that vacant lot is just DYING for an Edge type of Apartment complex, retail bottom development. But I agree it is definitely looking better than ever in the district.

I wonder if folks should start to evangelize to Chicago, Dallas or other cities, maybe they might be interested in expanding some business opportunities to help liven up OKC's district?

These districts always evolve in steps over time, and this project is a big step forward and you can already see more investment being made in the area.

I would expect plenty more to follow.

That would be great! Long over do. I mean there's that empty lot that's a perfect location for development.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th122221a.jpg

Apologies if already posted, but when will there be some landscaping with this project?

The new car wash is now happening their grand opening.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th013022a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th013022b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th013022c.jpg

That car wash has been doing occasional free days with a sale attempt on their subscription model. I didn't sign up, but I did appreciate the free wash.

That car wash has been doing occasional free days with a sale attempt on their subscription model. I didn't sign up, but I did appreciate the free wash.

We signed up for one because the promotion was something crazy like $3 for 3 months unlimited. Just ran out recently. We still use them occasionally. Just as good as Okie Express IMO and cheaper.

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/oklahoma-city-queer-destination?fbclid=IwAR3jKxNCKvqHcdJyZXXXnATEQn8yp lAC5x09MmocmTHv2ke9zZo97IARwKY

Awesome! I need to frequent this area more. I can’t wait to see the new investments here that are to come.

I read that today. 39th street district has improved but more investment needed IMO. But glad to see steps taken to better the area!! Other areas of OKC are just as accepting of the LBGTQ peeps!

I saw a notice that 39th would be closed in sections this week for paving. they had finally framed the retaining wall in front of the boom last week and finished south side of street sidewalks in front of Stars and Phoenix.

I saw a notice that 39th would be closed in sections this week for paving. they had finally framed the retaining wall in front of the boom last week and finished south side of street sidewalks in front of Stars and Phoenix.

They excavated that area in front of the Boom months ago, and not surprisingly it started caving in (including a portion of the parking lot above) after sitting in that condition for an extended period.

Besides the paving of 39th and the retaining wall, the only other major components that remain are landscaping and lighting.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boom032722a.jpg

Retaining wall by boom is finished and street is paved. still needs center line and parking marked. they have began planting the trees down 39th. will look great once landscaping and street lights are installed. now if some of the property owners will spend some time and money on their buildings it would really help. The lights that use to be white round globes down the front of where apothecary is located and old wreck room were removed and super bright lights are in those fixtures. the bulbs were too large to fit inside the globes I believe and i even noticed Tape holding the new bulbs in. tacky!. hopefully they will put the globes and smaller bulbs back in when the street lights are up.

Glad to see the road is finally open both ways in this area. Honestly thought they would make it wider with a bike lane but i guess all of the new parking and larger sidewalks are worth the tradeoff. Have not been to any of the bars since the pandemic but hopefully we go and visit them again soon.

pics anyone :)

Took these yesterday (Sunday).

Some trees are starting to go in. Still left are the streetlights, most of the landscaping and some small things like benches.

Last photo is from today of them finishing up in front of The Boom.

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Is this going to "back-in" angled parking off the street? Hard to tell from photos if there is any paint.

Yes. I was told this is why there couldn't be bike lanes.

I'm pleased to see that they didn't lock in the back-in parking design by forcing it with how the curbs are shaped. That needs to be open for change if it ends up being a mild disaster.

This looks great. Streetscape investments by cities seem to get some of the most bang for a buck. Lets hope we see some private investment follow quickly like we did elsewhere such as the Plaza District.

Yes. I was told this is why there couldn't be bike lanes.

I thought one of the main benefits of back-in parking is that it made the street safer for bicycles?

This looks great. Streetscape investments by cities seem to get some of the most bang for a buck. Lets hope we see some private investment follow quickly like we did elsewhere such as the Plaza District.

I agree this is a huge start that hopefully will garner private investment from the community. I'd LOVE to see the city allow rainbow crosswalks and possibly flagposts to further cement the identify of the district.

I thought one of the main benefits of back-in parking is that it made the street safer for bicycles?

Correct, but a) I don't personally trust OKC drivers to see me while trying to figure out reverse angled parking and b) You know as well as I do it will eventually be converted back to conventional angled parking when enough people scream about it c) I probably won't travel down this street during any busy times regardless (I've been using 38th anyway)

some people have already started backing into spots. I am one of them. As narrow as the street is it is much easier to back in and pull straight out than back out into the narrow street. I hope they keep it back in parking.
They had very small flags on the old street lights but nobody noticed because they were poorly done and too small so lets hope some better ones return. One problem with the district association of businesses on 39th is that a number of the businesses do not want the district to be considered "GAY" . that is why its named 39th street district and not anything inherently GAY associated. which is odd since everyone knows that this is where the LGBT+ community and bars are.

