Farmers Insurance breaks ground - will vacate Sheperd Mall

[okc_bel_air]

Is this going in on the north or side side of Memorial and is it west of Rockwell?

[kevinpate]

Is this going in on the north or side side of Memorial and is it west of Rockwell?

South side of Memorial and a wee bit west of Rockwell

[mireaux]

why are they moving way up to memorial road when theres so many other locations that they could have set up shop at? Norman would have been better so they can pool the resources of college students wanting extra income. Alas, only with a Memorial road address can you prove locally what a pretentious corporation you are.

[kevinpate]

Maybe the city council is missing out on a revenue source. Maybe they could start renaming nearby streets. ans slowly drive business back to the south. I can see it now -

Memorial Way
Memorial Lights
Memorial Lites
Memorial Acres

[sgray]

I thought rents in downtown OKC were some of the lowest in the city, and much lower than Memorial Road. Alas, if you build your own building you don't pay rent. As for parking, most new towers include their own parking. The building I work at in Atlanta (twin 16 stories towers) has the first 7 levels (so 23 stories total) dedicated to parking and it is all free.

Well, hehe, if you build all the way out in the middle of BFE, things get pretty cheap. While I agree it is a ways out there, at least they are being more wise with spending, unlike Chesapeake, who rolled in, paid a premium for a city block and then paid premiums for everything they could acquire within a 5mi radius, only to offer lots of it for sale later. (Notice all the CHK 'for sale' signs around?)

One positive thing I will say is that the turnpike rolls right through that area, doesn't it? Or pretty close? There are some medical buildings sprouting up out there.

[fuzzytoad]

why are they moving way up to memorial road when theres so many other locations that they could have set up shop at?

Because the further north in OKC you go, the less it sucks.

[Kerry]

Maybe the city council is missing out on a revenue source. Maybe they could start renaming nearby streets. ans slowly drive business back to the south. I can see it now -

Memorial Way
Memorial Lights
Memorial Lites
Memorial Acres

Kind of like 'Peachtree' here in Atlanta.

[circuitboard]

why are they moving way up to memorial road when theres so many other locations that they could have set up shop at? Norman would have been better so they can pool the resources of college students wanting extra income. Alas, only with a Memorial road address can you prove locally what a pretentious corporation you are.

College students wanting extra income? It is not convergys. Most of the positions at farmers they actually prefer you have a degree and they actually pay pretty well. They are not a summer job.....

[Ender]

College students wanting extra income? It is not convergys. Most of the positions at farmers they actually prefer you have a degree and they actually pay pretty well. They are not a summer job.....

I agree. While they have positions that can fill this spot, most of the positions in that location do require experience in the position and/or a degree.

[BDP]

Because the further north in OKC you go, the less it sucks.

Well, there's definitely a lot to that statement that isn't true.

[hipsterdoofus]

As for parking, most new towers include their own parking. The building I work at in Atlanta (twin 16 stories towers) has the first 7 levels (so 23 stories total) dedicated to parking and it is all free.

That WOULD be the smart thing to do, wouldn't it? I believe its the BOA tower in Tulsa has several levels of parking at the bottom - alas, in OKC they have not done that and I don't think that right now there is a lot of extra parking for a large employer to move down here, so they would probably have to provide their own, thus additional cost.

[metro]

Alas, only with a Memorial road address can you prove locally what a pretentious corporation you are.

I disagree with that statement. It's just white flight and cheap land, nothing more. I don't know of anyone in this city, especially the real players, that think Memorial Rd. is a pretentioius address, unless by Memorial Rd. you're talking about Gaillardia. Other than that, Nichols Hills, Edmond, or Downtown OKC are considered much more pretentious.

[fromdust]

Well, hehe, if you build all the way out in the middle of BFE, things get pretty cheap. While I agree it is a ways out there, at least they are being more wise with spending, unlike Chesapeake, who rolled in, paid a premium for a city block and then paid premiums for everything they could acquire within a 5mi radius, only to offer lots of it for sale later. (Notice all the CHK 'for sale' signs around?)

One positive thing I will say is that the turnpike rolls right through that area, doesn't it? Or pretty close? There are some medical buildings sprouting up out there.

memorial isnt really bfe anymore. less so every year. beats the bfe southside any day.

[sgray]

memorial isnt really bfe anymore. less so every year. beats the bfe southside any day.

Well, Memorial and what. You've got to consider where on memorial. Of course, memorial is BFE just a mile or so past I-35 to the east, and was bfe out west until the turnpike rolled in. Notice all the farmland still out there?

Financially speaking, compared to memorial and penn (for example), that area is probably still bfe in terms of land price compared to memorial and penn, or may, etc...

We have so much land closer into the city that remains unsused, I just hate to see so much push to drive further and further out when we haven't exhausted the resources in the city yet.

[Popsy]

The Memorial corridor, with job creation expanding rapidly, should dictate that trolleys and rapid transit from downtown be implemented within maps 3 to allow people living down town to get to their jobs faster.

[Patrick]

why are they moving way up to memorial road when theres so many other locations that they could have set up shop at? Norman would have been better so they can pool the resources of college students wanting extra income. Alas, only with a Memorial road address can you prove locally what a pretentious corporation you are.

Cheap land! And, it's a growing area. Plus, why hire college students when you can hire young professionals with degrees, which the Memorial corridor has plenty of?

