Chesapeake empire marches on

[jbrown84]

I prefer Grant Humphreys' Crown Heights site.

[bwana_bob]

The Crown Heights location should focus on getting something like Trader Joe's. It doesn't solve the grocery crunch downtown but ultimately, wouldn't it be great to have Whole Foods in Nichols Hills and HEB Central Market downtown? Central Market has a Bass Pro Shops type of drawing power for foodies. Trader Joe's would be a unique draw for people throughout the metro and provide enough food product to the surrounding neighborhoods that most people could reduce their trips to other grocery stores to once per week.

Regarding NHP, real, sustainable progress requires development of scale, which in turn requires singular vision, substantial wealth, well-placed friends, adaptable execution and a laissez-faire attitude toward the sentiments of individuals.

Or in other words, to stack 'em high, you gotta have cash in your pockets and a little bit left over for your friends - and above all, you can't worry about pissing people off!

It would appear that this particular development is less about building a monument to self and more about improving the lifestyle of people in this area. Money will be made and some leaseholders will likely feel the short end of "progress" - but ultimately, the sum will be far grander than the parts.

[bombermwc]

AMEN Jbrown. Hopefully OKC learned its lesson when Pei screwed the city up. All I can do is hope that they don't let C'Peak screw up here too.

I'm growing to dislike them more and more recently.

[bwana_bob]

BTW, none of the Trader Joe's (their tagline: your neighborhood grocery store) shops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts or New Jersey carry beer or wine. Only a few of the New York stores carry either beer or wine - the majority carry neither. This according to their site listing - available for download at their site.

Now tell me, why can't Oklahoma get a Trader Joe's?

[Pete]

That's strange about TJ's in those parts of the country because all the ones here in California have huge wine/liquor/beer sections.

But you're right, it bodes well for OKC.

[betts]

Do you mean Nichols Hills Manor (on the SE corner of Grand & Sherwood - first picture below) or Sherwood Arms (just east of NH Manor - second photo)? CHK already owns the latter.

NH Manor. There are some holdouts, I've heard. But he's buying the condos as they become available. The plan for the Plaza I saw, which obviously was not the working plan, but a concept, looked like urban Tudor row houses. Lots of half timbering and interesting Tudor style brickwork.

[JerzeeGrlinOKC]

BTW, none of the Trader Joe's (their tagline: your neighborhood grocery store) shops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts or New Jersey carry beer or wine. Only a few of the New York stores carry either beer or wine - the majority carry neither. This according to their site listing - available for download at their site.

Now tell me, why can't Oklahoma get a Trader Joe's?

Just so you are aware, New Jersey liquor law prohibit liquor sales at grocery stores, which is why TJ's does not sell there. Penn is the same but is worse because liquor stores/beer stores are state owned. I don't know about the rest, I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look it up.

But TJ's would be a great idea for that area, and although they need something nice downtown, perhaps getting one in a location that's sure to do well will look good for other prospects in OKC.

[Stinger]

I had dinner at Flip's on Friday night. They're doing a little construction on the property and it was funny because their marquee said something to the effect of, "No, Chesapeake didn't buy us too".

[BDP]

I would love a Trader Joe's in the Crown Heights area. That would be great, but I'd settle for one in the Plaza or downtown.

I also wonder if Crescent would ever consider a moving back downtown when Chesapeake displaces them. I know we all want big names for our ego, but I think it'd be cool for MidTown or the Triangle to have a local grocery store like that.

[BDP]

null

[Pete]

I'm actually starting to get excited about what CHK can do with NH Plaza.

Let's face it, the gas station on the corner, the rug shop, the city hall/police/fire station, those three condo complexes.... All are not very nice.

It would be great if they could put underground parking under the south section then totally rebuild it with lots of green space and plaza. Traditional tutor architecture would look great and the north section could be renovated to match.

Then, I think high-end retailers and restaurants would flock to that site, like they once did to 50 Penn.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Rand Elliott is McClendon's go-to architect. My heart lies in preservation, but if Rand has anything to do with it, I think you are going to like it.

Chesapeake Parking Garage:

[jbrown84]

Yuck.

No me gusta.

Looks like some of the boxy, windowless crap they built in the 60's that we now wish were gone.

[CuatrodeMayo]

I agree..at first glance it looks pretty so-so.

However, I think the rendering is not doing it justice. It is covered in a reflective material. This material allows the garage to essentially reflect the character of the buildings and landscape surrounding it. It is not a big white box, but a mirror. I am pretty sure that the other materials are not opaque, but a type of screening material that will let light filter through, yet block views.

It IS a parking garage. It's no easy feat to make it like something other than what it is...a stack of cars. But I guess you can always shell out the money to bury them underground.

[Midtowner]

The inside rendering looks like Tron.

[John]

I like how the two guys inside of the garage are wearing jorts.

[Architect2010]

ummmm, what is a jort??? im young. lol. yeah, i dont like the design very much, when i look at it, i get this feeling of being at a carnival. very colorful. neon lights. bright carpet or whatever the walkway is, and a quirky design. and plus people will walk by just at the right angle and will be blinded, and they'll scream and run, and then they'll sue. lol j/p

[John]

A jort would be jean shorts. Don't think you'd see those on a CHK employee or in the Nichols Hills/Western area.

It's not the best design (IMO), but it could be a lot worse for a parking garage -- see the 'Power Alley Garage' in Bricktown.

[metro]

I agree with CuatroDeMayo, if you go drive by in person, it's alot more asthetically appealing than the renderings show it. Do you honestly think Chesapeake would build something so hideous to match their Victorian style campus?

[Pete]

Anybody have pictures of the new garage?

Rand does seem a little fixated with neon lighting in primary colors these days.

[CuatrodeMayo]

see above^

[Pete]

I meant photos, not renderings.

[jbrown84]

How is this reflective material going to look in 5 years?

[CuatrodeMayo]

I don't know. A lot depends on maintenance. Leadership Square seems to be holding up pretty well.

EDIT: Malibu, I'm not sure it exisits yet.

[Pete]

The reason I asked about photos is because Metro said it looks much different in person.


Here's a rendering I found on their website that shows the garage in the background and their planned buildings in gray: