I think you guys are loosing the point of the posters university comments. Most universities are filled with everyday students that enjoy urban life;living. OSU OKC, SNU, UCO, etc. don't count as urban universities from a walkability/placemaking standpoint which I believe is what he was referencing. I supposed Oklahoma City University could qualify, but so far, hasn't contributed much in the way of surrounding quality urban development/placemaking that you see in other cities. Nearly all, if not all our universities/colleges are more suburban in nature. Without a doubt, OUHSC and OCU Law aren't exactly street kids/trend setters/hipsters that are contributing to walkability/hipster vibe. Sure they'll help diversify things and put feet on the streets which we still need, but not exactly creating a more urban "vibe" from OCU/OUHSC.

I agree with this. Cities that are seemingly ahead of OKC from a placemaking standpoint i.e. Louisville, Omaha, Columbus, Austin, etc got to where they are at at least partly because of their university presence. The case could even be made for Tulsa in that the University of Tulsa contributes to the vibrancy of their urban districts, which are arguably ahead of OKCs depending on who you ask. The OKC metro's only other bar district that has reached critical mass outside of Bricktown is Campus Corner in Norman. Now imagine if the OU main campus was where the Health and Science Center is. Downtown's nightlife and residential market would enjoy the combination of college students and young professionals and would likely be much farther along in the gentrification and placemaking process than it currently is.

Other cities like Charlotte, like OKC, do not have a strong university presence in the core. However, they have made up for it by developing a huge white collar base that lives and works downtown. That is the direction OKC is headed but it will take some time to get there.

Steve is promising an exciting and momentous December!

OKC Central Chat transcript, Nov. 29, 2013 | News OK (http://newsok.com/okc-central-chat-transcript-nov.-29-2013/article/3909606)


So hopefully we finally get some goodies on this topic, as well as many others.

Fasten your seat belt!
:D

Probable December announcements (guesses on my part):


Stage Center Tower
GE Global Research Center
Drugstore in CBD
More urban housing

Probable December announcements (guesses on my part):


Stage Center Tower
GE Global Research Center
Drugstore in CBD
More urban housing



Christmas coming early!

I'm going to be listening very attentively the next few weeks.... and believe me -- I'm ALL EARS!

http://whenlifegivesyoulemons2011auralhabrehab.files.word press.com/2011/08/allears.jpg

I agree with this. Cities that are seemingly ahead of OKC from a placemaking standpoint i.e. Louisville, Omaha, Columbus, Austin, etc got to where they are at at least partly because of their university presence. The case could even be made for Tulsa in that the University of Tulsa contributes to the vibrancy of their urban districts, which are arguably ahead of OKCs depending on who you ask. The OKC metro's only other bar district that has reached critical mass outside of Bricktown is Campus Corner in Norman. Now imagine if the OU main campus was where the Health and Science Center is. Downtown's nightlife and residential market would enjoy the combination of college students and young professionals and would likely be much farther along in the gentrification and placemaking process than it currently is.

Other cities like Charlotte, like OKC, do not have a strong university presence in the core. However, they have made up for it by developing a huge white collar base that lives and works downtown. That is the direction OKC is headed but it will take some time to get there.

I am not so sure about your comparisons. U of Louisville isn't in the city center and other than an area around the stadium isn't particularly urban or mixed use. Same for Creighton and Omaha...not exactly in downtown. U of Tulsa isn't really nearer downtown than OCU. tOSU in Columbus is a HUGE school and I love the area around it.. and the street running to downtown from it (can't remember the name), but it isn't in downtown either. tOSU and Uof T are each one larger than OU and OSU put together. They generate huge amounts of high paying jobs for the metros they are in.

Of those you mention, Columbus could be the best comparison to OKC. And really, from the OU HSC. tOSU has Battelle Institute adjacent, and this would be an equivalent to GE Research. Academic Center along with a private research center with tons of high paying jobs for highly educated individuals. Then connecting them with downtown and feed the districts in between with the benefits of both to create a very urban and prosperous center. Midtown and Saint Anthony's on one corner over to the OUHSC, down to (hopefully) the GE center, on over to downtown and back to Midtown forms a potentially GREAT urban center which is starting to develop in front of our eyes now. We may be late to the game, but we have HUGE potential to be a really great city center.

