You know, I moved to Norman several years ago in part because of all the grandiose claims of the University of Oklahoma building a lifestyle center on 24th Ave. We were promised high-end retail and a high-end environment. We were reassured up-front that first the big boxes would move in, but that after that... eventually... the high-end stuff would be built. Now as a result of the economic downturn the project director and the university are claiming things may never come to fruition, and frankly I think it is an excuse.

Fist, take a look at the thing. I have never seen a lifestyle center anywhere in this country that looks that cheap. Ever been to downtown Kansas City or anywhere on the West Coast? A lifestyle center does not look like this piece of junk.

Secondly, look who they have constructing and coordinating everything. I recently spoke to someone who is or was a tenant over there and the company they have putting the whole thing up is well-known for building strip malls in the southeast/east coast... big boring centers full of Kohls and Target and the like. That is not upscale! Target is not upscale, it is barely better than Wal-Mart. If the people who are designing this thing have experience with common big box stores, why on earth would the city or the university think they could pull something more than that off? It is embarrassing that the shops in Moore, which as far as I know were not city backed and funded with a TIF, are developing far more quickly than anything we have going on in Norman.

Third, who the heck is this dude that is serving as the public face of the project that is always speaking to the City Council. Googling him, as best I can tell, he is an executive who runs a pharmaceuticals company who has ties to the university and to President Boren and just stops by and says some nice things every once in a while when his day job isn't interfering too much. Why on earth would you have someone who is not specialized in building and overseeing these types of projects, who is not full-time, spearheading something like this? How horribly mismanaged is the University and/or the city to allow development to occur on its land by folks like this?

Now they're talking about putting car lots or a tire center over there. Really, that's interesting I have never heard of an upscale tire center before, perhaps they serve lattes in their waiting area. Are you kidding me????

If you want to know why people get frustrated with this city or Oklahoma in general, it is because people who have lived in parts of this country who have seen things get done correctly are fed up with the BS that passes for leadership and direction here. To constantly see one project after another, proposed with bellicose grandeur and pomp and circumstance, only to watch all such dreams crumble away into the dark dim reality of more of the same old slop is ridiculous.

I want answers. I want someone to address the above or for starters I want the TIF obliterated and any tax advantages the University received as a result of the development nullified. It is unbearable that this has been going on for over five years and has turned into what it has today. Where is the Transcript? Why aren't you doing something... reporting something? Who will be held to answer for this colossal waste of taxpayers money... yes a waste because we are doing exactly what we said we would not do -- that being we are building a bunch of stuff we already have in the city and are doing nothing but cannibalizing sales. The whole point was to draw new, unique, upscale entities that we do not have here. Transcript, Daily, or KGOU are any of you going to press anyone on this? I think it is about time someone did....