I wish I knew which establishments you're referring to so I don't give them any business.

some people have already started backing into spots. I am one of them. As narrow as the street is it is much easier to back in and pull straight out than back out into the narrow street. I hope they keep it back in parking.
They had very small flags on the old street lights but nobody noticed because they were poorly done and too small so lets hope some better ones return. One problem with the district association of businesses on 39th is that a number of the businesses do not want the district to be considered "GAY" . that is why its named 39th street district and not anything inherently GAY associated. which is odd since everyone knows that this is where the LGBT+ community and bars are.

Most gayborhoods don't have Gay in their name; Vancouver's Davie Village, Seattle's Capital Hill, SF Castro, Chicago's Boystown, DC Dupont Circle, OKC's 39th Street. You'd never know unless you visited those districts or were in the know. I think OKC businesses don't want to limit their customer base but I think they should be proud of who they are and really create a district that the city can be proud of instead of always hiding.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th041222a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th041222b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/39th041222c.jpg

Most gayborhoods don't have Gay in their name; Vancouver's Davie Village, Seattle's Capital Hill, SF Castro, Chicago's Boystown, DC Dupont Circle, OKC's 39th Street. You'd never know unless you visited those districts or were in the know. I think OKC businesses don't want to limit their customer base but I think they should be proud of who they are and really create a district that the city can be proud of instead of always hiding. I

I completely agree that the districts aren't named as such. I should have been more specific. some of the businesses are limited in what they want the identity to be. when they purchased the old banners for the light poles for example they didn't want them to be rainbow. they finally agreed they could have a colored stripe at the end of each banner and each banner could have a different color but not be a blazen Rainbow flag. But that was several years ago. .hopefully with the new investment in the area they will be more tolerant of the neighborhood they are within.

some people have already started backing into spots. I am one of them. As narrow as the street is it is much easier to back in and pull straight out than back out into the narrow street. I hope they keep it back in parking.

If the experience holds from my town, something like 50% of the people will actually back-in to spots. You lose a lot of the benefits when it's not used properly or enforced. In my town, they tried enforcing it for maybe 6 months and now it's just 50/50 in using it as intended.

If the experience holds from my town, something like 50% of the people will actually back-in to spots. You lose a lot of the benefits when it's not used properly or enforced. In my town, they tried enforcing it for maybe 6 months and now it's just 50/50 in using it as intended.

The back-in spots along University Dr by UCO in Edmond are used incorrectly approximately 99% of the time. It's why I have been so doubtful that the ones on 39th are going to work out any differently after watching the failures on a vaguely similar street for years.

The street is now so narrow through this area, people are going to be driving pretty slowly making it easier for cars to back out of spaces.

I

I completely agree that the districts aren't named as such. I should have been more specific. some of the businesses are limited in what they want the identity to be. when they purchased the old banners for the light poles for example they didn't want them to be rainbow. they finally agreed they could have a colored stripe at the end of each banner and each banner could have a different color but not be a blazen Rainbow flag. But that was several years ago. .hopefully with the new investment in the area they will be more tolerant of the neighborhood they are within.

fully agreed. there shouldn't be any issue with rainbows or other LGBT icons in this district. ...

The Narrow streets will make it easier for pedestrians to cross as well.

They have put Parking stops on the south side across from phoenix and they are not angled at all. so perhaps they are just leaving as is.. or just haven't done final placement and have not striped it. I did see more sod down however.

https://youtu.be/iXjIvSI8jzE

A ride-through on Friday

I noticed driving through yesterday they have marked the street to be ready to stripe and put down the crosswalks.. there are so many crosswalks now it is nice to see. ALso noticed in the lanes they had spray paint marking the direction and "Bike" listed on each side. so assuming they are going to mark them as Shared bike lanes? we shall see.. all the sod and decorative grasses down and trees budding looks nice. Looks like Phoenix power washed front of that building and preparing to paint. hoping to see more improvements and anxious to see the light poles up.,

I'm sure it will be sharrowed

I'm sure it will be sharrowed

Sharrows are great for providing drivers practice running over cyclists. So, not great at all.

https://twitter.com/shawn_dubs/status/1522393728283037699

They are definitely indicators of future sharrows.

These are from today (Wednesday). The exposure on my drone is messed up which is why the images look weird.

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Have ridden through several times. Parking lines not yet painted but all the parking blocks have been straight thus far (vs angled).

This is a great example of road that is still built primarily for cars and nothing else. They have either eliminated parking entirely or installed parallel parking and protected bike lanes. Not a fan of this at all.

^

The only good thing I can say is that the road is now so narrow that people drive very slowly, making riding a bike a bit easier.

And of course, there are now wide sidewalks which are set way back from moving traffic. I've walked through here several times (I live nearby) and it's way, way easier than before.


More could have been done, but all this represents a substantial improvement.

Maybe now more daytime commerce will come in like a coffee shop and a sandwich/burger spot. Vintage clothing stores always do well in areas like this in other cities. But this is a good first step in a much-needed, long overdue revitalization!

