I am most likely confused on the matter, but if the bad economy wasn't the cause, we go back to the fact that for whatever reason, OKC keeps getting disappointing developments.

I think you are thinking of Tuscana. It was supposed to be a high-end mixed use lifestyle center. The economy tanked and it was downgraded to an apartment complex.

The Belle Isle power plant was redeveloped at the tail-end of the '90s boom. It too was supposed to be far more impressive than was actually built, but I blame OKC standards at the time moreso than the economy. It was developed around the same time Hogan won the bid for Lower Bricktown if that says anything. Belle Isle and Lower Bricktown are probably the two biggest lost opportunities in OKC development during the post-Pei era.

Lesser Bricktown was just a dirt field before development. There's nothing really worth saving there now. It's possible that some time in the future those buildings can be razed and the area developed properly. Belle Isle on the other hand; we'll never get that structure back. An opportunity gone forever.

I am most likely confused on the matter, but if the bad economy wasn't the cause, we go back to the fact that for whatever reason, OKC keeps getting disappointing developments.

I think it probably goes back to what was being discussed in the OG&E thread in that city leadership has little experience outside of Oklahoma having only Tulsa and pre-MAPS OKC as measuring sticks. Perspective was even worse in the early 2000s. Developers will go cheap if they know they can get away with it. It's simple economics. The Criterion Concert Hall is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Ten years ago the original, minimalist design would have likely been approved no questions asked. Today the design review process worked and the city looks poised to get a quality concert venue both inside and out.

I think we also need to think back to what OKC was like when this was torn down in the late 90's. Several of the initial MAPS projects had just opened or had been really close to opening, Chesapeake hadn't started to develop the rapid growth yet, Devon wasn't nearly the catalyst for DT like it is now. Looking back on it, I am not surprised it was torn down and a Wal-Mart built in its place.

Man, it truly is frustrating. Austin had the Arboretum area back at least to 1989 and before Austin had fully arrived as a destination city. It is time for OKC to have awesome projects. That is why I remain such a cheerleader for the OG&E development, I want to see OKC get a first class development that will set a new level of expectation for all developments.

And a Chili's and an Old Navy! The Belle Isle project is an economic developer's dream come true. They turned a crappy non-contributing site into a revenue-making site that everyone loves (because they can park their cars). Textbook.

warreng, you're right. I started at OCU in 2000 and it was opening around that time, so all pre-collapse.

And as Spartan says, it's a prime example of strip mall hell. I mean I guess you could look at it by saying the stores aren't the type that typically have people frequenting from one to the next...ie they don't drive their car from one to the next. But the whole thing was built in a way that definitely does NOT promote walkability. They had a lot of the same reasons for doing what they did as others like them

1 - they can build the separate buildings in phases (ie walmart strip, then matress store strip, then pei wei strip) as they get more capital flowing.
2 - people are lazy and they don't want to walk. We gripe about outdoor malls but don't want to walk INTO the mall...go figure
3 - it's the trend to get "curb" parking on places these days

To bad we couldn't have seen something with a big box on one side, a walkable plaza in the middle, and a strip of shops on the other....or forget the big box and at least make the other portion into something walkable. I can't hate them any more than the countless others around town (and still being built), I just wish OKC would create some standards on these things.

There's nothing that says that big box developments can't be walkable too. I know people say, "It's Okahoma. No one will want to park and walk." But how do we know until we're given something different? I think if you had a Walmart and Sam's development and instead of facing them toward the street with huge parking lots and other stores residing in those parking lots, you made WM and Sam''s face each other on each end and have the other stores face in on the sides and have a nice, pleasant courtyard and give shoppers a pleasant experience, they'll come. They'll walk. We all know it's more healthy to walk and better for the environment, but you have to give people a reason to walk.

I have no issue with a strip shopping center full of big box stores. They can be placed anywhere and fulfill a market need, but Belle Isle could have been special and unique to the city. It was a missed opportunity to put the site to a better use than a standard shopping center.

I wonder if this is it? This was proposed back in 2007.

