I think most here agree more housing for OU students should be built close to campus, even if it means tearing down existing substandard buildings. In addition to Campus Corner where dense lofts could work above retail/restaurant spaces and the east campus where dense townhomes could replace Bishops Landing apartments there is also the south campus. Not the south research park but south campus, where the dorms are and also Huston Huffman Center. It would be completed in phases.

Phase I - build new aquatics center onto northside of the Huffman Center with indoor competition pool, indoor lap pool, and indoor/outdoor recreation pool (this is actually in the planning stages). Add onto the weight training facility on the southwest side and create two nicer entrances into the center.

Phase II - tear down Cate Center along Lindsey and build new U-shaped student housing on either side of a continuation of the South Oval with landscaped gardens in the center. Have retail/restaurant space on the Lindsey side, Asp side, and Hoover side with on-street parking in front of the retail. Create parking areas for the residents underground.

Phase III - tear down existing Cate Cafeteria and Stubbeman Village. Build new larger dining facility at the Stubbeman Village location. The cafeteria site could be used for a new 12 story dorm tower, similar to the existing Walker and Couch towers, if the need arose for more first year student housing.

Phase IV - build a new multi-level parking garage on the lot just south of the Huffman Center, to mainly serve dorm residents

Phase V - tear down the existing Sooner Hotel on Timberdell and build a new Sooner Hotel at the apex of the South Oval continuation to 4th Street. This could also serve as a student services center.

Phase VI - tear down the OCCE and build new U-shaped student housing, similar to Phase II, with parking underground and lots of landscaped gardens.

Phase VII - tear down Cross Center and the existing swim complex and build new student townhomes with resident parking underground and visitor parking along the street.

Phase VIII - build more retail/restaurant space along Asp south of Lindsey to the entrance to Huffman. Build onto the College of Law so that a major architectural feature faces the gardens to the north and the Sooner Hotel.

An aerial with green being park/open space, the dark blue being new student housing, the red being the Huffman and College of Law expansions, the orange the new parking garage, the purple the new student townhomes, the yellow new streetfront retail, the light blue the new dining facility, and the pink the new Sooner Hotel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/bg918/southcampuscopy.jpg

Thoughts?

BG, I appreciate your thoughts but you have some fundamental problems. First, the two retail areas make no sense. The west side retail area cant be done because that property is owned by a private entity, not the university. The other retail would be a huge eyesore. Who would want a strip mall right on one of the main corners of campus. Not to mention, your not going to get a private business on campus property.

The biggest problem is your talking about spending tons of money tearing down buildings. I am all for it and think it would look quite a bit nicer, but lots of money.
I like the additions to the huffman and the parking garage. I even like the new aparments where the honors dorms are now. I dont really think campus owned townhomes is a very good idea, but i think more apartments like the traditions where couch center and the sooner hotel is would be huge investments that would be great.

Just a little aside about the planned aquatics center....

The University of Oklahoma Student Association (UOSA) has funded a study on the potential for a new state of the art aquatics center. The firm which is handling the study should be back within a month with an estimate on how much it would cost in addition to potential designs.

This is a pretty controversial issue even among the students at OU. The University of Missouri recently opened a $50 million aquatics center and that is comparable to several other universities thoughout the nation. Many within OU believe the likelihood of finding a donor is slim and most aren't willing to have another fee increase for a pool.

I think Phase I should be closing the south end of Memorial Stadium. Let's put 100K butts in the seats every Saturday. Boomer Sooner!

BG, I appreciate your thoughts but you have some fundamental problems. First, the two retail areas make no sense. The west side retail area cant be done because that property is owned by a private entity, not the university. The other retail would be a huge eyesore. Who would want a strip mall right on one of the main corners of campus. Not to mention, your not going to get a private business on campus property.

The biggest problem is your talking about spending tons of money tearing down buildings.

If you went to OU or were even familiar with OU you would know that some tearing of certain buildings down is really, really, really, what we could use.

Also, there are private businesses on college campuses all over the nation. I think when people automatically assume strip malls when the very thought of retail development is brought up, it shows their utmost ignorance. I don't know if you've seen this, but perhaps I should show you this:

New urbanism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_urbanism) Here's how this works:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/DSCN3187_prospectnewtown_e_600.jpg

In the middle of mature, developed neighborhoods, instead of ugly or suburban development, high-quality urban development is still attainable. The idea hinges on not infringing on the pedestrian climate and creating an aesthetic that is unique in its setting while seems to mesh with its surroundings, almost as if it belongs.

Get it now? I think what SXSW wants is to put some one-story shops probably clad in crimson brick with white wooden accents around the windows and the doorways, all along Asp. Sounds like a plan to me.

As far as private businesses on campus goes, the new stadium parking garage is not owned by the University, but a private business.

BG, I also think it would be cool to have more retail going down Lindsey taking up some of the current surface parking. It wouldn't interfere with the nice trees and the tailgating. It would create a nicer atmosphere for the tailgaiting, with the retail directly behind it. Also, it would serve as a screen between Lindsey and the surface lot.

Just a thought, but overall I think your plan looks great!

I would think OU would want to continue the architectural style of the original campus further south but add modern touches. For example this quad at Washington University would be a good model for the U-shaped housing on the south campus:
http://www.mackeymitchell.com/edu/edush/Rep/WUP3/p6.gif

However more glass and modern interiors would probably be added. Gaylord Hall sets a good precedence for how new OU buildings on the main campus should look, a mix of the traditional style with modern accents. As OU's enrollment increases the need for more first year student housing will increase. I think it's a good idea to have the students live in the dorm towers, it was a great experience for me. Building another tower would satisfy that demand. They are currently renovating the towers which is needed, but an exterior renovation would be nice as well. Some new windows would go a long way in making the exteriors look better. Make the new housing on Lindsey designated for honors and merit scholars (to take the place of Boren Hall) and give those students even more of an incentive to go to OU. The other housing areas south of 4th Street would simply be for upperclassmen that would prefer living on campus. I think all sophomores should also have to live either in University housing on campus (if there was enough housing) or in Greek houses, but that's just my opinion.

East campus planning ideas up next...