Downtown development becomes easier

[Patrick]

At least this will regulate downtown development some.

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"City planners unveil draft of ordinance to make downtown development easier

Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2005
by Shelly Hickman

City planners debuted a working draft of an ordinance they believe is needed to make it easier to develop in downtown Oklahoma City.

First sharing the draft ordinance yesterday to the Downtown Stakeholders Committee, the planners indicate they will schedule public hearings on the ordinance later this summer, then perhaps modify it before bringing it to the Planning Commission and City Council for votes in the fall.

Before the public hearings, planners also will allow other business groups such as the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and property owners to give input on the ordinance, said Terry Taylor with the city's Planning Department.

"Then, in November, if all goes well, it should be enacted," he said.

As presently written, the ordiance reduces the number of zoning districts from 15 to two in the area bordered by N.W. 13th St. to the north, S.W. 10th St. to the south, Centennial Expressway (I-235) to the east and Western Avenue.

The districts would be called the Central Business District and the Downtown Transitional District, which would wrap around the CBD and encompass areas south of the Oklahoma River.

The ordinance also establishes design criteria for the districts and creates a new seven-member Downtown Design Review Committee to review all development requests for them.

Some of the more notable design requirments in the ordinance are minimum height requirements in the CBD of three stories and two stores in the DTD; limiting industrial and warehouse operations in the CBD; building material specifications; setbacks within 10-feet of property lines; sidewalk construction and parking lot and street landscaping for every approved project.

The ordinance grandfathers existing businesses in the CBD, like the cotton gin, and the DTD that would be non conforming to the new regulations, but it wouldn't allow the businesses to expand their facilities, only to modernize them.

Taylor said the ordinance is needed because most of the greater downtown area lacks development regulations to ensure new construction and remodeling projects are consistent with planned development patterns.

Plus, "there is rapidly accelerating interest in downtown development," he said, "and new development codes are essential to support this interest, while also making downtown development easier.""

[HOT ROD]

Hight Minimums in the CBD should be 10 storeys for office buildings (120 feet) and hotels(100 feet).

[JOHNINSOKC]

They should also include no height restrictions in the event that we end up getting a new signature tower built.

[fromdust]

tell me if i'm reading this right. are they saying if the time ever comes and someone wants to build a skyskraper downtown they won't be able to!? if thats what they are saying thats crazy. in downtown they should be able to build as high as they want to.

[HOT ROD]

Fromdust, you got it wrong

The article places no MAX height restriction on downtown. Developers can build as tall as they want in the CBD. There are MAX height restrictions in Bricktown, but that is the ONLY downtown district that I know of that has MAX height restrictions.

Now, what the article said is that developers would be required to build above three storeys in downtown OKC. To me, that is too short of a minimum height restriction for a "tower" in the CBD. I said, the MIN height should be 10 storeys for office buildings (120 feet) and hotels(100 feet). These are minimum heights that should be required of all new towers in the downtown CBD. As it is written, they will let a host of 3 storey buildings be built in downtown - sounds pretty suburban to me!!

[fromdust]

Fromdust, you got it wrong

The article places no MAX height restriction on downtown. Developers can build as tall as they want in the CBD. There are MAX height restrictions in Bricktown, but that is the ONLY downtown district that I know of that has MAX height restrictions.

Now, what the article said is that developers would be required to build above three storeys in downtown OKC. To me, that is too short of a minimum height restriction for a "tower" in the CBD. I said, the MIN height should be 10 storeys for office buildings (120 feet) and hotels(100 feet). These are minimum heights that should be required of all new towers in the downtown CBD. As it is written, they will let a host of 3 storey buildings be built in downtown - sounds pretty suburban to me!!

thanks for clearing that up for me. scared me there for a sec.

[HOT ROD]

oh, no prob fromdust.

I know we need density that 3 storey structures would provide, but I think a few signature hotels and office towers (other than Chase and First National) would be very nice downtown.

[fromdust]

oh, no prob fromdust.

I know we need density that 3 storey structures would provide, but I think a few signature hotels and office towers (other than Chase and First National) would be very nice downtown.

well yeah that would be great. even though occupancy has risen in dt in the past few years we still lag behind the nation in terms of % of businesses that locate in the core. what can we do to get the city to listen? could they help in driving businesses dt so there would be a reason to build other office towers. its pathetic, little rock has a building that is taller than any of ours. we suck!