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2007/05/25/21/Img/Pc0211100.jpg

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2007/05/25/21/Img/Pc0211000.jpg

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2007/05/25/26/Img/Pc0260700.jpg

This would be awesome to see revived!

http://www.okctalk.com/general-civic-issues/10160-%24200-million-development-bricktown.html

Nice, but I don't think it would make either city jealous.

Nice, but I don't think it would make either city jealous.True. I'm not sure about KC, but I know it wouldn't make Dallas jealous.

I wonder if this is it? This was proposed back in 2007.

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2007/05/25/21/Img/Pc0211100.jpg

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2007/05/25/21/Img/Pc0211000.jpg

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2007/05/25/26/Img/Pc0260700.jpg

This would be awesome to see revived!

http://www.okctalk.com/general-civic-issues/10160-%24200-million-development-bricktown.html

I would really like to see that revived. The renderings remind me of the developments a lot of other cities were building in the mid-2000s in their downtowns and is a far cry from Lower Bricktown. It's a shame it didn't get built.

Looks like a couple of the mall redevelopments here in Denver

Well, as long as this thread is filled with our speculation as to what Steve meant, I'm gonna revive the Heartland Disney Park legend. That'd certainly make KC and Dallas jelly.

True. I'm not sure about KC, but I know it wouldn't make Dallas jealous.

Kansas City has The Plaza, which spans over several city blocks and would blow ^^that development^^ out of the water.

Since this thread has not been bumped for sometime... A new take on the traditional Ferris Wheel. A tower like this would be great for OKC.

Tower proposed as alternative to giant Ferris wheel on San Diego Bay | UTSanDiego.com (http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/feb/03/skyspire-port-ferris-wheel/)

Thats a pretty cool tower.. I couldn't help but vote just to see what their readers were voting for. it appears most prefer no tower or Ferris wheel. Its good to know that people don't want anything cool in other communities not just in OKC..lol

I could be wrong, but I think Steve said this was dead in his last chat or the one before it.

What killed it?

Steve didn't specifically say it was dead (that I saw), but did indicate a lot of things were "on hold" depending on oil prices.

If it's over; can we atleast know what it was?

I think he said complications in the oil market. Take my word with a grain of salt on this one, because he didn't specify exactly. He just said a huge east Bricktown development is in limbo or something like that. I'll try and find the quote later.

I thought he said the issues for it were more complicated than the oil market.

Q: Is the project to make KC jealous hurting or more complicated with the drop in oil prices or are there other more serious factors?

A: More complicated.

Will some one please educate me on how oil prices alone affect all these aspects of Oklahoma's economy. Seems NOTHING gets done without oil. Is anyone concerned that every time the price of a barrel of oil rises or drops Oklahoma ebbs and flows. Why don't our leaders not only buffet up the energy sector but work more vigorously to diversity the states economy?

Lots of people are concerned with a one industry economy. There is a pretty good second industry in OKC with aeronautics and the military, but more diversity is absolutely needed. The best thing for OKC would be a large non-oil entity enter the market. Steve indicated in the last chat that rumors are that a large employer was looking at OKC but was put off by the anti-gay rights stance of the state legislators.

Lots of people are concerned with a one industry economy. There is a pretty good second industry in OKC with aeronautics and the military, but more diversity is absolutely needed. The best thing for OKC would be a large non-oil entity enter the market. Steve indicated in the last chat that rumors are that a large employer was looking at OKC but was put off by the anti-gay rights stance of the state legislators.

That alone should send many people to get off their tails and write your legislative reps. They should write the governor herself and have her back off some. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying people shouldn't stick to their beliefs, but they have gone way overboard. In fact down right hypocritical in many ways. They act all righteous when it comes to this but have the most crooked liquor laws in the nation. These laws pad the pockets of the liquor stores and violates other businesses that can't compete with that because they aren't allowed to. Also, 3.2 beer, seriously? What is the reasoning behind that? It is about more sales and corruption why the people down at the Capitol turn their backs once they have been bought and paid for. I hate hypocrisy and these type of things have turned who knows how many businesses away from this great state. They remind me of the Pharisee's who all thought they were so righteous yet couldn't see their own faults. That is the best description of the leaders in this state.

