The Boulevard

[Timtoomany]

True dat.

[hoya]

You would be surprised how many people in OKC don't understand the concept of parking and walking to the destination. A perfect example is The Collective in Midtown. There are actual reviews online complaining about lack of dedicated parking and complaints about having to park in the lots and pay to use The Collective's little electric shuttle.

Not only is the Collective within walking distance to a large parking garage, but it is also immersed within the core of the district that has free on-street parking everywhere around it. Oh, and there is also two streetcar stops within about 150 yards of it on both sides. OKC is pathetic when it comes to the mentality of walking.

You can't judge the entire city based on what some knucklehead on the internet says.

[midtownokcer]

You can't judge the entire city based on what some knucklehead on the internet says.

Except that's the culture that car culture has created in a sprawling city like OKC. There's an expectation that every retail or commercial establishment is going to have a massive parking lot within feet of an entrance. There's plenty of parking in Midtown. A good chunk of people here just can't fathom walking more than 10 feet to any establishment. They're so used to being able to find ample parking like they do at a parking lot at Wal-Mart or Belle Isle Station. What they don't understand is that Midtown wouldn't be Midtown if it were businesses with a sea of surface lots. That's called Quail Springs Mall, the Memorial Road corridor, Chili's, Chisholm Creek, Rockwell Plaza, or any other commercial area deprived of character and urban fabric.

[theanvil]

This is changing, and I'm an example of it. I was raised in the suburbs and the thought of parking and walking any distance to a destination was foreign to me. Even just a few years ago, I would avoid a restaurant if I couldn't park there. But now, I enjoy the vibe of downtown and it has become my go-to dining destination. I'll park and walk several blocks and think nothing of it. It's now the norm and is much more enjoyable than parking within a few feet of some restaurant. As cities evolve, so do the people living in them.

[SEMIweather]

You would be surprised how many people in OKC don't understand the concept of parking and walking to the destination. A perfect example is The Collective in Midtown. There are actual reviews online complaining about lack of dedicated parking and complaints about having to park in the lots and pay to use The Collective's little electric shuttle.

Not only is the Collective within walking distance to a large parking garage, but it is also immersed within the core of the district that has free on-street parking everywhere around it. Oh, and there is also two streetcar stops within about 150 yards of it on both sides. OKC is pathetic when it comes to the mentality of walking.

Yeah, I've got no problem walking up to two miles round-trip, as long as I have enough time and the weather is nice enough out (which it really is, most of the time). OKC certainly isn't the most walkable city in the world, but most of the core is pleasant enough. What really does need improvement IMO is bicycle infrastructure, I'd love to buy a bike for most of my shorter trips but I just don't think I'd feel safe biking around this city for the most part. Any sort of protected bike lanes would be an improvement.

Back on topic, there's absolutely no reason to care about losing six spaces of street parking in front of this building when there's a lot 10x the size behind the building.

[hoya]

Except that's the culture that car culture has created in a sprawling city like OKC. There's an expectation that every retail or commercial establishment is going to have a massive parking lot within feet of an entrance. There's plenty of parking in Midtown. A good chunk of people here just can't fathom walking more than 10 feet to any establishment. They're so used to being able to find ample parking like they do at a parking lot at Wal-Mart or Belle Isle Station. What they don't understand is that Midtown wouldn't be Midtown if it were businesses with a sea of surface lots. That's called Quail Springs Mall, the Memorial Road corridor, Chili's, Chisholm Creek, Rockwell Plaza, or any other commercial area deprived of character and urban fabric.

Midtown does awesome business. The car culture you're describing hasn't seemed to hurt it.

[Plutonic Panda]

I disagree with the logic driving is too easy we need to make it harder so people will be “encouraged” to take mass transit which is nice way of saying borderline forced. If that’s the case then I’d rather see parking remain.

[Quicker]

This whole subject just leaves me shaking my head... when we passed the first Maps, downtown was a decaying **** hole... It was like a cancer and the city was dying from the inside out... What we’ve accomplished over the last 25 years is truly amazing...

...but now that it’s been revived, it’s a place that’s too expensive for most to afford...

The population of downtown is now around 10,000 people and you can argue how many more depending on what you consider walkable...and if you’ve wondered what your restaurant and entertainment options would be if it weren’t for those in the suburbs driving in, think about living in Coweta...

Oklahoma City As well as most cities in the south were built to accommodate the freedom that comes with every family being able to afford a car and the city being built around that car culture... there is no going back and it’s never going to change...

Bitching about cars and parking that accommodate those in the suburbs coming downtown to spend their disposable income is kinda crazy to me but I’m doing my part...unless I’m going to a Thunder game or concert, I rarely go downtown anymore because there are just too many other options...

Downtown Oklahoma City belongs to all of us... we all paid those Map’s taxes for decades rebuilding it...it’s not just for the ones that can afford and have decided to live down there...and it would go all the way back to being dead if it wasn’t for metrowide support of those driving in... Think Coweta...be careful what you wish for...

[dankrutka]

I disagree with the logic driving is too easy we need to make it harder so people will be “encouraged” to take mass transit which is nice way of saying borderline forced. If that’s the case then I’d rather see parking remain.

You realize people are both forced to buy a car and constantly drive it based on car-centric design, right? Environments nudge behavior. At least the core could move towards an alternative option so people have some choice.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^^ so with that logic let’s force people to ride transit or have to put with more traffic and harder to find parking?

[dankrutka]

^^^^ so with that logic let’s force people to ride transit or have to put with more traffic and harder to find parking?

[Pete]

[Plutonic Panda]

They should build a structured parking garage behind this development instead of the surface lot and get rid of the surface parking lot in front of the Plaza Court and either build a new skinny building in front of it or build a park there.

[Anonymous.]

They should build a structured parking garage behind this development instead of the surface lot and get rid of the surface parking lot in front of the Plaza Court and either build a new skinny building in front of it or build a park there.

I think owners of that should finish out a structure to the second level of parking there as well as expand partially to the rooftop. The roof was obviously rated for parking at one time, so building structure plus a large rooftop patio would be awesome for this.

[PaddyShack]

I would love to see a housing project built above the EMSA building, keeping a portion of the ground level for EMSA operations, but then having commercial space facing Plaza Court, the housing project could be half housing and half hotel which I bet would be useful right around SSM's campus.

[Pete]

[David]

That makes a nice statement on that corner.

[Laramie]

Glad to see projects like The Boulevard complement the existing structures in this area of Midtown Plaza Court.

[Pete]

[Pete]

[shawnw]

I didn't previously catch how close this was bumping up against Stella.

[Plutonic Panda]

This has been done in other cities but I don’t know much about how it’s done. It would be nice to literally move the Stella building closer to the street and put the parking behind it.

[Pete]

[shawnw]

This has been done in other cities but I don’t know much about how it’s done. It would be nice to literally move the Stella building closer to the street and put the parking behind it.

yes please

[Rover]

This has been done in other cities but I don’t know much about how it’s done. It would be nice to literally move the Stella building closer to the street and put the parking behind it.

So, how is this done with a slab structure? Not familiar with anyone doing it. And, if they can, at what cost? Will it increase their sales?