I am not so sure about your comparisons. U of Louisville isn't in the city center and other than an area around the stadium isn't particularly urban or mixed use. Same for Creighton and Omaha...not exactly in downtown. U of Tulsa isn't really nearer downtown than OCU. tOSU in Columbus is a HUGE school and I love the area around it.. and the street running to downtown from it (can't remember the name), but it isn't in downtown either. tOSU and Uof T are each one larger than OU and OSU put together. They generate huge amounts of high paying jobs for the metros they are in.

Of those you mention, Columbus could be the best comparison to OKC. And really, from the OU HSC. tOSU has Battelle Institute adjacent, and this would be an equivalent to GE Research. Academic Center along with a private research center with tons of high paying jobs for highly educated individuals. Then connecting them with downtown and feed the districts in between with the benefits of both to create a very urban and prosperous center. Midtown and Saint Anthony's on one corner over to the OUHSC, down to (hopefully) the GE center, on over to downtown and back to Midtown forms a potentially GREAT urban center which is starting to develop in front of our eyes now. We may be late to the game, but we have HUGE potential to be a really great city center.

Yeah, the comment about Tulsa U had me scratching my head. It's probably further from Downtown Tulsa than OCU is to Downtown OKC and in a sketchier area overall.

Yeah, the comment about Tulsa U had me scratching my head. It's probably further from Downtown Tulsa than OCU is to Downtown OKC and in a sketchier area overall.

They are about the same distance, and both lack a Campus Corner/Strip adjacent to campus like you see in Norman/Stillwater. I would say both have more of an impact on surrounding neighborhood districts than downtown, and their small size (OCU has around 3700 students and TU has around 4400) is limiting. If either were more like an SMU or Vanderbilt it would be a different story, and completely different if they were a major state university.

What does the U of Tulsa have to do with the Stage Center site?

What does the U of Tulsa have to do with the Stage Center site?
+1 Fact is this is the BS before the real announcement, we have talked about everything, now we are just waiting, just a couple more weeks, I guess?

+1 Fact is this is the BS before the real announcement, we have talked about everything, now we are just waiting, just a couple more weeks, I guess?

We will have to see..

Probable December announcements (guesses on my part):


Stage Center Tower
GE Global Research Center
Drugstore in CBD
More urban housing




I think i've read where Rainey Williams will request the demo of the SC site in December, and presumably renderings and or new building specifics will be available during the request.

Can't believe how far down this thread has gone...and on Page 2!! Would like some NEWS!!! :)

Can't believe how far down this thread has gone...and on Page 2!! Would like some NEWS!!! :)

There's an older structure being removed and a newer structure to be built.
Not exactly news at this point, but didn't want to leave you out on a ledge when it's icy.

Yea!!! Should be only a couple weeks until we have hard announcement with renderings, everybody ready to guess how tall and details? I will start:

25 Stories
400 ft
Adjacent 7 Story Parking Garage
Entrance Will Face Hudson Ave.
Glass Curtain Wall
Construction Starting Fall 2014
Anchor Tenant: Tom Ward's New Company

Yea!!! Should be only a couple weeks until we have hard announcement with renderings, everybody ready to guess how tall and details? I will start:

25 Stories
400 ft
Adjacent 7 Story Parking Garage
Entrance Will Face Hudson Ave.
Glass Curtain Wall
Construction Starting Fall 2014
Anchor Tenant: Tom Ward's New Company

I think Steve eliminated Ward as a real estate player for the time being.

I think Steve eliminated Ward as a real estate player for the time being.

Yeah, I couldn't see his company already having the sheer numbers to be able to occupy that large of a space.

Yea!!! Should be only a couple weeks until we have hard announcement with renderings, everybody ready to guess how tall and details? I will start:


20 stories
260 feet tall/400 ft wide
Parking garage behind it facing Walker
Restaurants and retail on ground floor interacting with Hudson
Grand entrance
Will be outlined in LED lights - maybe something like the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City
Anchor Tenant: Enable

20 stories and 260 ft tall? C'mon now.

