Stadium District (formerly Producers Coop)

[Oski]

$65M is the new price tag.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/6-SE...y-OK/17536231/

[Laramie]

The city needs to buy this land. They should have originally bought it before it was even demolished.

Clean it up through whatever grants etc. Then RFP it out while attempting to land a corporate anchor tenant through the business incentive programs that the city and state have. Gifting the land for a major corporate relocation is pretty big when you also add in all of the other existing incentive programs.

This site will be ideal for anything the city wants in the future, especially to lure a major corporate entity or a major stadium funded thru MAPS 5.

$65M is the new price tag.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/6-SE...y-OK/17536231/

The clean up for this 37.75 acre parcel is still an unknown variable. The new price IMO will need to drop significantly lower than $1,721,854 per acre. Looks as though the ownership realizes that it is overpriced and they could potentially get stuck with this prime spot if they don't unload it.

On the surface, the land looks great; it's what's beneath the surface that will raise the eyebrows of potential buyers. Opportunity Zones anyone...???

[shawnw]

For quicker reference what was the previous price (e.g. when they were trying to buy it for the stadium)

[Pete]

For quicker reference what was the previous price (e.g. when they were trying to buy it for the stadium)

It was listed at the same $65 million in 2017 and $105 million in 2014.

[shawnw]

Ah, so nothing has changed of late

[Merman]

Looks like they cleared the burned dilapidated building out the other week or so.

[Pete]

This is a site plan from their website that shows the most recent projections.

I had mentioned they were close on some big-box retailers for the southern portion but that stalled and may have fallen out completely. But this plan reflects what they had envisioned. I'm sure this layout isn't going to thrill urbanists.

The huge wildcard is still the MAPS 4 soccer stadium and I know this is one of the sites still being considered.

[BoulderSooner]

such a fail that the aquarium was not in maps 4 which would have also been the anchor for this site . with a canal extension

[David]

I'd take the top and left parts of this design, maybe make all that on-street parking reverse angle instead.

[shawnw]

With the prices they are going to have to pay for the land, the density really needs to be much higher, or the rents will be too high IMO

[twade]

I noticed Sooner Investments logo is splashed on the marketing materials. I remember that group making a run at acquiring the property that didn't close.

Are they working on behalf of the Producer's Co-op Ownership? The Assessor's GIS overlay is showing the Co-op with ownership.

[bombermwc]

Well given how the post COVID office market looks, they're going to have to re-evaluate a lot of this. It will be a struggle to convince someone to move into 20 floors worth of space when the downtown occupancy is so low and there's plenty of Class A open.

And why the heck do we want suburban strip malls downtown?

This is a total fail.

[Canoe]

Well given how the post COVID office market looks, they're going to have to re-evaluate a lot of this. It will be a struggle to convince someone to move into 20 floors worth of space when the downtown occupancy is so low and there's plenty of Class A open.

And why the heck do we want suburban strip malls downtown?

This is a total fail.

If I were to guess, 1.) You can save on design costs by dropped a ready made site plan and big box stores into your development. 2.) These box box stores operate on spreadsheets, so eliminating variables makes it easier to predict the success of your business at a certain location. 3.) Alot of the more well off citizens of downtown were raised in a suburban area or have family in a suburban area. This suburban type of development will feel familiar to them. They can have their amazing downtown park and a big box store experience within a couple blocks from each other. This will steal sales from big box realtors in the near suburban areas.

But then again I could be wrong. Ideally we should be developing districts downtown, not safe suburban/urban development.

[WheelerD Guy]

Well given how the post COVID office market looks, they're going to have to re-evaluate a lot of this. It will be a struggle to convince someone to move into 20 floors worth of space when the downtown occupancy is so low and there's plenty of Class A open.

And why the heck do we want suburban strip malls downtown?

This is a total fail.

Agreed. This would be an unmitigated disaster if anything remotely resembling this plan moves forward.

Needs to be at least 2x more dense.

[Mballard85]

such a fail that the aquarium was not in maps 4 which would have also been the anchor for this site . with a canal extension

Don't you worry, we get a new Fairgrounds Arena...I got nothing.

