Um, wut?

https://twitter.com/noma_district


I thought we decided we'd reached the "district" quota...

Seems forced.

Hey, I'm in favor of volunteers taking interest to care for, improve and promote any area in the city--it can only be a good thing to have people involved in making an area better! It takes a lot of work and time and if people are willing to do that in the name of civic improvement, I don't care how many districts we have. There's no quota on enhancement and advancement!

Ah, what about Historic SODOSOPA?

Ah, what about Historic SODOSOPA?

Ha, glad someone beat me to it.

"Welcome to historic SODOSOPA!"

I'm just happy that I have the opportunity to live and enjoy the OCNQSNQENQDC District.

(Oklahoma City North of Quail Springs, Not Quite Edmond and Not Quite Deer Creek)

I agree with Celebrator here, but the jokes are still funny

Yeah, the acronyms could very well get out of control though, you're right. LOL

Hey, I'm in favor of volunteers taking interest to care for, improve and promote any area in the city--it can only be a good thing to have people involved in making an area better! It takes a lot of work and time and if people are willing to do that in the name of civic improvement, I don't care how many districts we have. There's no quota on enhancement and advancement!

Right and it helps break down the sprawling metropolis into more identifiable pieces.

Usually, a district name represents a group of people and businesses coming together to make that area better and to promote their efforts.

And, there is often placemaking and events associated which we need more of in this town.

I just don't understand what is in "NOMA" that is worth visiting? Northpark Mall?

Well, if they extended this district down to Britton (which I doubt they will since that's definitely more Village territory) you could include The Garage, The Ranch, Uptown, Luby's and a few other cool places. And right on the fringe of being in this district you've got Sun and Ski Sports, Papa Dio's, and Soccer USA which is a pretty cool soccer store.

Even just within the district boundaries, you've got Northpark Mall and all of its amenities (their car show thing on whatever Saturday gets PACKED) and Northpark has been bringing in a ton of Food Trucks recently, you've got Quail Creek Bank, soon to open Hopscotch, Pink Parrot(which is always packed), the shopping center with Laser Quest right at Hefner, Chelinos (I know it's not super unique, but people love it) and there are some really cool unique townhome communities.

Kind of lame, but hell, if it makes you feel as though your neck of the woods is hip; by all means...

Kind of lame, but hell, if it makes you feel as though your neck of the woods is hip; by all means...

Just think about what's good for the city. And it's not about being hip, it's about community partnerships, economic development, and both financial and emotional commitment to a place. If people were doing nothing we would be complaining about that, so just be supportive of their efforts. If there's nothing there for you, don't go, but to just call it out as "lame" is, well, lame. Just no reason to bash this effort.

I just don't understand what is in "NOMA" that is worth visiting? Northpark Mall?

No, that would be NOPAMA.

I just don't understand what is in "NOMA" that is worth visiting? Northpark Mall?

Maybe that's the point of it?

To bring people to the Mall?

I have no issue with the area and fully understand why people live there. But this seems a little silly and a little bit like co-opting the idea of walkable districts in the core without really offering the same experience. It feels like a gimmick, more or less.

I have no issue with the area and fully understand why people live there. But this seems a little silly and a little bit like co-opting the idea of walkable districts in the core without really offering the same experience. It feels like a gimmick, more or less.
I don't think either location in the core nor walkability determines if you can define yourself as a district. No, you want probably attract people for the same type of experience but it's not about being like a district in the core. It's about gathering together stakeholders in a defined area to bring resources together for improvement--economic, aesthetic, social, etc. The point is to strengthen an area based on building relationships between business owners and residents that prove useful in driving improvement. Branding an area has the effect of developing identity, defining a mission, and instilling pride. All of which lead to good things. NOMA can't compete with, say, SOSA, but it's not trying to in the same way. It's more for the people in NOMA than it is for those of use who don't reside or work there. Putting one of these together works! I know I've been apart of developing one in the neighborhood I work in and it has done nothing but good things for our district--even if you don't think we should call ourselves one.

To bring people to the Mall?

I think bradh might have been saying the point is there is currently nothing there worth visiting and this effort to rebrand the area as "NOMA" is to try to attract businesses and attractions to the area.

