I don't care about "uber rich" retail. What we need downtown are bodies. We're seeing Deep Deuce fill up with what the market will support. We have a lot more people in this city who can afford to live at Level than can afford to buy a Brownstone. What we'll see is a lot of these 4 story complexes get built, and then basic retail will move in. You'll get a Wallgreens, you'll get a grocery store that sells frozen pizzas, you'll get a streetcar connection to downtown. And you'll have ten thousand people living where you previously had zero. It will create an interesting, fun, convenient downtown environment.

And that is when more rich people will seriously start considering living there. We're not going to get Central Park West overnight. That would be cool, but it's going to take another 20 years before anyone starts to seriously think about building the type of housing you guys want.

No, I just don't want more and more low-rise apartment complexes downtown. We are settling for barely urban quasi suburban apartment complexes downtown.

By the way, I am not sure who you think qualifies for uber rich, but I bet it isn't a very high level. It seems that line on this board is used to describe anyone who pays more than $1,500 a month on rent or who owns a place over $200,000. Not really rich for most cities.

Rover...... this is Oklahoma City. Be realistic.

By the way, besides Legacy which I would argue is still quite urban, what suburban low rise apartment housing have we built? How can you not love the differing aesthetics of The Edge and LEVEL?

Something like this would be nice:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7210154786_c9184ce234.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bz3rk/7210154786/)
Charlotte from atop Duke Energy Center (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bz3rk/7210154786/) by Willamor Media (http://www.flickr.com/people/bz3rk/), on Flickr

..and cheap.

Rover...... this is Oklahoma City. Be realistic.

By the way, besides Legacy which I would argue is still quite urban, what suburban low rise apartment housing have we built? How can you not love the differing aesthetics of The Edge and LEVEL?
I do like Level. But I do hope it holds up in 15 years.

There were a couple of demolition permits this week for the old metal buildings on this site.

I know they wanted to get that area scraped and cleaned up as a part of getting the necessary funding for the proposed development.


Has anyone noticed anything happening on that site recently?

I'll be down there around 12. I'll check it out and report back if someone doesn't by then.

I went by and nothing appeared to be going on. Might be a while longer before we see anything start.

Looks like this property swallowed OnlyOne...

Looks like this property swallowed OnlyOne...

Careful, it's possible. This just happened an hour ago in Florida.

Fla. man swallowed by a sinkhole is feared dead (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/01/florida-sinkhole-man/1955895/)

Looks like this property swallowed OnlyOne...

What you talkin' bout, Willis?! I responded just above you.

What you talkin' bout, Willis?! I responded just above you.

That's so weird, it wasn't there when I posted. I'm at work. Got busy and respond time was after you posted, lol.

Noticed they were dismantling buildings at the site today, so it looks like they are trying to save some of materials and not just dozing the buildings, nonetheless glad to see these buildings come down.

Metal crunched in Bricktown to clear site for development | News OK (http://newsok.com/metal-crunched-in-bricktown-to-clear-site-for-development/article/3771304)

Note: its a very small article.

Of note...we won't see any structure rising out of the ground--my guess is--until Winter 2014.

Winter 2014 seems a little optimistic to me. I'm assuming Fall 2014.

Winter 2014 seems a little optimistic to me. I'm assuming Fall 2014.

Pardon me, that's what I meant, lol. I was thinking October of 2014. Sometimes Fall can seem like Winter...lol...but not as of late!

From today...

Making good progress on the demolition.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/eastbricktown32913.jpg

Thanks for the pic updates Pete. My thanks also to the photographer. These are ones I look forward to every month! !

Seeing this perspective really makes you realize what a massive impact this project will have on the east side of downtown.

Really excited to see this start rounding into shape.

That looks like a good location for an East Bricktown Train Station for whatever rail line ends up using that cooridor. It is about 4,500 feet from there to Santa Fe as the train flies. By comparison, that is 200 feet longer than the distance between Philadelphia's 30th St Station and Suburban Station. Also, a bike path along that route would be nice also.

Seeing this perspective really makes you realize what a massive impact this project will have on the east side of downtown.

Really excited to see this start rounding into shape.

Definitely. Especially when you actually drive by it. The will significantly expand the districts "feel" eastward and is one reason why the Staybridge situation should not be dismissed or looked at as disconnected from the district's future.

Definitely. Especially when you actually drive by it. The will significantly expand the districts "feel" eastward and is one reason why the Staybridge situation should not be dismissed or looked at as disconnected from the district's future.

Ding ding ding - winner. When Bricktown expands to Lincoln (and it will), it would be nice to have the existing development along Lincoln fit in.