[Pete]

Sooner Investments is the development partner for this project, and while they do quality work, it's nothing but big-box shopping centers with oceans of parking:

University Town Center in Norman
Czech Hall Marketplace near Yukon
Sooner Rose (center with Warren Theater) in Midwest City
Spring Creek in Edmond
Del Crest in Del City
etc.

[David]

This has probably been asked many times, is this area in the downtown design review borders?

[Plutonic Panda]

Since they didn’t get the canal extension and aquarium I say build it as a big box suburban type development if they have tenants lined up. A Walmart would be amazing for downtown if they can pull it off. I prefer the downtown area soccer stadium to be at the farmers market anyways. We all know if the stadium is placed here it will come with a sh!load of parking anyways.

On top of that it’s probably the best place for such a development anyways. It’s right off of the new OKC boulevard and is separated from downtown enough to be more car centric.

OKC still has tons of land to develop in its core. Focus on getting the strawberry fields development built. When the time comes it will be easier to demolish a big box store development and upgrade it but that is decades away. Besides, if they can make the numbers with this, it will surely mean cleaning up the contaminated soil. This is nothing but a win any way you look at it.

[Pete]

This has probably been asked many times, is this area in the downtown design review borders?

Yes.

[yukong]

The residential component in this plan is the real wildcard. Remediation requirements for residential developments are so much more stringent than industrial developments. The cleanup costs are thus much higher for residential components. That is why the majority of this plan is big box and office. Less remediation is required. But residential is viewed by many as essential to the development and therefore the contamination issue will be a major roadblock to anything big. The unknown cleanup costs are what have prevented any real movement here.

[stlokc]

I would rather this land stay vacant the rest of my life than have any big box stores on this lot.

No, no, a million times no.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ that’s bloody absurd. Now if they could turn it into a nature preserve or the like then that’d be different but there is zero chance of that happening.

You’re talking about having a contaminated lot cleaned up with tax paying businesses that will add to the amenities of downtown. There is virtually no downside as it will only positively affect downtown. What is the negative here?

[LocoAko]

^^^ that’s bloody absurd. Now if they could turn it into a nature preserve or the like then that’d be different but there is zero chance of that happening.

You’re talking about having a contaminated lot cleaned up with tax paying businesses that will add to the amenities of downtown. There is virtually no downside as it will only positively affect downtown. What is the negative here?

I can't think of anything that would cement much of the country's negative perceptions of Oklahoma/OKC for the next generation like having a big box Walmart surrounded by an ocean of parking on some of our most valuable downtown land. I shudder just thinking about it.

[Plutonic Panda]

I can't think of anything that would cement much of the country's negative perceptions of Oklahoma/OKC for the next generation like having a big box Walmart surrounded by an ocean of parking on some of our most valuable downtown land. I shudder just thinking about it.

I really don’t think it would a single thing to hurt OKCs national image. That perception is well engrained and that won’t lessen with an more development on vacant land lol. If anything it would help our image by not having vacant industrial land as our most valuable downtown property. That alone is irony in a nutshell.

Besides, I highly suspect if this development happens it won’t be a bare bones Walmart or big box complex either. Surely given this falls in the design review committee boundaries there will be a push to put lipstick on a pig so to speak and there are many other components of it then just big box.

Besides, there are plenty of major cities out there that have big box developments and department stores in and around their downtowns. Some are more dense with parking garages above or below but what do people not understand about demand? Clearly OKC is not ready for some ultra dense shopping complex with major retailers downtown.

[HOT ROD]

OKC is ready, is the developement community? No, is city hall? No. But the city - yes it's ready and if done right the city would respond well just as it has with other urban development.

such a shame that there aren't even provisions for the acquarium. We need to make sure the acquarium is not forgotten but demanded in the next MAPS if not sooner. .... I'd even allow the zoo to issue bonds for it. It NEEDS to be the anchor of this land, tying bricktown and the Union District to riversports. The rest of the "producers district" could be figured out AFTER the aquarium is included/designed. ...