I will say, I'm excited for Hopscotch to finally open whenever that may be.

Am I the only one that gets sick and tired of hearing so many people trash any place that is outside of the core, or in one of the "hip" districts? It starts to become really douchey sounding. All these new districts that have popped up over the past 5-10 years, I think are great. But trying to diminish every other part of town, because they are trying to maintain relevance, is annoying af. By no means do I hang out at Northpark mall, but if I happen to be near the area and they had a festival going on, I would stop by and check it out. I'm not gonna stop and check it out because all the "cool" hipsters are there; I'll check it out because it seems like it's happening at that moment and there might be some possible good eating options with the food trucks there. Just because you can't walk to every single business along May Ave easily, doesn't mean the place just completely sucks. Just means that it's not a easily walkable part of town. Also, regarding Uptown, i don't feel that many people are walking from Guernsey park to Pump Bar on a regular basis. Also, if you want to compare dining options, you can probably name any cuisine in the core that you enjoy eating at and I'll name a place that's outside the core that is better than it.

Don't get me wrong, I love what is happening in OKC and seeing all these revitalized areas of town. This has been my home for over 30 years, and I have a deeper connection to many of the "hip" districts before they became the place to go. It just gets old seeing all these elitists acting like their neighborhood is better than everybody else's. Makes me not want to frequent those areas, which is unfortunate, because I love just everything about our city.

Did anyone say that outside the core was bad? I said naming this "district" NOMA is silly. This isn't a district at all. There is a mall at 122nd and May and a strip mall at Hefner and May. That's it. I just said the other day that I wanted to try Camilya's that is in that strip mall. I have nothing against the area. I just feel like it is a gimmick to try to label this area as a district. And I could personally care less if anyone on this online forum thinks I sound douchey.

Promise I wasn't referring directly to you; I usually go through and just read comments without looking at names and that is the sentiment that I get from this board in general. No one, that I have seen, has said directly, "outside the core is bad." But just the attitude toward everything outside the core or suburban, comes off extremely douchey. I rarely post on here but I've been reading off and on for several years, because I love learning about all the new great things happening in the city. And I seem to always hear things like "don't Edmond my downtown" or hear people belittling suburbanites. A lot of times, I will see a new restaurant opening, and so many times someone will chime in and say, it's not a good location and they should've put it in "xyz district." I don't have specific quotes or instances that I can reference back to, but there's no denying that it has happened on many occasions.

And then this thread pops up, and people are ripping them for trying to create an identity. For all we know, some of these businesses have been struggling for years, and are needing of this PR boost. There's no doubt that with all then new districts thriving, other parts of town have to be suffering at least as little. But because it's not in a "cool" area that rich developers are gentrifying, there's no reason to visit NOMA. And like you, I don't care what people on an online forum think of me either. I don't know anyone on here, and no one knows me. But since it's a place for discussion/opinions, I thought I'd chime in and give my take.

And yes, Camilya's is really good. I recommend them for solid Mediterranean food

I personally really like this part of town a lot. I used to live there, I'm a regular these days at Coffee and Cars at Northpark, I love Rococo, and - though I personally prefer urban living these days - I'd say I like the "feel" and housing stock here about as much as any part of town that's not downtown/inner OKC. I just don't think it is a "district." The word implies something that this is not. It's Quail Creek/Northpark to me and always will be.

I AM glad to know they are banding together to promote the neighborhood. I think it is one of the best hopes for avoiding the type of slump that happens in the suburbs when a new, fancier place is built a mile or two or five down the road. It has maintained solid staying power for decades.

And yes, Camilya's is really good. I recommend them for solid Mediterranean food
Soonermike is 100% correct on all points here (including Camilya's)!

Did anyone say that outside the core was bad? I said naming this "district" NOMA is silly. This isn't a district at all. There is a mall at 122nd and May and a strip mall at Hefner and May. That's it. I just said the other day that I wanted to try Camilya's that is in that strip mall. I have nothing against the area. I just feel like it is a gimmick to try to label this area as a district. And I could personally care less if anyone on this online forum thinks I sound douchey.

This is not snarky, just want to be sure about my tone here. AP and Urbanized, how do you define a district? What elements must an area have to become a district and take on a brand name? I think it is an interesting question to pose to all here, but I ask you first since you seem to have something in mind as a set of qualifications to be a district.

