City considers purchasing Bricktown parking

[metro]

Personally, I've said it before with many others and I'll say it again but there is no parking problem in Bricktown or downtown. The only parking problem there is is too many surface parking lots. I'll be po'd if the city waste's $40,000 on a parking study. This is money that could be better spent elsewhere.

$40,000 study may offer solution to Bricktown parking

By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman

Maybe you think you've heard all there is to hear about parking in Bricktown. But here's something you may not know: Mayor Mick Cornett confirms he's approached some Bricktown parking operators about the prospect of the city buying them out.



Whether such a buyout will take place, or how that might affect parking rates or supply in the entertainment district, is all just a guessing game right now.

Cornett says he's not taking any further action until he sees results from a study the city may commission today with Desman Associates.

The $40,000 contract is a significant step by City Hall into the long-running parking debate.

For years, visitors and merchants have complained about either the supply or rates. Parking operators, especially those known to charge $10 and up on event nights, routinely dismiss such criticism. The arguments go on and on. What's clear is this: Bricktown restaurants do not control their own parking and the same issue has been cited by three failed retailers.

A review of Desman's Web site indicates the city has found itself an experienced hand at dealing with parking. The company has offices in seven cities, and one has to assume this outside voice may finally come up with a cold, reasoned analysis and potential solution that goes beyond merchants-versus-parking operators, or whether Bricktown should be compared to cities like Fort Worth where parking is free or Denver where a visitor has to shell out $15 to $20.

The folks at Desman will not see Bricktown parking as we've known it the past 15 years. For the first time in the history of the entertainment district, a majority of Bricktown's restaurants have agreed to validate lunchtime parking — a service that starts Wednesday.

They can also retrieve comments being gathered through www.fixbricktown.com, a Web site launched by Frank Sims, former director of the Bricktown Association who now leads the new Bricktown Marketing Group. So far the group reports receiving dozens of responses, mostly negative, about the prices being charged in the entertainment district.

And Desman will surely glance at a survey completed last year, but never publicly released, that showed an overwhelming majority of residents have a grim view of Bricktown's parking rates.

You can bet Bricktown merchants and parking operators will eagerly await Desman's report. And we now know Cornett is prepared to consider every option.

[BDP]

Yes, this is freaking ridiculous. It's very likely that this issue will ruin bricktown's potential and the promise on which all of the high rents are based will never be realized. These people are trying to choke the area with parking to minimize competition and satiate people who obviously don't want to partake in an urban entertainment district in the first place. Have these merchants ever considered that maybe to a lot of people it's not worth it to pay to park at a sports bar or mexican restaurant when the city is saturated with these places? Maybe it's not the parking, but the mix of services in brick town that people don't like. The city has already done so much for the area and these developers and merchants just keep dumping on it. Lower the freaking rents, gets some critical mass, increase density and then maybe it will be worth it to these people to visit bricktown. Instead, they're going to "study" whether or not they should stunt bricktown growth by developing it with more parking. Brilliant!

Lackmeyer's article sure paints an unrealistically bleak picture on the parking situation. Certainly, it's one sided as there seems to be many here who have no problem parking (uh, or should I say walking) in bricktown. I have been down there when there are tons of people who somehow found parking. Yet, these views and experiences aren't represented in the article at all. What no one seems to realize is that if you appease this half of people who can't walk 4 blocks, then, in the process, you lose the half that's already going to bricktown.

One thing that would clear all of this us is to release this phantom parking study that indicated than an "overwhelming majority" of people had a problem with bricktown parking (even though the paper's own unscientific survey during the Big 12 tournament proved otherwise) and is seemingly causing all of this brew-ha-ha. What exactly did this survey ask? Who did it ask? and How did it ask it? Did it focus on simply parking availability and cost or did it also consider entertainment mix, options, density, etc. as motivations for visiting and/or mitigating factors to a perceived parking crisis.

The funny thing is that these bozos walk just as far or farther to see a movie at Quail Springs than they would in Bricktown. And have you ever tried to park at the Cheesecake factory on a Friday or Saturday night? Where's their $40,000 tax payer study?

This is enough to make you just give up on bricktown altogether and move on to mid-town, which, btw, might actually have a real parking problem in the near future if it takes off. Better earmark thousands of dollars for studies of their parking issues, too.

[Midtowner]

As congested as Bricktown is many nights, especially during games/events/whatever, I fail to see how anyone thinks there's a problem.

I just don't buy the premise being presented here.

[johnnyboyokc]

well bdp and midtowner you see my side it is old and the only problem is :
maybe the people involved
prices (however they still buy gas)
never owned property
still listen to parents
live in the 50's
or just have no idea of property value

[CuatrodeMayo]

well bdp and midtowner you see my side it is old and the only problem is :
maybe the people involved
prices (however they still buy gas)
never owned property
still listen to parents
live in the 50's
or just have no idea of property value

Could someone interpret this for me...?

[metro]

yes please explain your unusual post.

[Midtowner]

What he is driving at is that in order for the land owner/lessor to be able to turn a profit on the land, he ought to be able to consider what he could be making if he were to either unload the land or develop it as something other than a parking lot.

The landowner ought to be able to decide that he wants to me x amount of money /sq. foot of land. If he can't make as much as the other landowners in the area are making, he needs to change his business.

The current businesses in Bricktown need to understand how vital parking is to their business. Perhaps they could buy their own lots or contract with Brewer regarding parking prices (perhaps paying Brewer some amount of money to adjust his prices down or validating). Otherwise, Brewer has the right to make as much of a profit as he wants to.

No one has yet showed me that his profits are somehow "exorbitant" (you'd have a tough time convincing me that there is ever such a thing as 'too much profit' if you still have willing purchasers). Therefore, I'm led to believe that no one is really wanting to make that argument.

Perhaps this all stems from the suburbanite entitlement-mentality regarding a place to put your car. Unfortunately, such a free-parking situation doesn't really exist in most major cities. When parking lots must be built on otherwise very pricey land, folks are going to be charged for parking. That's just the way it is. Either pay the fee or park somewhere else.

Johnny is right -- it ain't the 50's anymore. As times change, so must we. Both driving and parking close to one's destination in a crowded area with limited parking are both luxuries. Whining about paying for a luxury is odd indeed.

The parking situation is not hurting Bricktown. Business is booming. If you don't want to pay, either walk, take a Brickshaw or simply go somewhere else. Bricktown ain't exactly hurting for business.