurants should be approved on 23rd between I-235 and I-44. Too many times it seems like any time we get a chance to build a district with character in OKC, the national fast food chains scramble to get in making the district a mere shadow of what it could have been (think Lower Bricktown).

Outside of Lower Bricktown, most of OKC's urban districts are very "unchainy" so I don't see where this comment comes from. Heck, even with Lower Bricktown, the only truly national chains are Starbucks and Marble Slab (I'll excuse Sonic since they are locally based and for some odd reason has a cult like following in some places).

Im certainly not jumping for joy for this Raising Canes but I dont know what else was expected. First, there were a couple of run down buildings on that corner that have sat vacant for many years. Secondly, the owners for the longest never were interested in selling for a reasonable price (I know, I called). So that leaves you most likely with a fast food place since they are able to pay more for the property.

In the end, it was either going to sit empty for many more years or someone that could afford it would buy it and build something new. We got something new, that is better than nothing. And besides, this stretch of 23rd is long past becoming some cool urban strip. We can at least rely on 23rd between Robinson and Western to do that.

This news is depressing to me. The neighborhood already has one chicken strip joint, now we will have two. Wow. Looking at the menu, there is literally nothing that I could safely eat, being a diabetic, so it will be one more place in the neighborhood not to spend money.

The on-going NW expressification of NW 23rd west of Classen seems unstoppable. Fortunately we have the Plaza district to remind us that we are in an urban area, not a suburb.

I'm diabetic and don't have any issues eating fried chicken??

I think you're just looking for an argument to justify your disdain for chain establishments.

I eat like a normal human being and my A1C is 5.9% and my 30 day average is 119 mg/dl. If I didn't tell you, by watching me eat you'd assume I have two working pancreas not one dead one.

So while I DO understand the rapid addition of chain restaurants I think your argument is grasping at straws. Local restaurants can produce equally unhealthy food for diabetics -- in fact, I find it easier to eat at chains because nutrition information is a) published b) very consistent across their network.

I can walk into McDonald's and have a 75 carb meal in Oklahoma City, fly across the country a week later and have the same McDonald's meal prepeared by a different franchise owner using a different food provider, and have the exact same meal and it be the exact same carb count. With local restaurants quality control and portion management are very difficult to judge sometimes. A particular portion may be prepeared at 40 carbs one day, and 65 the next time you eat there, throwing your insulin math off, resulting in a blood sugar spike.

On the flip side I am not saying McDonald's is healthier than a local restaurant for overall health, often times chain restaurants are so much more consistent, that counting carbs and matching carb intake to insulin action is a lot easier.

The best option is to make food at home.

If you're wanting to be healthy, then you probably shouldn't be eating at fast-food joints anyways...

@bchris02 There's not really much west of Penn on 23rd that would be considered urban anyways. For example, how long ago was Shepard Mall built? That strip center across the street with Walmart? There is no distinct or consistent urban form after that point. I think the urban portion of 23rd is very clearly between Broadway and Pennsylvania and unfortunately, almost all the fast food joints in that area have been in their locations for at least 5 years or more. Well before any serious gentrification had begun. But hey, at least that KFC shut down. One less!

If you're wanting to be healthy, then you probably shouldn't be eating at fast-food joints anyways...

@bchris02 There's not really much west of Penn on 23rd that would be considered urban anyways. For example, how long ago was Shepard Mall built? That strip center across the street with Walmart? There is no distinct or consistent urban form after that point. I think the urban portion of 23rd is very clearly between Broadway and Pennsylvania and unfortunately, almost all the fast food joints in that area have been in their locations for at least 5 years or more. Well before any serious gentrification had begun. But hey, at least that KFC shut down. One less!

If you're wanting to be healthy, you probably shouldn't eat out at all... Very few restaurants are overall healthy.

catch22, I am glad you can eat commercial fried chicken without blood sugar issues, but my mileage varies quite a bit. If I want fried chicken, or chicken strips, I make them at home, and bread the chicken with almond meal instead of flour.