Well, if they extended this district down to Britton (which I doubt they will since that's definitely more Village territory) you could include The Garage, The Ranch, Uptown, Luby's and a few other cool places. And right on the fringe of being in this district you've got Sun and Ski Sports, Papa Dio's, and Soccer USA which is a pretty cool soccer store.

Even just within the district boundaries, you've got Northpark Mall and all of its amenities (their car show thing on whatever Saturday gets PACKED) and Northpark has been bringing in a ton of Food Trucks recently, you've got Quail Creek Bank, soon to open Hopscotch, Pink Parrot(which is always packed), the shopping center with Laser Quest right at Hefner, Chelinos (I know it's not super unique, but people love it) and there are some really cool unique townhome communities.

I've always felt that Luby's fell well within the "not cool" category, but I could be wrong.

I've always felt that Luby's fell well within the "not cool" category, but I could be wrong.

Lol, I agree that Luby's is probably in the "not cool" category. But not gonna lie, I'll frequent there every once in a while for nostalgic reasons. I have a soft spot in my heart for square fish

Also, if you want to compare dining options, you can probably name any cuisine in the core that you enjoy eating at and I'll name a place that's outside the core that is better than it.



Agree with you on all counts except this one. The area inside the Grand Boulevard loop easily has the highest concentration of great restaurants and retail and, in my opinion, contains the best food in almost every category of cuisine. Suburbia is just too homogenized to compete with urban OKC in any meaningful way.

Someone in here mentioned Chelino's for NOMA, and while that's fine Tex-Mex, does anyone really think it holds a candle to the actual Mexican food down on Commerce, or any of the taco joints/trucks littering the rest of the core? Or that the Asian food on Memorial is nearly as delicious or authentic as that found in the Asian District?

Even when the 'burbs do a great job, the core has three of S&B's, Bunny's, Irma's for every Garage. Not to mention Nic's, which is far and away the best burger in the metro.

Anyway what I responded to has no bearing on the validity of the overall point you were making (with which I completely agree), just felt compelled to point out that in my opinion it's simply not true.

My brother recently bought in Benttree in this area and has told me he is pleasantly surprised at how much is in that area that he can walk to.

...AP and Urbanized, how do you define a district? What elements must an area have to become a district and take on a brand name? I think it is an interesting question to pose to all here, but I ask you first since you seem to have something in mind as a set of qualifications to be a district.

Well, first there should be a reasonably evident edge (boundary) and center. The area should have generally and largely been formed for a common purpose (OTHER than simply "commerce"). Examples of this would be Stockyards City or Film Row or Bricktown or Automobile Alley, but of course others exist. There usually would be intact building stock and fabric that shows some consistency in architectural style and purpose. Bonus points for mixed use, but they can of course exist as a single-purpose district like an entertainment district or a fashion district or a design district.

You should also generally be able to arrive via whatever transport you utilize and then walk between most of the uses in a district, all in the same visit. And I don't mean walking around a shopping mall, and then driving to another shopping center. Those are of course malls/shopping centers; not districts.

Districts can certainly exist in the suburbs, but usually they exist where an older urban area has been swallowed. So places like Plaza work, but so would places like Britton or downtown Bethany or downtown Edmond or downtown Norman. That said, Capitol Hill, Bethany and Edmond and downtown Norman are the ONLY districts in a more top-level hierarchy; the downtown (or central business district). You wouldn't usually refer to those places as districts because they are the whole of a downtown. Districts are usually a subset of a larger place. If you're talking Norman, you would have downtown Norman, but Campus Corner would easily qualify as a "district."

The closest thing we might have to purpose-built suburban districts in the future would be something like Wheeler or Chisholm Creek. Defined boundaries, obvious center, walkable to multiple uses and destinations in one visit.

People are getting too offended, defensive and bent out of shape over the dismissal of this area as a "district." It is not a criticism; just an observation. It is not to say that this area is in any way bad or less valid. It is just not a district. The nomenclature is wrong and misapplied in an attempt to latch onto a currently popular buzzword/concept. I would be just as dismissive if someone were to refer to Bricktown or Automobile Alley as "shopping centers" or Plaza District as the 16th Street Boulevard. Wrong terminology is just wrong terminology; nothing else. Don't read too much into it.

