OKC Chamber report

[metro]

Chamber officials optimistic for new year

By Paul Monies
The Oklahoman

Supporting Tinker Air Force Base, downtown housing and continued development of the Oklahoma River top the list of priorities for Oklahoma City economic developers in 2005.
Officials at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce are hopeful about the number of projects in the pipeline. The chamber's economic development division said it helped with 38 locations and expansions that directly added more than 2,800 jobs to the area in 2004 -- double the activity from 2003.

Dell's new customer and sales center was by far the biggest of those projects. Helped by $17.25 million in incentives, the PC giant chose the Oklahoma River for an Oklahoma City campus that could employ up to 3,000 people.

"We're cautiously optimistic about the deal flow and our ability to land some of those deals out there," said Roy Williams, the chamber's president and chief executive officer. "If the national economy stays in a growth mode, we think 2005 is going to be a pretty good year."

The Defense Department's Base Realignment and Closure Commission will release its recommendations in May, making support of Tinker Air Force Base and its 26,000 employees a top priority in the first part of 2005, Williams said.

"We're making sure Tinker is unaffected by it and trying to grow the Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Technology Center out there, so that will be front and center on our radar screen," Williams said.

Dell has given a boost to development hopes near the newly renamed Oklahoma River, said Pat Downes, development director for the Riverfront Redevelopment Authority. Development on the seven-mile stretch of river will be anchored by the American Indian Cultural Center in the east and the Meridian Avenue hotel and airport corridor in the west, he said. Both Dell and the Chesapeake Energy Boathouse have spurred interest from developers.

"The developments being discussed range from residential to commercial to institutional," Downes said. "Frankly, I anticipated it might be five to seven years before a project of the magnitude of Dell could be attracted to the waterfront. The fact that we were able to accommodate that before even the public dedication of the river improvements was astonishing."

Dave Lopez, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., said housing will be a big part of downtown development in 2005. The Montgomery apartments at 500 W Main have opened and Legacy Summit at Arts Central, a 300-unit project, is expected to break ground in 2005.

Meanwhile, redevelopment proposals of "The Hill" north of Deep Deuce are being evaluated by the Urban Renewal Authority. Three developers will pitch their plans to build condos, lofts or townhouses to the authority in January, said JoeVan Bullard, the authority's director.

"The trajectory is so positive and I don't think we've seen a plateau in the interest for downtown from a development standpoint," said Downtown OKC's Lopez. "We'll continue to see downtown become more of a destination."

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said the citywide MAPS for Kids projects will add to the momentum for downtown housing. Plans call for a downtown grade school near the end of the 10-year school construction and renovation project.

"I see it as halting the sprawl of market development going to the perimeter," Cornett said. "Long-term, we're creating a marketplace in the inner city. We're seeing the very beginning signs of it right now with people moving downtown."

As far as the rest of the city, Cornett said the second phase of renovations at Will Rogers World Airport should be complete by the end of 2005. He predicted development in the southeast part of the city along the Interstate 240 corridor and Lake Stanley Draper could draw interest during the year.

"You might see some announcements or blueprints in '05, but I don't think you'll see any dirt turning," Cornett said.

State officials, meanwhile, are looking at expanding rural economic development and strengthening the ties between education and economic development.

The Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development has been gathering ideas for much of the year from educators, business leaders and social services professionals about how to best prepare future workers. Its report is due in January.

"It's more than jobs, it's a look at the systems and the education and career paths to keep building the pipeline of workers," said Meloyde Blancett-Scott, deputy director of marketing and communications at the state Commerce Department.

While economic development incentives remain a key part of the state's plan to attract and grow business, Blancett-Scott said national consultants she's talked to have noticed a backlash against huge incentive packages.

"The general trend is to be a little more cautious on how incentives are used," she said. "They can be extremely beneficial, like our Quality Jobs program, which rewards past performance. But we also need to build both capital and intellectual infrastructure while offering short-term help to employers."

[floater]

It would be great to have a grade school in downtown. That enables couples to stay in downtown about ten more years!! And if it's a good school, we may even convince suburban couples to move downtown!

[Patrick]

I like all of the optimism in the Chamber's report. Also, it's good to hear that they're still exploring mixed uses for the Oklahoma River. As I've said before, I think a mix of commercial, residential, and recreational is the best for the banks of the Oklahoma River.

Hopefully in the upcoming year, The Chamber can attract some more large name companies to our city. If we could only get Corning to come back, repurchase their old property, and restart development on a factory!

Filling the old Lucent property should definitely be a goal this year!