But the chicken is only the first of Raising Cains' issues from a diabetic viewpoint. Looks like their flagship meal has the chicken strips, fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, and a drink. The coleslaw might be OK, depending on what's in the sauce (i.e. how much sugar), but they don't have nutrition info available. But no green salads as a possible alternative to the French fries.

I'm trying to keep my total daily carbs below 70, to keep my A1C below 6, so 75 grams in one meal would be a lot for me.

I generally don't eat at fast food of any ownership anymore because of the nutrition issues. I stick with locally owned restaurants and over time have figured out what I can eat. e.g., at Jeffs Country Cafe on Classen, I get the fish, only instead of having it breaded and fried, I ask them to grill it for me and smother it with jalapenos, onions, tomatos,, and I have it with spinach, pinto beans, and salad. At Chelinos, I pass on the setups, substitute a salad for rice, and get one of their new entrees like the AlaN special which is pretty much satueed meat with some veggies and a sauce. At an Asian buffet, I do the salad bar and then the Mongolian buffet with soy sauce only. At the gyro joint, I get a gyro salad, which is salad and gyro meat.

OKC Talk needs a health section where diabetics could compare notes like this.

But I agree the best option is cooking at home. I take my lunch to work a lot.

I'm guessing that if you started a Diabetic Friendly thread in the foodie section here, you'd find a few participants keeping you company.
Of my various health issues, that's not one, but for my mama it was a daily presence from younger adulthood forward.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/UnFrSaKn/Downtown%20OKC/BQSCYgqCMAAqarY.jpg

https://twitter.com/Cassi_Sue/status/361557227682803712/photo/1

More new Uptown signs installed on 23rd.

Also, not that The Rise is well underway in the background:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/971902_525445050856874_1437165564_n.jpg

More new Uptown signs installed on 23rd.

Also, not that The Rise is well underway in the background:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/971902_525445050856874_1437165564_n.jpgDoes that street ever get much traffic??? If not, seems like it would be better if they narrowed it and added bike lanes and widened the sidewalks. The median could also be widened a bit and add some flowers or something.

Does that street ever get much traffic??? If not, seems like it would be better if they narrowed it and added bike lanes and widened the sidewalks. The median could also be widened a bit and add some flowers or something.

Great thought, but 23rd street is a pretty busy thoroughfare. I am not sure making it two lanes would work there. I could be wrong however.

Does that street ever get much traffic??? If not, seems like it would be better if they narrowed it and added bike lanes and widened the sidewalks. The median could also be widened a bit and add some flowers or something.

It gets a TON of traffic, often jammed up through that stretch.

Just try crossing it on foot... It's like a game of Frogger.

Great thought, but 23rd street is a pretty busy thoroughfare. I am not sure making it two lanes would work there. I could be wrong however.


It gets a TON of traffic, often jammed up through that stretch.

Just try crossing it on foot... It's like a game of Frogger.Ah, my bad. Every pic I have seen there wasn't much traffic and I've only been there a few times and every time I was there it was a Sunday evening, that's why I thought that.

^
It can be a parking lot during lunch, especially between Walker and Santa Fe.

It also has the busiest bus route on the system. I try to avoid turning left onto 23rd if I can without a traffic light. Getting out of a car if parking on the street can also sometimes be a pretty harrowing experience.

Hopefully all that traffic will translate into strong sales for all the new restaurants and retailers along that stretch.

It seems the existing ones are doing well with plenty more to come, plus some likely residential infill.

Do we know if Rehearsals next to OCU is ever going to open? Did OCU ever find a buyer?

If these projects all come to fruition, and are well done, 23rd could really gain some momentum quickly. Awesome for OKC.

Awesome. Lets hope everything comes together with this. 23rd St, like many areas of OKC, are so rich with potential. I would like to see a genuine 24-hour diner (not Waffle House or IHOP) as part of this district as well. Having a place to go after the bars close really help give an area a 24-hour feel.

THIS is an exciting game changer to see move forward

So what's up with the Tower Theatre? Is it even worth asking at this point?

Somebody mentioned in Steve's chat that a new church is going into uptown. Any chance that could derail the Retropub or Pump Bar?