20 stories and 260 ft tall? C'mon now.

But it will be wide and have a cool lighting scheme. It will also have retail and some top notch restaurants on ground level. It will still bring a lot to downtown.

I'm thinking:

34 Stories
550 feet
Target/restaurants/Shops on first 3 floors

My guess -

28 stories

524 feet - second tallest in OKC

Main tenant - Enable Midstream MLP

My guess (ok, wish), 45 floors with three floor retail podium, architectural significant spire on top

840 feet - second tallest in the state

Fully leasable office floors with main tenant as Enable Midstream MLP and retail tenants Urban Target and Staples

Two towers

25-35 floors

One 300-400 feet... the other 400-500 feet.

Main tenant - Enable

Hey... why not.

Would love to see something like the Sheet Music Tower in Nashville in terms of height and width.

First glimpse of Giarratana's 41-story 'Sheet Music' tower - Nashville Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/09/first-glimpse-of-giarratanas.html)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1662064

What about this?

NASHVILLE | 505CST | 184m+ | 605-770ft | 38 fl | Pro - SkyscraperCity (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1513343)

What about this?

NASHVILLE | 505CST | 184m+ | 605-770ft | 38 fl | Pro - SkyscraperCity (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1513343)

I guess I could live with either of those...:Smiley122

thats the other one I was thinking of


What about this?

NASHVILLE | 505CST | 184m+ | 605-770ft | 38 fl | Pro - SkyscraperCity (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1513343)

20 stories
260 feet tall/400 ft wide
Parking garage behind it facing Walker
Restaurants and retail on ground floor interacting with Hudson
Grand entrance
Will be outlined in LED lights - maybe something like the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City
Anchor Tenant: Enable

Not sure if you can get 400 feet accross on that site...? You can't get into the California Street easement. This site isn't wide enough frontage wise towards the park.

First glimpse of Giarratana's 41-story 'Sheet Music' tower - Nashville Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/09/first-glimpse-of-giarratanas.html)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1662064

I wish we would get something like that, but I doubt it. Not getting my hopes up for some iconic office tower that's not going to happen. Back to reality, we are more likely looking at something like this:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TaU_VzfFW3c/T0FyJdiLCyI/AAAAAAAAC04/ZISH6ylUd6I/s640/skanska.jpg

Originally there were two groups competing for this site, one of them planning two towers and the winners proposing one, so what happened to the other two towers? Presumably the Preftakes block is its own deal, so is that group looking at the parking lot on the NW corner of Robert S Kerr and Hudson? It just seems as though they could easily get the land immediately south of California for not much money. The La Luna towers. :)

My predictions:

27 stories
440 feet
anchor tenant: Continental Resources or Midfirst

I wish we would get something like that, but I doubt it. Not getting my hopes up for some iconic office tower that's not going to happen. Back to reality, we are more likely looking at something like this:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TaU_VzfFW3c/T0FyJdiLCyI/AAAAAAAAC04/ZISH6ylUd6I/s640/skanska.jpg

Luckily, that rendering is less than 20 stories so we won't be getting something like that ;-)

Isn't the board request to remove the Stage center on December 19 ? If so, we're on a 10 day countdown.

Isn't the board request to remove the Stage center on December 19 ? If so, we're on a 10 day countdown.

No, they have not filed anything as of yet.

And the December 19th Downtown Design Review Committee has been cancelled.

If that's the case, it won't be reviewed until January, however plans have to be submitted a month in advance, so we still should get more details on or before 12/20.

Yes, typically you have to submit an app about 3 weeks before the meeting in order for it to be considered.

However, they may wait until they release the full plans and renderings of the tower before filing, just to off-set any bad will.

I suspect if we don't see anything by 12/20, we are looking at mid January for full plans to be released. If that happens, lets hope Rainey Williams will be open to do another interview giving an update with more details on height, architect, and cost before then.

The Energy Talk on NewsOK confirmed what I have been hearing from my source.