Lots of people are concerned with a one industry economy. There is a pretty good second industry in OKC with aeronautics and the military, but more diversity is absolutely needed. The best thing for OKC would be a large non-oil entity enter the market. Steve indicated in the last chat that rumors are that a large employer was looking at OKC but was put off by the anti-gay rights stance of the state legislators.

Do you have a link or article so I could be more informed about OKC losing out on jobs becaue of these stances? I want to be more active in the political side. Thanks.

Steve didn't say explicitly that this deal is dead, but he did say two things that imply that it might be.

1) Lower oil prices has made the deal more complicated
2) There will be no further development in Lower Bricktown until oil prices recover.

It was long rumored this development was going to be in Lower Bricktown so based on that, its possible that the deal is dead or at least on hold until oil prices recover. Unfortunately, OKC is, or is at least perceived to be a one industry town.

There has been no official statement regarding a company opting not to relocate to OKC due to the anti-gay stances of state lawmakers, but its what Steve's sources have reported to him as he stated in his chat. It really wouldn't surprise me at all if that is the case considering how dogmatic the state government is on gay issues and other issues of diversity and the fact there is virtually no progressive movement in the state government to counter the right-wing extremism.

If you were the owner of a large company with a progressive culture and a large number of LGBT employees, would you want to move your company and employees to a city where somebody like Sally Kern can not only get elected, but say the things she does and get re-elected? To top it all off, this is a state where numerous other state legislators agree with her and few, if any, are brave enough to rebuke her because it just so happens her views are shared by a large number of Oklahomans. I hate it, it makes me angry, but its understandable why a progressive west-coast company would pass on OKC. That's why moderate and progressive people in this state need to get involved. It may always be a conservative state, but hopefully one day there is more reason and extremists like Sally Kern become a rare breed.

The reference was to the January 30 OKC downtown chat run by NewsOK at around 9:40am. Not sure if there has been any actual articles written on the subject.

On another note, if this ends up happening I think the following should be done.

1. Billboards on I-35 going northbound every few miles all the way from DFW saying in different ways "Prepare to be jealous."
2. A special exit off I-40 for the "Jealousy development"
3. Guards at the entrance of the development requiring all people leaving to take a survey. The first question will be where are you from. If the person answers anything but Dallas or Kansas City, they are free to leave. If they answer Dallas or Kansas City, they get asked if they are jealous. If they say yes, they get asked how jealous on a scale of 1 to 10. If they answer anything but "Yes" and "10", they are immediately escorted to a bus where they are taken to an undisclosed re-education camp to be educated as to why they should be jealous of this development.

On another note, if this ends up happening I think the following should be done.

1. Billboards on I-35 going northbound every few miles all the way from DFW saying in different ways "Prepare to be jealous."
2. A special exit off I-40 for the "Jealousy development"
3. Guards at the entrance of the development requiring all people leaving to take a survey. The first question will be where are you from. If the person answers anything but Dallas or Kansas City, they are free to leave. If they answer Dallas or Kansas City, they get asked if they are jealous. If they say yes, they get asked how jealous on a scale of 1 to 10. If they answer anything but "Yes" and "10", they are immediately escorted to a bus where they are taken to an undisclosed re-education camp to be educated as to why they should be jealous of this development.

And all snacks at this place will be jelly based, just to drive the point home.

Lots of people are concerned with a one industry economy. There is a pretty good second industry in OKC with aeronautics and the military, but more diversity is absolutely needed. The best thing for OKC would be a large non-oil entity enter the market. Steve indicated in the last chat that rumors are that a large employer was looking at OKC but was put off by the anti-gay rights stance of the state legislators.

For the record that's one idiot legislator who is term limited and will be out after next years session. 2nd, when the Supreme Court rules in June that everyone has the right to get married it will be a dead issue. I don't support gay marriage but the writing is on the wall. We are going to lose and it's time to move on.