Definitely. Especially when you actually drive by it. The will significantly expand the districts "feel" eastward and is one reason why the Staybridge situation should not be dismissed or looked at as disconnected from the district's future.

staybridge really is not close to the east bricktown site

staybridge really is not close to the east bricktown site

You're absolutely right. It's 1000 ft from one site to the other.

My god, don't you ever get tired of being such a contrarian?

You're absolutely right. It's 1000 ft from one site to the other.

My god, don't you ever get tired of being such a contrarian?

your right i should not have said "not close" what i really meant is no adjacent to nothing will ever be east on Lincoln across from the east bricktown development nor on the south east corner of Lincoln and Sheridan

I offered this questions to Steve on his chat on Friday and his answer was interesting:

Q: Since there are no concrete plans for the Brooks-Burnett east bricktown apartments/retail/hotel development yet, what would your best guess be as to the layout of the project? I would think the retail would need to be to the west as far as possible, hopefully facing Sheridan and Russell M Perry with the apartments above, a parking garage directly west of the firestation and the hotel to the south of the firestation.

A: Based on some conversation I've had, I suspect we will see garages lining up parallel with the Union Pacific tracks between Russell Perry Avenue and the fire station.. The apartments and retail space (on the first floor, street-front) will line up along the north side of Sheridan Avenue. Now, the question is how is the massing of these buildings accomplished? One very long building is unlikely, though I guess not impossible. But I'm not sure they want a lot of open space facing Sheridan either. A hotel, meanwhile, will anchor the northeast corner of Russell Perry and Sheridan.

That looks like a good location for an East Bricktown Train Station for whatever rail line ends up using that cooridor. It is about 4,500 feet from there to Santa Fe as the train flies. By comparison, that is 200 feet longer than the distance between Philadelphia's 30th St Station and Suburban Station. Also, a bike path along that route would be nice also.

That was my first thought when I saw this map. I hope that train of thought (sorry, couldn't stop myself!) is incorporated into the site plan.

A hotel, meanwhile, will anchor the northeast corner of Russell Perry and Sheridan.

out of curiosity... where does it stop being Joe Carter Ave and become Russell M Perry? is it at Sheridan? because i guess i always just assumed it was Main.

They could extend Charlie Christian Ave north of Sheridan as the primary access to residential/visitor parking and a portal entrance on Joe Carter aligned with Main St for the hotel parking. Vehicle access to the East Bricktown project should align with the existing street grid to maximize pedestrian safety. New stop lights would then be installed at Main St/Joe Carter and Sheridan/Charlie Christian Ave.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/EBP_zps327e4ff6.jpg

your right i should not have said "not close" what i really meant is no adjacent to nothing will ever be east on Lincoln across from the east bricktown development nor on the south east corner of Lincoln and Sheridan

Are you sure you didn't mean to say that Staybridge will be half a block away, so close you could sprint there without getting winded, and will probably be the main feature in the views of the apartments on the east end of this development?

Staybridge will be as close to this as Tap Werks is to the ball park.

Honestly, you can say you don't care or that your prefer lower bricktown developments to the hotels on Sheridan in bricktown, but bricktown is moving east and this development takes it all the way to Lincoln, so the Staybridge development will have an impact that does matter. It would be nice if one day all of this was just a part of a larger bricktown, instead of it being relegated to the designation of "east bricktown" to mitigate the impact of its crappiness on the bricktown brand as whole.

Allowing Staybridge to weigh down this end of bricktown only serves to lower the value of this development and any that may come around it (even if not directly adjacent to it), which in turn only puts downward pressure on investment spend in order to achieve the desired ROI. And THIS is why we STILL see so many efforts to cut corners in the area. Every appraiser in the world would consider the Staybridge lot and what's on it when analyzing the value of this development. You can certainly have an opinion on the Staybridge development, but the position that whatever is done there doesn't matter just sounds disingenuous at this point.

The staybridge will be blocked by the hotels directly across the street

out of curiosity... where does it stop being Joe Carter Ave and become Russell M Perry? is it at Sheridan? because i guess i always just assumed it was Main.

Zooming in pretty closely on googlemaps, it looks like it is at Main Street that it switches.

The staybridge will be blocked by the hotels directly across the street

Riiiiiiight.... which totally makes it farther away..... wink wink.

Whatever. Keep reaching, you don't have much left.

Riiiiiiight.... which totally makes it farther away..... wink wink.

Whatever. Keep reaching, you don't have much left.