Jezebel - 10:34 a.m. Do you think Enable Midsteram will be a major tenant of the new tower that's to be built downtown at the Stage Center site, or will build its own tower?
Jay F. Marks -10:34 a.m. From what I've been told, no.
Jay F. Marks -10:35 a.m. Enable, which includes the assets for OGE Energy Corp. subsidiary Enogex, has a long-term lease at Leadership Square.
Jay F. Marks -10:35 a.m. Plus I haven't heard anything about the company bringing a lot of new jobs to Oklahoma City, so it doesn't seem like it needs new office space.

GE center to boost oil industry, Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/ge-center-to-boost-oil-industry-oklahoma-city/article/3913123)

I don't believe they have a long-term lease at Leadership Square...

I think it's just five years (which started over a year ago) with some options after that.

It's rare for a company to commit to more than five years on the initial term.

I don't believe they have a long-term lease at Leadership Square...

I think it's just five years (which started over a year ago) with some options after that.

It's rare for a company to commit to more than five years on the initial term.

Yeah, 5 years is nothing.... when you are talking a 40 story skyscraper being built. That 4 years would be perfect timing to then move into a new tower.......They could do a month to month as a contingency plan if it wasn't finished by then.

Also, keep in mind that office space demand is high and Enogex spent good money building out that LS space.

It's not like they would have a hard time leasing it out if Enable/Enogex was to leave a bit early.


The biggest reason they wouldn't move would be the money spent to improve their present space, but even then we don't know how much of that was paid for by Leadership Square. On bigger office deals, it's not unusual for the landlord to provide a generous build-out allowance or at least provide offsets in rent.

Also, the other shoe has not fallen in terms of the new Enable entity. It doesn't seem like a lot of new jobs are coming to OKC in the short-term but I'm hearing there will be in the mid-term; like in the next few years.


I had heard all the way along that OG&E and/or Enogex were heavily involved with this deal for the Stage Center and with OG&E looking more and more like they will be building their own tower and Raney Williams having served on the Enogex board, I think there are far too many coincidences and overlaps to dismiss the idea of Enable moving into this new tower.


We should know a lot more in the next month.

So, when December passes without an announcement, do we have a total meltdown, or do people get excited for the next made-up announcement deadline?

So, when December passes without an announcement, do we have a total meltdown, or do people get excited for the next made-up announcement deadline?

That's why I think Valentine's Day would be a great day for an announcement! :p

So, when December passes without an announcement, do we have a total meltdown, or do people get excited for the next made-up announcement deadline?

All of the above. :)

I kind of have a little meltdown every day that I log on and no new info on the tower has been released yet. But then I just put myself back together again. I've become quite adept at reconstituting myself from liquid form back into solid form.

On another thread, this proposed tower for Nashville was touted as a good fit for the Stage Center site.

http://nashvillepost.com/sites/default/files/attachments/78603/Screen%20Shot%202013-11-26%20at%2012.32.12%20PM.png

I agree. :)

Remember before the Stage Center was even sold and I said I had heard from very good sources it was OG&E?

Well, looks like that was correct all along. I've been told by another great source that the main tenant will in fact be OG&E -- not Enable/Enogex -- and they have been working closely with Raney Williams to make this happen.


As has been discussed, OG&E had hired a consultant to help them find a downtown location for a new HQ tower. This started at least a couple of years ago, before the Stage Center site went up for sale.

When we all found out Raney Williams was the actual purchaser, I then assumed he was working with OG&E and/or Enable/Enogex since since he had served on the Enogex board. It seemed to make sense that OG&E would not want to take too big a profile in the demolition of the iconic Stage Center building, and had to be careful with it's image in general since it's a public utility company. This appears to be the case, but the parties involved have been very careful about saying so -- for obvious reasons.

I do not know how big the building may be but with OG&E as a tenant, you would think it would be substantial. Plus, there is still likely to be some spec space for lease.

As far as Enable/Enogex, they can stay put for a while and probably won't want to be in the same building as OG&E anyway, since they need to operate independently and not give any appearance to the contrary.


And as for the activity at the NW corner of Hudson & Robert S Kerr, that is likely one of the parties that was initially interested in the Stage Center site but lost out to the Raney Williams proposal. Doesn't look like OG&E will be going there at all.


I think we are getting very close to an official announcement about all this with Stage Center, but wanted to share what I've been hearing.

