Whole Foods

[metro]

There is no way 6,000 are living DT unless you include Heritage Hills and Mesta Park and I live DT and sit on the board of DT residents, Urban Neighbors. What exactly in Bricktown construction is "mysterious"? Everything goes through Bricktown Design Committee. The fire station is currently under construction if that's what you're referring to.

[Spartan]

Site work is happening on both sides of Sheridan. The fire station is going in on the NW corner of Sheridan/Lincoln up against I-235, but the Steel Yards area on the south side of Sheridan also appeared to have site work going on last month? It vaguely seemed that one of those warehouses was gone?

You don't think it could be leasing land rather than building space?

You mean building on long-term leased land? That only happens in strange situations around the edge of town where land has been owned by one family for 100 years and they don't want to give up control forever.. so you sometimes (rarely) see these bizarre "100 year leases." That's one of the oddities of real estate, although these types of deals typically only happen in areas like Far SW OKC or Deer Creek, and not areas that are in the middle of the city like Nichols Hills or downtown.

[CuatrodeMayo]

A ground lease is not that unusual in all parts of the city.

[Steve]

Not downtown guys... I've got good intel here ... it's going to be Classen Curve

[okclee]

June 2011?

[Platemaker]

Wow... an article already, Steve!

[okclee]

NewsOK

Strike while the Iron is HOT!!

Nice work Steve.

[betts]

Hey, I have a real chimney.

Thanks Steve. I trusted my source but I like yours better!

[okclee]

It will be interesting to see the WF building design and how it flows together with Classen Curve.

[Dustin]

Anywhere north of Downtown please!

[metro]

wait, Cinco De Mayo isn't the Mexican version of April Fools is it? j/k

[betts]

I was wondering if that's why they'll have a lease. Maybe Aubrey wants to make sure the design works with Classen Curve.

[onthestrip]

Onthestrip: Downtown's estimated population is actually around 6,000--including the housing developments that have existed since the 60s. The population of Nichols Hills is what, 5,000? Just saying. NH has 4 times more chimney stacks than they have rooftops.. (just an ironic way of weighing the incomes, by using a different metaphor for demographics). Obviously downtown has no chimneys, unless the Thomas Kincade wet dream at The Hill has fake ones, although the incomes are just as good and probably more disposable when you look at the empty nester and young single demographics.

I just said that NH isn't the only neighborhood near CC. That was my point, that there are much more rooftops nearby and not just NH, there are plenty of others in a 5 mile radius. And no way 6,000 people live downtown.

Also, as someone mentioned already, ground leases aren't that uncommon. Many chain restaurants use them. That said, I think it'd be rare for a 40,000+ sf building to be ground leased.

[metro]

onthestrip, quit spurting out facts....

on a sidenote, I hope they model the WF after the Park Lane store in Dallas

[Steve]

to the downtown crowd: Classen Curve is surely better for you than Edmond or Norman, right?

[metro]

Of course Steve, and I'll be there frequently, and don't have to support Tulsa and Dallas' store anymore

[okclee]

Say good bye to "leakage"!

http://newsok.com/retail-experts-war...rticle/3453761

[BDP]

that there are much more rooftops nearby and not just NH, there are plenty of others in a 5 mile radius.

To be fair, a five mile radius from downtown would in fact include all of Heritage Hills, Mesta Park on up into Crown Heights. So, it would also be about more than just the number of people living downtown. And it would be more convenient for everyone who works downtown, for Norman, Midwest, and for Yukon. Downtown would be more convenient for more people, but, again, it may not be enough of the right people for Whole Foods.

Funny thing is that I live closer to Classen Curve, but it will be no more convenient than one downtown would be for me.

[lonestarstatesux]

To those upset or less-than-enthused by this not being downtown, do you have any idea where Tulsa's is? It is WAY south of downtown at 41st and Peoria, so south of downtown, Cherry Street, Brookside and many would even say pushing the boundary of Midtown.

[mheaton76]

No reason to complain about the location everyone - we're getting a whole foods!!! Yay for us.

[Swake2]

To those upset or less-than-enthused by this not being downtown, do you have any idea where Tulsa's is? It is WAY south of downtown at 41st and Peoria, so south of downtown, Cherry Street, Brookside and many would even say pushing the boundary of Midtown.

Three miles is "WAY" south? It's in Brookside, in midtown, not at 81st and Lewis or anything like that (where Tulsa's second location was supposed be pre-economic melt down)

In any case, this is good news and way overdue.

[Spaugh]

One of the things that I have not seen mentioned is the fact that WF seems to do very well with their prepared foods. I always seek one out whenever in another state simply because it's easy to find a good/quick meal and plenty selection.

I am not sure what percentage of their sales are groceries but for this reason the CC area makes sense to me. With something like 2-3K people working within walking distance, this almost give CPK a "cafeteria".

Also, WF seems to be very flexible with their floorspace. I have seen them optimize with little room in the northeast, and have very large stores in strip malls in the northwest. I have seen them succeed in strip mall type areas that were miles from downtowns.

[Lord Helmet]

Congrats OKC. Well deserved!

[Spartan]

It's great to finally have the official confirmation.

[CaptDave]

This is great news.... I am still going through WF withdrawals after having the Louisville KY store nearby for the last 6 months. I won't be an every day or even every week WF shopper, but we will definitely go at least a couple times a month. I think "my" type customer will be their real market and I would guess that is the case in most locations.