Memorial Rd pretentious? Not really. Like others have said, Nichols Hills, Edmond, etc. are much more pretentious. I don't really consider all of the retail in Memorial between May and Penn to be really upscale and pretentious. Quail Springs Mall is just a traditional mall, not necessarily upscale. The only thing off Memorial that's really pretentious is Gaillardia.

[HOT ROD]

ok, back to Shepard Mall.

What I would like to see is the mall going back to retail, but this time - do it in true urban fashion with a focus on OKC's ethnic/inner city communities. You know, the Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, filipino, black, latin (all the various countries, not just mexico), and 'alternative lifestyle'.

Shepard Mall is smack dab in the middle of the inner city zone that encompasses most if not all of these demographics; very near our university - OKC university, and very near the Asia District, the Paseo, the Plaza, 39th Street, and other local 'hoods.

I would like to see businesses (possibly from overseas) open up shoppes here for our local inner city population; at least there could be a great number of true ethnic restaurants and small shops - that would not only make Shepard Mall unique for the whole South Central and Great Plains region but would also be a TRUE destination for many residents, tourists, and students alike.

We need our inner city to become more urban, and also cator to urban people. Right now, OKC really doesn't have any thing to offer that is a true urban/big city experience (save AAlley and 'maybe' 39th street, but both are quite small at the moment).

That's my 2 cents (if nothing else, such a conversion certainly would lend OKC a LOT of 'street credibility' next time the NYT comes to visit).

[metro]

How in the heck is NW 39th street even remotely close to a "big city/urban experience"?

[HOT ROD]

have you ever been to big cities metro?

Most of them have a thriving gay neighbourhood and 39th Street is that for OKC. (do a drive-by and take a look at the number and quality of clubs down there).

Also, most big cities have a thriving gay community, and so does OKC.

Nothing to be ashamed or homophobic about. I think OKC should embrace all communities, certainly from a business prospective.

[soonerguru]

Regarding 39th Street. It is fairly thriving, but it doesn't look so good these days. Now that being GLBT is not something to be completely hidden anymore, it would be cool to see that area perked up a bit aesthetically. It's very "hidden" when you drive by. Not much to see.

OTOH, it could be a fairly nice area with a mix of retail, restaurants, even housing, if folks with money and vision put their minds to it.

Wow. I'm just now realizing how absurdly off-topic this thread has become. What was it about again? Oh yeah, an insurance company building a call center in the burbs.

[HOT ROD]

I agree guru.

Having a GLBT district in your city is actually a good 'cosmopolitan' thing and most districts reflect the quality and appearance of their customers; most GLBT individuals take good care of themselves and/or their appearance.

I agree that 39th street is a bit seedy and it would be great for that community to come together and make the strip more appealing. I think the days of them having to hide tucked away are over - again, it is just one more urban hood that makes OKC a wonderful place to live.

[metro]

have you ever been to big cities metro?

Most of them have a thriving gay neighbourhood and 39th Street is that for OKC. (do a drive-by and take a look at the number and quality of clubs down there).

Also, most big cities have a thriving gay community, and so does OKC.

Nothing to be ashamed or homophobic about. I think OKC should embrace all communities, certainly from a business prospective.

Yes, been to most major cities in this country as well as a few overseas. You're a world traveler, come on man, do you seriously consider OKC's gay district on par with "urban experiences" in Seattle, Chicago, Toyko, Shanghai, Paris, San Fran? It's ok that we're not on the same level as these cities. I even LIVE in OKC so I'm probably more familiar with it. When you say 39th Street, most people immediately think of it starting around N. Portland and heading westward. The actual "route 66" strip that people still cruise (now full of car dealerships and fast food restaurants). Very few people I know, actually think of the "gay district" when you say 39th street. Our "gay district" is anything but thriving. As soonerguru pointed out, it (meaning the actual buildings/neighborhood) is definitely not anything to brag about. Sorry HOTROD, it's not a Chelsea in NYC or Castro in San Fran. or your own Capitol Hill district in Seattle.

Yes "gay districts" tend to be nicer than many of their surrounding neighborhoods, but not ours. Sorry but the Habana Inn, A Braums, rundown gas stations, car repair shops and a run down Homeland do not qualify as "nice". NW 39th Street Enclave - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is run down and in need of major revitalizations. I'm not sure where you got the "homophobic" from as I didn't even mention anything about it, nor this district. Sorry, but when us locals think of "urban experience" we think inner city like Asian District, NW 23rd, Paseo, Plaza District, MidTown or Downtown.

[soonerguru]

metro,

To clarify, I agreed that the area is "fairly thriving," but I pointed out it could be much more impressive aesthetically. I didn't mean to dump on it; just pointing out it could be improved.

It is fairly widely visited by people from around the state and is much more thriving than similar areas in many cities.

It could just look a lot better and be turned into a bigger retail/entertainment magnet than it is today.

[jbrown84]

It will be closer for people in Piedmont to commute to this office than from MWC, Moore, Norman, etc.

It's practically in Piedmont. It's a shorter commute from KINGFISHER than Norman.

We have so much land closer into the city that remains unsused, I just hate to see so much push to drive further and further out when we haven't exhausted the resources in the city yet.

Exactly. Even Broadway extension would be way better. At least that's infill.

[kevinpate]

they're just thinking ahead to the day when the new spot won't be needing infill as they will have already been there long before the sprawl gets on past them.