REHCO / Former Downtown Ford site

[SEMIweather]

Sometimes that east west road splitting the blighted lots will have overlooked available street parking. For people who don't want to pay to park at street meters or pay lots.

All of the streets in the Strawberry Fields area are always empty as well, and only a five minute walk from the park. Not sure I'd park there at night but I've never had an issue during daylight hours.

[therhett17]

Is this parcel of land called the Ford site because it used to be a Ford dealership? Or why exactly?

[Pete]

Is this parcel of land called the Ford site because it used to be a Ford dealership? Or why exactly?

Yes.

Was Bob Howard Ford and before that I believe it was Fred Jones Ford.

[Urbanized]

It was Fred Jones Ford from 1923 until 1998, when it became a part of the Fred Jones Auto Collection, which included Ford Motor Company and other dealers. In 2000, Ford Motor Company exercised its buyout option and sold off the various dealerships. The downtown Ford store was then purchased and renamed Bob Howard Ford, which itself closed around 2010.

[dankrutka]

Wow, I'm surprised it's been sitting for 13 years as a surface lot. I didn't think it had been that long.

[Urbanized]

Well, 12 years. Demolished in 2011.

[sroberts24]

If we do get the Olympic events, do you think they will speed up the development of this lot?

[Pete]

What REHCO (mainly Bob Howard but also Hall Capital has an interest) owns is shown below in red.

There is a private party that owns the one remaining commercial lot, but all that frontage along the OKC Boulevard is owned by the City or State.

When there were negotiations over this site for the convention center, the City was going to close all those internal streets and incorporate them into the larger site. If/when this site is developed, the same thing would probably happen, so you can see about half of this land is owned by a government body, and the City controls what happens there.

[G.Walker]

So why all of a sudden for the bump, when the thread has been quiet for years? Something about to happen?

[Pete]

So why all of a sudden for the bump, when the thread has been quiet for years? Something about to happen?

Yes, there was a report by Channel 9 that this site is being considered for the new arena.

Read the new arena thread for details.