Over a block not half a block away. Just FYI

Over a block not half a block away. Just FYI

lol

We will learn more about this development at the next Bricktown Design Committee meeting on 6/12:


Marc Tolson of GTF Design will make a presentation to the
Committee, for informational purposes only, on a proposed
mixed-use development with 250 apartment units, 12,000
square feet of retail space, and a private parking garage on
the north side of Sheridan Ave between N Lincoln Blvd and
Russell M. Perry Ave.

I cropped one of Will's photos to show that all the steel buildings on this parcel have now been cleared (upper right corner):

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/eastbricktown6513.jpg

We will learn more about this development at the next Bricktown Design Committee meeting on 6/12:

This is exciting news! I thought it would end up being awhile before we heard anything more. I'm really excited about this project. I think these guys will do good work that will hopefully go against the grain of the Patel hotel mindset that seems to be taking over lately.

I bet we get renderings.

If only we could have gotten some standard from this project a MONTH ago perhaps we could have prevented the Candlewood blight. I wonder if Brooks is galvanized by all the crap being proposed around him.

Any volunteers to go to the 6/12 meeting and snap photos?

There certainly will be renderings since the presentation will be made by the architect.

Any volunteers to go to the 6/12 meeting and snap photos?

There certainly will be renderings since the presentation will be made by the architect.

Where is the meeting being held and at what time?

June 12, 2013
Bricktown Police Substation, 219 E Main St – 9:00 a.m.

I'll try to get over there and get us something.

Any volunteers to go to the 6/12 meeting and snap photos?

There certainly will be renderings since the presentation will be made by the architect.I'll try to as well. I've yet to do anything like this and I think it would be a fun experience!

You guys rock, make sure to snap pictures of the renderings that are shown!

If you go, take a decent camera with a flash, as camera phones don't work very well in these situations.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a much better picture from Will of the demolished steel buildings:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8560/8963544781_45222e014b_b.jpg

Camera phones work very well if you change the scene mode to 'Text'

Yeah, I think camera phones have advanced to the point of being defensible and you can use them without it being a big deal to anyone.

Here is Steve's article on the design: East Bricktown housing, retail development designs unveiled, site preparation continues | News OK (http://newsok.com/east-bricktown-housing-retail-development-designs-unveiled-site-preparation-continues/article/3844476)

Wow...that rendering shows just how unbelievably massive this project really is.

Can't wait to see how it's laid out on the lot.

Again, this is the same architect as Maywood Apartments Phase II, and I like what I see.

Strange it's only 4 levels: one of retail and three of apartments.

zOMG IT LOOKS LIKE A TRAIN!!!!!

So brilliant.

I may go down to the meeting tomorrow just to ask the architect if that was the inspiration.

Pete, posted in convention center thread:
I hope that no website would take renderings not in the public record, renderings I worked hard to obtain exclusively, and then post them without permission of either the owner of the renderings or @newsok.

That's fine, Steve.

We can wait the 12 hours until the meeting tomorrow where we'll have pictures to post.

Thank you. I have great respect for the exclusive content you've posted - I love the 1969 aerial photos you worked hard to assemble and display.

Pete, posted in convention center thread:
I hope that no website would take renderings not in the public record, renderings I worked hard to obtain exclusively, and then post them without permission of either the owner of the renderings or @newsok.

Not sure why this is all of a sudden an issue. This site directs a massive amount of traffic to Steve's articles. It's not like Pete is taking credit and profiting off it in any way. This site is not a threat to NewsOk, but instead a wonderful compliment to it. Lots of companies and people have failed to understand this dynamic in this day of new and old media. Tightening control has more often than not resulted in hurting old media far more than new media.

Why does the Oklahoman only publish like one or two renderings with the articles? Is there only one rendering for this project to view?

Similarly, I don't understand why NewsOK shows so few photographs with its articles. THIS ISN'T PRINT. There's plenty of space on the Internet for more photos. The more photos, the more time people would spend engaging with the product. Does anyone else find this odd? It's like they're in a time warp in a paste-up room worrying about space for the "news hole" (a term I've always found gruesome).

Not sure why this is all of a sudden an issue. This site directs a massive amount of traffic to Steve's articles. It's not like Pete is taking credit and profiting off it in any way. This site is not a threat to NewsOk, but instead a wonderful compliment to it. Lots of companies and people have failed to understand this dynamic in this day of new and old media. Tightening control has more often than not resulted in hurting old media far more than new media.

If the rendering is posted, why would I click on the article?

I mean, I get both sides, but it actually is financially advantageous for NewsOK if we just click the link.

zOMG IT LOOKS LIKE A TRAIN!!!!!

So brilliant.

I may go down to the meeting tomorrow just to ask the architect if that was the inspiration.

Just so everyone knows...this is what the hotel is going to look like:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5458/9023058108_31f284f97d.jpg

Too soon?!