For the record that's one idiot legislator who is term limited and will be out after next years session. 2nd, when the Supreme Court rules in June that everyone has the right to get married it will be a dead issue. I don't support gay marriage but the writing is on the wall. We are going to lose and it's time to move on.

I think Steve was referring to around 2008/2009. Different climate back then regarding these issues.

I think Steve was referring to around 2008/2009. Different climate back then regarding these issues.

Ah, for the most part the legislature has calmed down on social issues and having the government try and fix everyone. Even the hoodie was nothing more then a stunt for attention. It went absolutely no where.

The hoodie story made news all over the country.

The hoodie story made news all over the country.

In the past that bill might have actually made it to a vote.

For the record that's one idiot legislator who is term limited and will be out after next years session. 2nd, when the Supreme Court rules in June that everyone has the right to get married it will be a dead issue. I don't support gay marriage but the writing is on the wall. We are going to lose and it's time to move on.

If it was simply one crazy lawmaker, why aren't other more moderate lawmakers standing up to denounce her?

I also doubt the supreme court decision is the end of it. Mike Huckabee has vowed to make this issue a priority in his campaign in 2016 regardless of how the supreme court rules.

If it was simply one crazy lawmaker, why aren't other more moderate lawmakers standing up to denounce her?

I also doubt the supreme court decision is the end of it. Mike Huckabee has vowed to make this issue a priority in his campaign in 2016 regardless of how the supreme court rules.
Good for him. Watch his campaign go down in a flame of glory. He won't carry a single purple or blue republican state in the primary (NY, Penn, Michigan, etc) those states have a lot of delegates. Just the hard deep red and even then he'll have stiff competition.

Once the Supreme Court rules on it, that is the end of it. Unless you think a Constitutional amendment can pass?

Scott Walker or Jeb Bush is going to be the nominee.

It's very rare to publicly see intraparty fighting. It's all behind the scenes. Why do you think Kern withdraw the bill? Someone with some power told her to cut the crap or face the consequences. The reason people like Frank Underwood (and there is people like FU in both parties, minus the murders) are so effective is because you don't know they exist, and its all internally handled.

^Can we take that discussion to the Politics forum and get back to talking about the original topic?

And all snacks at this place will be jelly based, just to drive the point home.

Are "jelly-based" and "gelatinous" the same thing?

Keep in mind that it's only Steve's opinion that this potential development he's rumored about would make Dallas/K.C. jealous.
Now, I think we can trust Steve to assume it's a fairly significant development. And I think it's safe to say that it's probably something Dallas and/or K.C. doesn't have (why else compare them or even include them in the speculation?).

That really narrows potential developments down, because, quite frankly, DFW has nearly anything/everything the common person can think of. And Kansas City, well, they have more to offer than OKC or Tulsa, but what would make them jealous?

Hello everyone. Been visiting the forum section here off and on and after reading this thread I decided to register to make a wild guess and jump into the deep end with both feet. I am not connected with anything or anyone, just a random guy living in north Oklahoma City who doesn't have any insider knowledge and who is probably just wish-listing and dreaming with this guess. But for what it's worth, here it goes:

My guess is that the development will be the soccer stadium for the Energy FC.

Now hear me out and let me make my case. We know that Prodigal LLC has talked last year (http://newsok.com/energy-fc-considers-where-to-build-soccer-stadium-in-oklahoma-city/article/4748134) about wanting to build a soccer stadium to call their home in the next few years. From that news article:


“A new stadium could be located in close proximity to Chesapeake Energy Arena and the Bricktown area with easy access from Highway 40,” one question in the survey states. “ As well, the stadium would include many of the modern amenities that are common with new stadiums including premium seating areas, updated concession areas.”

So with that let me jump into some of the hints and rumors in this thread:


From Steve's chat today:

Justin - 11:40 a.m. Any ideas what will be done with the 600 block of California (parking lot in front of The Chevy)? Paying $46/sft for the land they have to be underwriting a big development there, I'd imagine.

Steve Lackmeyer - 11:40 a.m. Something ambitious.

I still have a feeling this is where the jealousy project will happen.