Remember before the Stage Center was even sold and I said I had heard from very good sources it was OG&E?

Well, looks like that was correct all along. I've been told by another great source that the main tenant will in fact be OG&E -- not Enable/Enogex -- and they have been working closely with Raney Williams to make this happen.


As has been discussed, OG&E had hired a consultant to help them find a downtown location for a new HQ tower. This started at least a couple of years ago, before the Stage Center site went up for sale.

When we all found out Raney Williams was the actual purchaser, I then assumed he was working with OG&E and/or Enable/Enogex since since he had served on the Enogex board. It seemed to make sense that OG&E would not want to take too big a profile in the demolition of the iconic Stage Center building, and had to be careful with it's image in general since it's a public utility company. This appears to be the case, but the parties involved have been very careful about saying so -- for obvious reasons.

I do not know how big the building may be but with OG&E as a tenant, you would think it would be substantial. Plus, there is still likely to be some spec space for lease.

As far as Enable/Enogex, they can stay put for a while and probably won't want to be in the same building as OG&E anyway, since they need to operate independently and not give any appearance to the contrary.


And as for the activity at the NW corner of Hudson & Robert S Kerr, that is likely one of the parties that was initially interested in the Stage Center site but lost out to the Raney Williams proposal. Doesn't look like OG&E will be going there at all.


I think we are getting very close to an official announcement about all this with Stage Center, but wanted to share what I've been hearing.

Being that it looks to be OG&E, how tall do you think we will see?

The last I heard about the height -- and this was several months ago -- it was to be in the area of 30-32 floors.

The last I heard about the height -- and this was several months ago -- it was to be in the area of 30-32 floors.

Nice. Well above the 20 stories in the official rumor. 30-32 stories should make it about the height of the Chase tower, or maybe taller if they do a significant crown on it.

My guess: 32 stories, 560ft + spire.

We really need 1 or 2 towers to balance out the skyline. I love the Devon and everything going on downtown but it looks so funny with just one tall building and several medium sized. The Devon tower is beautiful but needs some company because it looks sooo out of place. I would love to see a double tower here. One about 32 stories and crown bringing it to about 560 feet and another about 25 stories with a tower or crown and about 440 feet. We need some height to balance out the lone ranger we have currently.

What ever happened to this tower?

Downtown Oklahoma City skyline is set for more growth | News OK (http://newsok.com/downtown-oklahoma-city-skyline-is-set-for-more-growth/article/3648714)

And these?

http://newsok.com/article/3720969

Is it just me, or am I noticing a trend here?

What ever happened to this tower?

Downtown Oklahoma City skyline is set for more growth | News OK (http://newsok.com/downtown-oklahoma-city-skyline-is-set-for-more-growth/article/3648714)

And these?

Oklahoma City's downtown skyline is set for more growth | News OK (http://newsok.com/article/3720969)

Is it just me, or am I noticing a trend here?

It's just you.

We've had a tower announced at Stage Center, and we've seen another group doing soil samples on the corner of Robert S Kerr and Hudson.

Yeah, that first article was almost two years ago and was pretty specific: "New HQ for international company", specifically citing the Preftakes block and a 40-story tower.

Of course, this was all before the Stage Center property came on the market, so hard to say if this deal went away, is still percolating or has merely been moved to another location.

People see 20-25 stories and are thinking of a small building.

I was in San Diego yesterday and today, and saw this building across the street while waiting for the light rail.

It's 23 stories, has a wide footprint, and is an absolutely stunning building. I would not be disappointed at all if this went on the Stage Center or anywhere else downtown.

412 feet tall.

First Allied Plaza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Allied_Plaza)

http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/1/C/9/1C97A9EF-B065-4F73-8471-A863B0FFC72B.jpg

And might I mention, it had a very dominating feel (but not in a bad way), similar to how the Devon tower has a dominating feel.

All of the above. :)

I kind of have a little meltdown every day that I log on and no new info on the tower has been released yet. But then I just put myself back together again. I've become quite adept at reconstituting myself from liquid form back into solid form.

+1

Heard they are planning to do demo in March, so buildings details will probably be coming soon.

+1

Liquid to solid? Is he a T1000?