Good news is it wouldn’t take much to come back in at some point down the road and install bike lanes. As you said at least this will calm the traffic. If at some point a parking garage can be built the parking can be removed and converted into bike lanes and patio space or parklets.

I was at an event recently in which James Cooper shared some deep frustrations with this project and laid a lot of the blame squarely on the business owners in the district for being so resistant to change and for viewing this as a bar-only district, thus resulting in a less bike friendly design, among other things. He didn’t get into details, but it was clear he was very frustrated with them.

I was at an event recently in which James Cooper shared some deep frustrations with this project and laid a lot of the blame squarely on the business owners in the district for being so resistant to change and for viewing this as a bar-only district, thus resulting in a less bike friendly design, among other things. He didn’t get into details, but it was clear he was very frustrated with them.

Some of the business owners there have strangled that district's progress for generations. Now, the city is investing in the area. Hopefully this will be a seed for change. The backbiting and recriminations and outright viciousness among some people in the community, however, are frustrating and self-defeating.

Also, certain folks have attained some power and status and they will resort to very unsavory things to throw their weight around and hold onto whatever assumed power they have. Witness the recent schism between the Pride groups as an example.

I keep hearing things like this. Just awful. 39th St. could be a vibrant fun place for locals and tourist. Honestly i can't remember the last time I spent any money there. I need to win the lottery so I could invest in that area. frustrating!!

Some of the business owners there have strangled that district's progress for generations. Now, the city is investing in the area. Hopefully this will be a seed for change. The backbiting and recriminations and outright viciousness among some people in the community, however, are frustrating and self-defeating.

Also, certain folks have attained some power and status and they will resort to very unsavory things to throw their weight around and hold onto whatever assumed power they have. Witness the recent schism between the Pride groups as an example.
I'm not real happy with the two Pride weekend situation. Seems like a well organized, harmonious event is better, just my opinion. Having the traditional 39th St celebration is what I'd like to see. I also get having the Scissortail Park option, which gives some identity outside of the gayborhood. A lot of resources go into having two separate entities. Why can't we all just get along??

I was at an event recently in which James Cooper shared some deep frustrations with this project and laid a lot of the blame squarely on the business owners in the district for being so resistant to change and for viewing this as a bar-only district, thus resulting in a less bike friendly design, among other things. He didn’t get into details, but it was clear he was very frustrated with them.
I always love the fact how council members whine and complain about drunk drivers but then turnaround and support parking minimums all but ensuring bars will have plenty of parking spaces for their patrons.

^
The only good thing I can say is that the road is now so narrow that people drive very slowly, making riding a bike a bit easier.


Having biked through it multiple times now and being passed by cars not going all that slowly (guessing they feel like they need to get around you quickly in case cars come from the opposite direction), I have to disagree so far based on experience.

I always love the fact how council members whine and complain about drunk drivers but then turnaround and support parking minimums all but ensuring bars will have plenty of parking spaces for their patrons.

I don’t get the relevance of your comment. Did James Cooper advocate for parking minimums?

I don’t get the relevance of your comment. Did James Cooper advocate for parking minimums?
I’m not referring to any one person just pointing out the irony of wanting to keep this district a bar district and that’s achieved by retaining as much parking as possible. . . for patrons to drive there and drink.

as a Gay man now in my 50's it does my heart good to see ANY investment in this area. could things be done a bit better? of course but it is far and away 100x better than its ever been. I do hope it spurs some investment in the area and we see it thrive. I know there is a lot of tension between cooper and owners in the district and i don't think all the blame lies with the business owners. I would say some of that falls in his lap as well.

I would also like to see a unified Pride event but again both sides have done their fare share of creating that divide. Cooper also has participated in choosing sides in that as well.

i look forward to see more progress in the area and thanks for the pics Pete!

I was down in that area today getting my car washed and man it looks amazing in person! Just begging for development! Is there any push for development in that area? I guess not if there's no real estate for sale.

I was down in that area today getting my car washed and man it looks amazing in person! Just begging for development! Is there any push for development in that area? I guess not if there's no real estate for sale.

There is a new bar that should be opening soon. There are new apartments almost ready to open just to the south on Penn. The District Hotel has been substantially renovated.

There are still some empty lots and some auto-service places and a few other businesses that are pretty run down. All those properties are ripe for new development.

I’m not referring to any one person just pointing out the irony of wanting to keep this district a bar district and that’s achieved by retaining as much parking as possible. . . for patrons to drive there and drink.

If you read the comment closer, you will note that the councilman was not whining for parking minimums, he was sharing frustration about business owners being unwilling to broaden the identity of the district beyond that of a bar district.

If you read the comment closer, you will note that the councilman was not whining for parking minimums, he was sharing frustration about business owners being unwilling to broaden the identity of the district beyond that of a bar district.
Yes I’m well aware of his stance. I was speaking in general about the irony of parking minimums for bars.