That lot would be a perfect fit for a USL level stadium. I know it is a bit on the small side, but we wouldn't be looking at a MLS level stadium at this point (even though I know that joining the MLS is the ultimate goal for them). Prodigal LLC said they were aiming for a 7,000 seat stadium and that they realize that they would most likely have to build a separate 20,000 stadium at some point down the line if the MLS thing happens.

So would a 7,000 seat stadium fit on the lot? Well, I played around with Google Maps and looked at the lot and a couple of stadiums in the NASL and USL leagues. This isn't scientific engineering math and even though I captured each picture at the same scale (according to Google Maps) I'm sure that there are some scaling mistakes in there. But it serves as a good estimate.

Here is Atlanta Silverbacks Park, a 5,000 seat stadium:

http://i.imgur.com/Rgu9Hom.jpg?1

As you can see it easily fits into the lot, has plenty of room to expand the sidelines out and has room to add seats on the endline to expand it out to 7,000 seats. It's a fairly bare bones stadium, but there is plenty of room on the lot to add extras. An elevated terrace on one endline overlooking the field for concessions or a VIP area for heavy spenders to drink is always a good plan.

Let's go a little bit fancier and go with Toyota Field, San Antonio's soccer stadium, which comes in at 8,296 seats:

http://i.imgur.com/GBMLiE8.jpg?1

Now wouldn't a nice brick wall wrapped all the way around look great next to the ballpark? Of course you noticed that the ballpark kind-of spills onto California Ave, so there is that minor problem. Maybe that's just a scaling error and it would actually fit as is, but this stadium also has 1,296 more seats than the 7,000 goal set by Funk. So there is the option to remove seats to make it fit, or to move the suites from the sidelines to the endlines (which might be a bit unconventional for soccer, but it's an option). Toyota Field also has one entire endline that is not developed, which would give Prodigal LLC the option to remove more than 1,000+ seats from the sidelines and add more seating on that sideline to make up for it. Another option for that endline might be to take the approach of Toyota Park in Frisco and use that endline to install a permanent stage. I know that the ballpark does concerts, but now you would have another option for outdoor entertainment and with a permanent stage instead of having to setup and tear it down. 7,000 seats + general admission on the field would make for a good crowd.

So that addresses the "something in Bricktown" and "something on the California Ave Lot" part of the hints. Now that we know that Prodigal LLC could theoretically fit a soccer specific stadium on the lot, we can address the other hint:


I really wonder what the scale is. The infamous quote is below from January 10, 2014.

Steve Lackmeyer 11:25 a.m. I do see more entertainment venues being added to the mix. There is possibly one development that could really change the game and even be something that would make Dallas and Kansas City jealous. How's that for a teaser?

I wonder if most people guessing have been guessing to big or too small.

The entertainment aspect could be covered by having an additional option for enjoying sports, and it would complement the Thunder by having a season that doesn't overlap that much (April through September), although it does overlap with the Dodgers. If they manage to include a permanent stage that would also bring another outdoor concert option to Bricktown.

Now about making Dallas and Kansas City jealous? That might be the bigger stretch of my guess, but again please hear me out. I know that Dallas and Kansas City have their own MLS team. They are big time and right now our Energy FC are just some minor league team, so how would our 7,000 stadium make them jealous?

Well, we would have a smaller stadium but that smaller stadium would be in Bricktown. We would have the Peake, the Ballpark, and the stadium all in downtown Oklahoma City. Why might that make Dallas and Kansas City jealous? Look at where their stadiums are:

http://i.imgur.com/GJ6ONiL.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/lJMcQtP.jpg?1

Which also brings me to the next hint:


Does Houston have a Velodrome? At one point Steve said the project would make Dallas jealous but not Houston. Whatever it is it is something Houston has but Dallas doesn't.

What does Houston have that Dallas doesn't?

http://i.imgur.com/k3oLfnP.jpg?1

They have a soccer stadium downtown. So they wouldn't be jealous of our downtown stadium like Dallas.