Somebody mentioned in Steve's chat that a new church is going into uptown. Any chance that could derail the Retropub or Pump Bar?

I wonder if this is what was being referenced.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3882632?embargo=1

If so, it's not really that close.

It's amazing the kind of development news that gets overlooked when posted in these catch-all district threads.

It's amazing the kind of development news that gets overlooked when posted in these catch-all district threads.May your spleen never transform into a solution to the European Union's impending energy crisis and become a battlefield for an upcoming war to end all wars.

May your spleen never transform into a solution to the European Union's impending energy crisis and become a battlefield for an upcoming war to end all wars.

Very profound, Plupan. I'm impressed.

730 NW 23rd to be renovated... It's on the SE corner of 23rd & Shartel.

Not sure what "Guyutes" is but seems to be a retail use -- not restaurant.


http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/sketches/picfile/2712/R045000242001vA.jpg

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

Looks like this is back on.

Application before the Urban Design Review Board to renovate this building into a restaurant and bar; still using the name Guyutes.

Uptown / 23rd Street on a roll!

It's amazing the kind of development news that gets overlooked when posted in these catch-all district threads.

I spent 6 straight hours of mind-numbing tedium to split out the huge majority of the topics into their own threads -- and I'm still not quite done.

Back Door BBQ
Ed Stamps Commercial Center
Good Egg HQ
600 NW 23rd (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=600+NW+23rd&highlight=600)
Grandad's
The Rise
Gold Dome
Tower Theater
Pizza 23
Pump Bar
Guyutes
Rehearsal
Big Truck Tacos

and several more.


From this point forward, new projects / restaurants get their own thread.

This is for general discussion of the district only. Thanks.

This sounds pretty cool!

Open Streets OKC (http://openstreetsokc.com/)

Awesome!

Yes, very cool.


From 12PM to 4PM on Sunday, March 30th, 2014, Open Streets OKC will turn a corridor of NW 23rd Street into a car-free space for biking, walking and playing to showcase an engaged, active and connected community.

Open Streets OKC is neither a block party nor a themed festival, neither a concert nor a parade, neither a race nor a party – although it’s a bit of all of them.

Open Streets OKC is an opportunity to experience a new use of public space: a temporary reclamation of our streets for non-motorized activity. Open Streets OKC will create a long enough stretch of safe road that kids and adults can (at least for a few hours) get a good workout by jogging or cycling, moving between nodes of activity along the way.

Open Streets OKC is organized by a ground-breaking partnership between the Oklahoma City-County Health Department’s Wellness Now Coalition and several of its member organizations including the City of Oklahoma City, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma and the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City. These groups serve to promote active transportation, community engagement, health and wellness, strengthening neighborhoods, improving quality of life and the celebration of local businesses that make Central Oklahoma’s communities – and economy – so vibrant.

very cool...my young family will attend this (hoping the weather is nice). too bad the rise will not be open in time for this.

Very cool, but will be very interesting to see what kind of chaos it brings with the traffic/parking (e.g. will it be diverted through the neighborhoods by signage, or will traffic have to find it's own way? And this is not to mention where people attending my find parking, etc). Weather permitting I plan to ride my bike from downtown to attend...

very cool...my young family will attend this (hoping the weather is nice)

Now we're sharing the same dream

Very intriguing twitter post from the Uptown / 23rd Street association:


BIG announcement coming tomorrow...stay tuned!

Any word on this?

Uptown23rd ‏@Uptown23rd 1h
Big news coming your way today...having a hard time not blurting it out!

Huh...

Must be a new office tower :)

Huh...

Must be a new office tower :)

Or the Tower Theatre has a new owner.

My crystal ball wasn't calibrated correctly. It may have gotten the Tower part right :)

I don't think it hurts OKC to have all these districts developing simultaneously. Development in one doesn't seem to slow anything down in the others.

Should I be watching John Fowler's tweets closely too?

My crystal ball wasn't calibrated correctly. It may have gotten the Tower part right :)

LOL.... Yeah, I knew your crystal ball may have been throwing me a hint.