People are getting too offended, defensive and bent out of shape over the dismissal of this area as a "district." It is not a criticism; just an observation. It is not to say that this area is in any way bad or less valid. It is just not a district. The nomenclature is wrong and misapplied in an attempt to latch onto a currently popular buzzword/concept. I would be just as dismissive if someone were to refer to Bricktown or Automobile Alley as "shopping centers" or Plaza District as the 16th Street Boulevard. Wrong terminology is just wrong terminology; nothing else. Don't read too much into it.

I would agree with everything Urbanized said in this post. The section I've quoted above was what I was originally trying to convey and Chad has done it much more eloquently than I did.

Agreed with Urbanized. While it may have seemed such, my initial post was not intended to offend the businesses, residents, or patrons of the NOMA area, it just didn't fit what I notioned a district might look like, which is very much in line with Urbanized's view, and has been said, this current effort seemed forced. More power to them and all. I just know that if I use the term NOMA in any context other than among OKC-talkers, I'm going to get dead stares in return.

Well, first there should be a reasonably evident edge (boundary) and center. The area should have generally and largely been formed for a common purpose (OTHER than simply "commerce"). Examples of this would be Stockyards City or Film Row or Bricktown or Automobile Alley, but of course others exist. There usually would be intact building stock and fabric that shows some consistency in architectural style and purpose. Bonus points for mixed use, but they can of course exist as a single-purpose district like an entertainment district or a fashion district or a design district.

You should also generally be able to arrive via whatever transport you utilize and then walk between most of the uses in a district, all in the same visit. And I don't mean walking around a shopping mall, and then driving to another shopping center. Those are of course malls/shopping centers; not districts.

Districts can certainly exist in the suburbs, but usually they exist where an older urban area has been swallowed. So places like Plaza work, but so would places like Britton or downtown Bethany or downtown Edmond or downtown Norman. That said, Capitol Hill, Bethany and Edmond and downtown Norman are the ONLY districts in a more top-level hierarchy; the downtown (or central business district). You wouldn't usually refer to those places as districts because they are the whole of a downtown. Districts are usually a subset of a larger place. If you're talking Norman, you would have downtown Norman, but Campus Corner would easily qualify as a "district."

The closest thing we might have to purpose-built suburban districts in the future would be something like Wheeler or Chisholm Creek. Defined boundaries, obvious center, walkable to multiple uses and destinations in one visit.

People are getting too offended, defensive and bent out of shape over the dismissal of this area as a "district." It is not a criticism; just an observation. It is not to say that this area is in any way bad or less valid. It is just not a district. The nomenclature is wrong and misapplied in an attempt to latch onto a currently popular buzzword/concept. I would be just as dismissive if someone were to refer to Bricktown or Automobile Alley as "shopping centers" or Plaza District as the 16th Street Boulevard. Wrong terminology is just wrong terminology; nothing else. Don't read too much into it.

Thank you for the explanation, I really can see a lot of your points. I may not agree with all of them, but thank you for taking the time to articulate them. That post took a long time to prepare--thanks.

Kind of curious what falls in these boundaries myself. As a business owner on North May that sees over a thousand people a day, i havent had anyone ask about joining any "district". Looking at the twitter account it seems it should just be called the Northpark mall district.

NOMA could quickly shape into something pretty cool if a couple of areas were redeveloped. Basically, if you were to buy everything in the May/122nd/Ind.Crk.Blvd tear the majority of it down and develop a dense, walkable mixed use development (especially towards increasing office space) that would go a long way to promoting development on the parking spots @Northpark. Then it's making the two areas more pedestrian friendly, and all of the sudden you have a mini-district with a strong center as Urbanized pointed out and from there, the rest of the area can start to find ways to feed into that energy.

NOMA? NOMAAAAAA!!!

0:40: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/boston-teens/n11705

One issue my brother discovered that he did not like, after moving into this area, is that there is absolutely no bus service here. The lack of sidewalks is another issue.

Why can't they get a decent store of some kind to go in the old Homeland building? Looks like this could be prime property if done right.