Asian District

[metro]

Well I noticed about two weeks ago ground finally broke for Sun Moon Plaza in the Asian District. Several concrete form walls have already gone up. I'll try and take some pics soon. For more information read this old thread and here is a pic as well.

http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-are...updates-2.html

[Doug Loudenback]

I noticed this also but took no pics as they seem to be moving at a snail's pace. Maybe it will pick up soon.

[metro]

The couple days I saw them out there, they were working pretty fast and put walls up overnight. Pretty large crew from what I've seen. I guess time will tell, hopefully Laredo's construction crew is not working on this project.

[wsucougz]

This thing is garbage.

[Doug Loudenback]

This thing is garbage.

Why do you say that? The plan, at least, looks pretty good. But you may have other info ...

[metro]

This thing is garbage.

yeah, why do you say that, and it's way better than what was there before, and it is at least adding more to the "Asian look" of the district. I'd much rather see that than Rent-A-Center or a Taco Mayo.

[wsucougz]

It's a tilt-up strip mall with a pagoda.

[Doug Loudenback]

It's a tilt-up strip mall with a pagoda.

Sooo ... what? BTW, it looks like the Rent-A-Center is not going to be included ... at least I've not seen any signs of destruction of that facility.

[metro]

Yeah, that was my observation too Doug, unfortunately.

[metro]

Seems to be coming along now. I am afraid it is probably going to look like a very cheap strip mall. They modified the design quite a bit from what I can tell and they attached the Asian Pagoda thingy to the SE corner of the building instead of having it free standing in the middle of the shopping center.

Steve, do you have any inside scoop on this one yet?

[Platemaker]

There was poster/sign in front of what I thought was going to be Sun Moon Plaza along 23rd and Western with two views of the photo above... then the same sign was moved to the strip mall being built at Classen and 26th. Now that sign is missing from Classen and 26th (Maybe because it's open now?) So I wonder if there will be two similar projects?

[earlywinegareth]

It's in the northside, so by definition it's world-class, right?

[okclee]

WOW, If only Okc Urban Renewal could get their hands on that.

Just think of the possiblities, Plazas, Parks, Pastures, Parking Lots....etc.

[Rover]

If we could only get a hold of their 1.3 BILLION people there wouldn't be any room for parks and plazas.

I've traveled and done business in China. I hope people here don't want to use their Communist planned cities as urbanization examples. Outside of some areas architecture and city planning is definitely not exciting.

[mheaton76]

I've traveled and done business in China. I hope people here don't want to use their Communist planned cities as urbanization examples.

Yes, they love their empty plazas ... look at how lively Olympic plaza is in Beijing these days ... this pic is less than a year old.



But ... I see another one in our future too, maybe not with the Sun Moon Plaza per se, just sayin':

[soonerguru]

Hey, don't pick on SandRidge. They did put the cheap-looking, cheesy Thunder banner atop their building, so everything's cool.

[rcjunkie]

You can please some of the people, some of the time---but you can't please all of the people, all of the time.

[Spartan]

And then you can also piss mostly everyone off and show zero regard for what everyone generally wants for downtown..

[Spartan]

Except nobody has called it Little Saigon since 1990.

[okclee]

Nice article about the Okc Asian District.

http://www.okc.biz/article/11-24-201...olling_on.aspx

Asian District improvements, renovations just keep rolling on
Pamela A. Grady
11.24.2010

During the past two decades, Oklahoma City’s Asian District, which stretches along Classen Boulevard between NW 23 and NW 30 streets, has undergone numerous transformations.

Many buildings in the area have changed ownership time and time again as residents and business owners continue to invest in the community. Some structures have undergone major renovations, while other dilapidated buildings have been torn down, with new buildings constructed in their place...........read more...........

[Spartan]

Glorifying the good and the bad. The bad being that a lot of the development in the Asian District has been pretty emblematic of a city that doesn't encourage dense, cool development.

[soonerfan_in_okc]

hopefully the district continues to thrive in the future. W/O any major asian immigrations on the horizon, the strength of the community will depend on the kids of these people deciding to live and interact in the area, and not take their talents elsewhere.

[okclee]

Not to completely disregard how far this district has come, but the city has put millions into cleaning up this area and in return has only seen a few "asian style" strip malls for new development. With future demolition for another strip mall coming soon, 30th and Classen.

It's seems like another example of how this city as a whole keeps missing the mark. After reading the Okc Asian District Plan, http://www.okc.gov/planning/document...ict%20plan.pdf , written in Oct 2005, the plan looks very good but once again the execution is average.

It seems like Okc.gov held up to it's end of the plan, but private developers haven't completely lived up to theirs, and are constantly trying to degrade their new developments, with only a few exceptions.

My question is, Why does this happen regularly? Or does Okc need to face the facts.

[krisb]

Developers don't like the city trying to tell them what to do or how to build, even though city planners likely have the community's best interest in mind.

[Spartan]

Developers don't like the city trying to tell them what to do or how to build, even though city planners likely have the community's best interest in mind.

How could that be, when surely city planners trying to tell developers what to do are part of the Obama-Pelosi-UN cartel? It's all a big conspiracy out to get us.

I don't want to say the Asian District is a joke, because the city has done a really good job with the streetscape, and there are a few really good developments. The Super Cao Nguyen Market thing is pretty awesome. There are other good things. I think Sun Moon Plaza will eventually be a +, even though the building materials certainly seem pretty shoddy, but that's almost too much to ask for.

In other cases you almost cringe to see another development happen in there. This isn't supposed to be a recreation of Houston's Little Saigon area, which is waaaay out in the burbs. This is 3 miles from downtown, about as inner city as it gets. This was an opportunity given to them. The city didn't have to do that streetscape. OKC rarely does, it must have taken a lot to compel them to invest in Classen.

It's the only nice part of Classen (streetscape-wise) and it has the worst development of anywhere along Classen.