What's one thing that downtown is missing?

[ssandedoc]

I'm just curious with the recent growth of downtown OKC including Bricktown what is one thing you think we're still missing?

[jbrown84]

Retail, which will in turn bring more pedestrian traffic.

[betts]

I agree, retail. And a really big park

[ophitke38]

A downtown cannot grow "up" if too much space is taken up by parking spaces. A downtown can only grow "up" if people are brought in by means other than private cars. Otherwise, either (a) people have to walk too far from a parking lot to get to their destination, or (b) parking garages have to be as high as the office buildings (they take up an immense amount of space in comparison with a person's workspace) and you'd spend half your time driving around in the parking garage trying to get to a space.

[ophitke38]

Light rail and commuter rail. People have to be able to move in and out of downtown, and around downtown, smoothly. Consider someone flying in to Will Rogers who needs to go downtown; they can take the train, as in St. Louis. Consider people on the west or north side of downtown who want to go to Bricktown for lunch or after work; they can take a trolley, as in Denver. Consider folks moving into the new (and expensive) housing in Deep Deuce. How are they going to get to work or Bricktown, or a Thunder game or the Civic Center? Walk a mile? Drive their car to another parking space, then drive back home? Take a luxurious cab? They can take a trolley, an "Oklahoma version" of Chicago's El or New York City's subways. Can't be stuck in the 19th century forever!

[jbrown84]

Oh yes, Redbud Park as well.

[plmccordj]

I just returned from San Antonio yesterday on a business trip when I noticed their riverwalk. I noticed they have many large trees along the length of the river allowing visitors to walk in the shade. It was quite warm while I was their and having shade along the river made a lot of difference.

Secondly, I hate to beat a dead horse but it was so pleasing to be able to catch a bus anywhere in town on a regular basis. Oklahoma City leaders claim it will cost $40 million do do the bus system right. Heck, they gave Bass Pro Shop half that.

[betts]

I just returned from San Antonio yesterday on a business trip when I noticed their riverwalk. I noticed they have many large trees along the length of the river allowing visitors to walk in the shade. It was quite warm while I was their and having shade along the river made a lot of difference.

Secondly, I hate to beat a dead horse but it was so pleasing to be able to catch a bus anywhere in town on a regular basis. Oklahoma City leaders claim it will cost $40 million do do the bus system right. Heck, they gave Bass Pro Shop half that.

We're spending half that on a practice facility. I'm all in favor of the practice facility, but we need decent mass transit, and a bus/trolley system is the cheapest, fastest way to improve things while we look into other options. More routes, good covered bus stops and frequent, reliable buses seem to be a manageable option in other cities. It's embarrassing that we basically have nothing that a person who is on a schedule can use.

[BDP]

Good points. I almost think the bus system we have is more expensive than spending an additional $40 million, as it is more expensive to maintain a system that no one can use than it is to actually get some return on our investment (even is only tangential) with one that works.

[jbrown84]

I just returned from San Antonio yesterday on a business trip when I noticed their riverwalk. I noticed they have many large trees along the length of the river allowing visitors to walk in the shade. It was quite warm while I was their and having shade along the river made a lot of difference.

San Antonio's riverwalk has about 40 years on ours. In 40 years we'll have huge trees on the canal too.

[Midtowner]

Affordable housing.

[southernskye]

Good retail.

[Pete]

A critical mass of housing.

Sure, we've added a lot but we still have a long ways to go. Until that happens, meaningful retail is not going to happen.

[metro]

San Antonio's riverwalk has about 40 years on ours. In 40 years we'll have huge trees on the canal too.

Plus, our canal is a canal, there's is an actual river. Let's keep in mind we have the Oklahoma River as well and San Antonio doesn't have. In 40 years we will have some nice mature trees on the Oklahoma River, we already have quite a few in the area.

[OKCisOK4me]

Plus, our canal is a canal, there's is an actual river. Let's keep in mind we have the Oklahoma River as well and San Antonio doesn't have. In 40 years we will have some nice mature trees on the Oklahoma River, we already have quite a few in the area.

We just have to get rid of all those boulders that line the river banks. Those wont erode in 40 years.

[jbrown84]

Plus, our canal is a canal, there's is an actual river. Let's keep in mind we have the Oklahoma River as well and San Antonio doesn't have. In 40 years we will have some nice mature trees on the Oklahoma River, we already have quite a few in the area.

Actually their riverwalk is a man-made spur/loop off of the actual river.

[metro]

but nonetheless more of an actual river or natural water source than the bluegreen koolaid with contrete drainage ditch like ours. Ours is still nice, don't get me wrong, but we can't really compare ours to SA's, totally different. Compare it to Indy's.

[jbrown84]

Oh, theirs is concrete too, they just cover it up better.

[taylor83]

I guess it falls under "retail", but I would love to see a Walgreen's or CVS type of store downtown.

[bluepickle]

I think we should do a children's museum. Something like St. Louis' CityMuseum. CITY MUSEUM

[mOKCie]

living space (not just rentals)

[jbrown84]

90% of downtown residential is for sale, not rent...

[betts]

There's supposed to be more affordable housing coming to Maywood. I just hope the economic conditions don't derail the plans.

[OKCMallen]

UNIQUE retail...or affordable housing, then normal retail will suffice.

[The Old Downtown Guy]

Housing . . . affordable housing . . . rental housing . . . affordable rental housing . . . housing, housing and more housing . . . everything comes later. Deep Deuce is just now attracting a little more commercial activity and those apartment have been full for years. There are still acres and acres of vacant land, thousands of square feet of empty or under utilized buildings to add housing to. If we continue at the current pace, we'll have some UNIQUE everything in about ten years.