Connecting a soccer stadium to the last hint may be the biggest leap, but I'll tackle that as well:


Q: Is the project to make KC jealous hurting or more complicated with the drop in oil prices or are there other more serious factors?

A: More complicated.

My guess is that the sponsor for the park was/is one of the energy companies. I would imagine that there is another player that wants to muscle their way in and get some of that downtown exposure that Chesapeake and Devon are enjoying right now. But with the drop in oil prices it might be hard to justify spending the millions required to put your name on a stadium while people are getting laid off. So that could make things more complicated because now you have to figure out if you want a new sponsor, do you wait for prices to rise again, do you try to get the city to help out, etc etc etc.

Like I said at the beginning, this is a giant leap of a guess and I will totally admit that I would be in love with having a soccer stadium in Bricktown. So take from this what you will, I'm just a guy who knows nothing!

I'm inclined to say "nah". But Steve did say it was a large entertainment related venue I _thought_, which would give credence to your suggestion. Nice idea. As good as anything else that has been speculated. But the parking. Good golly the parking on game nights where we have Thunder, Dodgers, and Energy at once, oy! Doesn't bother ME any as I live downtown and would just walk. But man Bricktown would be messed up. Although... by the time the whole thing could even happen (funding, plan, approval, construction, etc), Phase 1 of the streetcar might be online, so maybe folks are parking and riding elsewhere downtown... hmmm... interesting at least.

Great work d-usa. That is the one thing that has been mentioned that does work for all the hints that have been put out there. Just about every other guess has either contradicted one or more of Steve's hints or has been totally absurd. It is also within scope. Steve said that some people were getting their hopes far too high about this project. A soccer stadium would be a game changer for Bricktown yet it wouldn't be the second coming of Christ.

But man Bricktown would be messed up. Although... by the time the whole thing could even happen (funding, plan, approval, construction, etc), Phase 1 of the streetcar might be online, so maybe folks are parking and riding elsewhere downtown... hmmm... interesting at least.

Might be a good excuse for Hogan to build structured parking like he should have done from day one.

So you think just because the soccer stadiums in Dallas and KC aren't downtown that'll make them jealous? I doubt that.

So you think just because the soccer stadiums in Dallas and KC aren't downtown that'll make them jealous? I doubt that.

I honestly don't think there is anything OKC could realistically get that would make those cities jealous. Even Kansas City already has virtually everything anybody could wish for in OKC, let alone Dallas. For a long time I've thought that whatever this project is, the way it would make Dallas and KC jealous is that it would be in downtown OKC instead of the suburbs. This would fit that bill. As discussed in the Convention Center thread, having a wide array of entertainment options clustered together is a great asset for a city.

I'm an FC Dallas can and I think they did a great job on their stadium. But the one thing I hear over and over again, at games and online, is that a lot of folks hate that the stadium is in Frisco and that the stadium should have been build downtown. That's what made he rumor stand out for me and what guided me to the guess I made.

Parking would be rough. There is room for some parking, and I would imagine that fancy visitors paying for suites would get to park there. But other than that it would be rough for a few months, especially during playoff time for the Thunder! But other than that I think Bricktown could handle any two teams playing at once, especially a Energy/Dodgers combination.

But I also admit that as a soccer can I would love the stadium there and that could easily give me rose colored glasses.

^^^ Very well said. I think its not so much what we get compared to Dallas and KC but its location and its usefulness/something we don't have that makes it envious. The soccer statidum would be a great addition to brick town and if done right could really help grow the east Bricktown side. My idea lately has been an entertainment centered mixed use development. And while it would be nothing the other cities don't have, I think new is exciting and would add a completeness to Bricktown which in itself is something to be jealous of.
Like midtown I think Bricktown's most attractive quality is its attainable empty parcels. When completely full in lets say 25 years bricktown has the potential to be a modern french quater style area that people can associate with OKC. I least that's my vision but it will require lots of work and cohesive effort to fix lower bricktown.

I absolutely believe that a downtown soccer stadium would make Dallas and Kansas City jealous. I know a lot of soccer fans in both cities and many can not stand where their current venue is. In fact in Dallas' case their rivals call them FC Frisco.

