OAK (formerly Penn Central)

[BoulderSooner]

I think you meant, "You can't cut off 50th Street... unless you're an expressway or office tower" :-P

maybe you mean a state highway and a federal interstate highway ..

[chuck5815]

maybe you mean a state highway and a federal interstate highway ..

i think he meant exactly what he said.

[Lazio85]

because 50th is a main east west street to that neighbor hood and in OKC .. fire police oge access ect

A fire station exists at the western edge of 50th before May.

[DallasOkie086]

Still looks like a lot of surface parking in there. I wonder, do they play to convert that to retail/parking in the future?

[Rover]

Still looks like a lot of surface parking in there. I wonder, do they play to convert that to retail/parking in the future?

Most of the parking is structured parking and a little on-street parking. I don’t think there are surface parking lots. Perhaps you are looking at the church’s surface parking on the west end which isn’t part of this development

[Plutonic Panda]

50th is already cut off by 50 Penn Place -- and access from North Penn is limited to south bound traffic only.

so we should further disjoint it? If anything they need to plan a future continuous corridor when the inevitable redesign of 50 Penn Place surfaces in conjunction with the rebuild of the Belle Isle freeways(OkDOT) project. But we all know that won’t happen.

[Dob Hooligan]

But isn't 50th pretty much disjointed between Western and Pennsylvania already?

[TheTravellers]

But isn't 50th pretty much disjointed between Western and Pennsylvania already?

Absolutely, 50th/Classen is a cluster***, we don't ever go through there, we usually just go around it on 36th.

[Plutonic Panda]

But isn't 50th pretty much disjointed between Western and Pennsylvania already?

My point is it would be better to develop long term planning strategies to reconnect it rather than take the might as well further disjoint it road.

[jedicurt]

My point is it would be better to develop long term planning strategies to reconnect it rather than take the might as well further disjoint it road.

but why must long term plans reconnect it? why do all roads need to be on the mile grid? other roads serve the function that a 50th connected the whole way through would... so why do we need roads that perform duplicate service and function? i have no issues with 50th never being reconnected

[rezman]

I remember as a kid riding with my folks and making the left hand turns off of 50th on to Penn to get to NW Hwy. long before 50 Penn Place was built. There were a lot of wrecks there as I recall and it was changed to right turn only. The problem with trying to connect 50th through is that NW Hwy runs on the same alignment as 50th east of Penn Square where it makes the transition from running at an NW/SE direction to E/W. My understanding is that 50th street has never connected through unless it was before NW Hwy was constructed and it was mostly farmland and dirt roads.

[Pete]

I live in the hood directly south of this proposed development and NW 50th is not highly trafficked near Penn.

Lots of other ways you can get the direction you need to go.

[rezman]

^^ Same when I lived in Mayfair. That strip of 50th between May and Penn always had light traffic.

[Plutonic Panda]

but why must long term plans reconnect it? why do all roads need to be on the mile grid? other roads serve the function that a 50th connected the whole way through would... so why do we need roads that perform duplicate service and function? i have no issues with 50th never being reconnected

Fair point. I would like to see 50th reconnected just for myself. At this point it wouldn’t do much to improve traffic.

[jedicurt]

Fair point. I would like to see 50th reconnected just for myself. At this point it wouldn’t do much to improve traffic.

haha... not what i was expecting as a response. but i love your honesty! lol.

[DallasOkie086]

Most of the parking is structured parking and a little on-street parking. I don’t think there are surface parking lots. Perhaps you are looking at the church’s surface parking on the west end which isn’t part of this development

You're absolutely correct. I wasnt looking at this correctly. Thank you.

[rezman]

Fair point. I would like to see 50th reconnected just for myself. At this point it wouldn’t do much to improve traffic.

I don’t believe it was ever connected in the first place. When it was all rural pasture land, I believe 50th dead ended at Penn because just to the east is the Deep Fork, and like many rural roads, no bridge was built to cross it. I could be wrong, and would like to see aerial photos of the area before NW Hwy and Classen circle were built to be sure. But this has been my understanding.

[Pete]

I don’t believe it was ever connected in the first place. When it was all rural pasture land, I believe 50th dead ended at Penn because just to the east is the Deep Fork, and like many rural roads, no bridge was built to cross it. I could be wrong, and would like to see aerial photos of the area before NW Hwy and Classen circle were built to be sure. But this has been my understanding.

It wasn't.

See 1954 aerial below. Note this is before Penn Square, but Classen Circle was still in effect.

[Buffalo Bill]

It wasn't.

See 1954 aerial below. Note this is before Penn Square, but Classen Circle was still in effect.

Right. 50th connected to 46th via what is now Mattern Drive.

[rezman]

Thank you Pete and Buffalo Bill. That last shot looking west confirms most of my thoughts.

[David]

That is an absolutely fascinating aerial view. I've been wondering for a while now how Classen Circle was laid out, and comparing this view to a current map is really interesting in seeing what is the same and what has changed. Mattern Drive on both sides of 44 is a good example of what I mean.

[shawnw]

Thanks for that historical info. Details I did not realize (that 50th had never connected). I will no longer harp on this issue now that I've been informed.

[rezman]

Those are very cool shots. The up and coming Mayfair Heights is clearly visible. My home on 46th was built in 1950, so that photo has to be mid to late 40’s. Interesting to see the development and redevelpment of the area through time.

[SEMIweather]

Absolutely love that shot and being able to compare how this area was laid out 65 years ago as opposed to present day. Fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[warreng88]

Pete, do you if they have acquired all of the properties for this development or do they need to acquire more? I am thinking more of the single family homes rather than the offices.