I can't think of anything else along 23rd that could stir up that kind of dramatic buildup.

I think this is their big news:

Announcing @uptown23rd 1st annual beautification fundraiser! Uptown Uncorked April 17th @TEEMCOGoldDome

Well, I was actually kind of hoping it had something to do with announcing a street reconstruction with added ped. safety features. Too bad it is only a fundraiser at this time, but you have to start somewhere I guess. This whole street should be widened with two lanes each way, street car running on both sides of the median, parallel parking, 10-18ft. sidewalks, added landscaping, and reconstructed in cement, more unique landmarks with signs pointing to other districts and Uptown 23rd. signage.

I think this is their big news:

Announcing @uptown23rd 1st annual beautification fundraiser! Uptown Uncorked April 17th @TEEMCOGoldDome

That was their big news?

6573

^Yes!

side note, but it bugs me when people say 1st annual instead of inaugural.

This whole street should be widened with two lanes each way, street car running on both sides of the median, parallel parking, 10-18ft. sidewalks, added landscaping, and reconstructed in cement.

Someone would have a whole lot to say about all the buildings that would have to be demolished or at least very seriously altered to make that happen.

Someone would have a whole lot to say about all the buildings that would have to be demolished or at least very seriously altered to make that happen.Why is that? The street is already two lanes in each direction. I'd say narrow the lanes to lower the speed limit through urban areas, would there not be enough room for a streetcar?

The narrowest part of 23rd street "Window to Window" is 75 feet, at Big Truck Tacos.

Window to window = Includes sidewalks, parking, street, etc. everything between the buildings.

The travel lanes are 11 feet wide in that area. Parking, 8 feet wide. Narrowest sidewalk is 6 feet.

Why is that? The street is already two lanes in each direction. I'd say narrow the lanes to lower the speed limit through urban areas, would there not be enough room for a streetcar?

Street car just needs to share the ROW. No reason to add another whole ROW.

The narrowest part of 23rd street "Window to Window" is 75 feet, at Big Truck Tacos.

Window to window = Includes sidewalks, parking, street, etc. everything between the buildings.

The travel lanes are 11 feet wide in that area. Parking, 8 feet wide. Narrowest sidewalk is 6 feet.Was not aware of that, thought it was a bit wider than that.

Street car just needs to share the ROW. No reason to add another whole ROW.That would work better than; I was thinking of placing it right next to the median and adding some pedestrian features in the median with landscaping allowing people to walk across two lanes of traffic, then getting to a safe point(the median), then proceeding on. The streetcar stops and such could all take place in the median.

The median is 9.5 feet wide. A streetcar is typically between 8.5-10ft wide. While that's enough to run the streetcar down the median, it would only allow for one track, and no place for passengers to wait.

Better off using the existing travel lanes for streetcar, if it ever had one. Would allow passengers to use the sidewalks to queue, and still allow for a median and parking lanes. Or eliminate the median, which would allow 4 foot bike lanes on the street.

I wonder if they have ever considered this

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1iZh7B6u9M/TnsMf25rRWI/AAAAAAAAAGo/dtyXU9kh3Kc/s1600/SAFECROSS.jpg

When they put the median in several years ago I was told by a contractor that they hit the original street car rails and had to remove them.

When they put the median in several years ago I was told by a contractor that they hit the original street car rails and had to remove them.

It pains me to read posts like these.

Well, at least we can build new ones! :)

I wonder if they have ever considered this

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g1iZh7B6u9M/TnsMf25rRWI/AAAAAAAAAGo/dtyXU9kh3Kc/s1600/SAFECROSS.jpg

Are you suggesting we use microwave brain frying technology on pedestrians? Not following this one.

Are you suggesting we use microwave brain frying technology on pedestrians? Not following this one.What the heck are you talking bout Willis? Those are sensors that detect peds on the crosswalk and time the light to keep it red long enough to get them out of the road when it turns green. I was thinking about traffic lights placed through-out the corridor for pedestrians to be able to cross the road at designated areas apart from the intersections.