Sportings' park is actually close to KCK city limits.

They already have great soccer stadiums. Not everything has to be downtown. If you think us getting a soccer stadium in Bricktown will make Dallas or KC jealous, then you can think that because I promise you, no one from either of those cities is going to be driving through OKC and thinking "man, I'm so jealous of this city because they have a soccer stadium downtown." I support building a soccer stadium downtown, but as far as that making other cities jealous, that is just funny to me.

Snip

Great, well thought post. I am not much of a soccer guy, but a very interesting idea. BTW: You can make measurements on Google Maps: https://support.google.com/maps/answer/1628031?hl=en That way you can check your scaling.

So you think just because the soccer stadiums in Dallas and KC aren't downtown that'll make them jealous? I doubt that.

The Redhawks stadium made Tulsa so jealous they had to move theirs a few miles down the road to put it in downtown. Moving stadiums to downtown areas has been a big push in many cities.

Especially if the stadium could be used for decent sized outdoor concerts, it would be amazing. I can't think of any large outside concert venues in those cities that are in nice/dense parts of town. And outdoor concerts are much better than indoor. It could be like the setup of the Sprint Center being so close to Power and Light district in KC, except outside.

The Redhawks stadium made Tulsa so jealous they had to move theirs a few miles down the road to put it in downtown. Moving stadiums to downtown areas has been a big push in many cities.

Charlotte had a perfectly good NBA arena in its suburbs but the powers that be wanted it downtown. It was a huge controversy because they put it to a vote, it failed, yet they built it anyways. They recently moved their minor league baseball stadium from the burbs to downtown just in the last couple of years. Downtown stadiums are a big deal to a lot of people.

Have the Funks said when they are wanting to get their own stadium and not be using Taft? I seriously doubt they are looking at a new stadium this quick after completing $1,000,000 of their own money in renovations to Taft.

Have the Funks said when they are wanting to get their own stadium and not be using Taft? I seriously doubt they are looking at a new stadium this quick after completing $1,000,000 of their own money in renovations to Taft.

Taft is nice, but in a weird location. No entertainment around, parking will be a nightmare, people might have an issue with going to evening games around May & NW 23rd, limited alcohol sales (not sure if that would be an issue, but it is a High School stadium), forced to work around school schedules. There could be reasons to try to move sooner than later.

In 2014 they mentioned 3-4 years while already doing construction on Taft, so let's say opening game in March for either 2017 or 2018.

Now it is 2015 and still sounds like stuff is in the planing stage for both the stadium with the 5 locations they were considering and/or the lot on California. So possible announcement sometime later this year, let's pretent Q3 2015. 6 more months to finish plans, get approval, other paperwork would put them in Q1 2016. One year to construct would put them Q1 2017 ready for opening game of the season in March. Even if there is a year in delays it would still put them within their original timeline.

I asked that in the Energy FC thread but no one ever answered. I remember reading somewhere 3 years.

I asked that in the Energy FC thread but no one ever answered. I remember reading somewhere 3 years.

The OKC Energy FC will use Taft Stadium as a two season gauge (2015-16). Look for the Funks-McLaughlin to partner with the city to get something on MAPS 4 - 2017.

Oklahoma City to Study Feasibility of Future MLS Stadium - Athletic Business (http://www.athleticbusiness.com/more-news/oklahoma-city-to-study-feasibility-of-future-mls-stadium.html)

You could see a 20,000-25,000 seat soccer specific/American football stadium constructed around 2019-20. Energy FC appears to be headed in that direction with their recent training center development proposed:

OKC Energy FC to Build Training Facility at Northeast Regional Health and Wellness Campus | Commercial Property Executive (http://www.cpexecutive.com/cities/tulsa-oklahoma-city/okc-energy-fc-to-build-training-facility-at-northeast-regional-health-and-wellness-campus/1004109641.html)

As far as Steve's comment about something that would make Kansas City & Dallas jealous; if it's more entertainment based than sports, your guess is as good as anybody's.


To be determined...