Chesapeake empire marches on

[Spartan]

Jethrol, this is their office in Ft Worth. Google image search for Chesapeake Energy and all kinds of pics of this bldg come up, none of their campus.



Which by the way, a majority of CHK's work is actually done in the Barnett Shale in North Texas, hence the huge Ft Worth office. Of course the OKC office has more employees than any other one location, but Texas as a whole probably has more CHK workers than Oklahoma as a whole.

[jbrown84]

I wish they'd stop tearing things down when they have no immediate plan to build.

Maybe they do...?

It is a logical step towards the development of a large, complex multi-use project to replace several that currently exist. A fair metaphor is "rebuilding an airplane while in flight."

We did it with the airport.

[Pete]

Maybe they do...?

Nothing has been submitted to NH for approval.

And, they have submitted some conceptual plans for reconstructing that entire area, but have met with significant opposition from the immediate neighbors.


I hope I'm wrong but my best guess is that nothing new is going to be constructed on that corner until they get all the ducks in a row; i.e. acquiring the rest of the surrounding condos, moving NH City Hall, getting approval from the city, and the economy improving quite a bit.

That could take years or even a decade.

[John]

Looks like King's Court's days are numbered, indeed... The OKCO Sheriff has a (SWAT?) training exercise going on there currently.

Next up, OKFD training/burn/demo?

[securityinfo]

King's Court gone. CHK has closed on the last office building on Classen that they didn't own, and appear to be down to not owning only a few of the homes (like less than 10?) in the area. I hope some of the new construction planned by CHK can now begin, as the area is pretty much theirs now. If natural gas prices would only increase just a bit....

[Spartan]

It looks like they have some work to do acquiring properties contiguously along Shartel before they can begin with any kind of development to the east of Classen. Shartel would be the vital avenue through anything they might or might not yet have planned.

[securityinfo]

The county records indicate that they own all of Shartel but for a couple of homes on the east side of the street. There are a few houses left on 62nd, and a couple more on the next blocks east of Shartel.

CHK should be very close to being able to create their vision for the campus. Too bad they don't want to share that with the rest of us :-(

[Pete]

In addition to the cam for the Whole Foods location, CHK's construction firm has webcams up on three other campus projects.


New Central Car Park (Original, small office cottages were removed except one that will be a CHK museum. Ultimately, a play field and track will be installed on the surface level of this structure.)




Day Care Center (Immediately east of big parking structure):



And Building 14 (Just north of the same parking structure; east of Classen between 62nd & 61st):




You can seem all the webcams here:

http://www.smithandpickel.com/

[Pete]

Noticed that about a month ago CHK requested and received approval to close all the roads and alleys highlighted below.

I believe the longer term plan for the area east of Shartel is housing.

[Pete]

Also, I just noticed that CHK finally acquired that small office building (old school?) on the SW corner of 63rd & Western.

Paid $7 million for it... Previous owners bought it for $2.8 million just five years ago.

[metro]

I hope they don't plan on tearing it down unless they build a multistory mixed use development on that corner. Also for those that aren't familiar with that building, it has underground parking, you can't really tell because Chesapeake already did a good job masking it with the bushes you see out front, just left of the driveway.

[SkyWestOKC]

Buddy of mine works for Chesapeake, says they are about to build a hotel on one of their properties near or on the campus. He didn't tell me exactly where or how big...

I hate these kinds of rumors and realize 1/50 like this are correct, so take it with a grain of salt. But that is what I heard and felt I should share. Again, rumor.

[Pete]

I'm sure a hotel in that area is needed, not only for CHK business travelers but just in general. The only decent rooms in that area are at the Waterford.

If this comes to pass, I bet it will be on the property near Whole Foods. That playing field and track will soon be redundant when the new central car park is completed and on their master plan that entire area is shown as mixed use.

I imagine they will continue to expand their office buildings to the east, as they've already crossed Classen with one and another is under construction.

[circuitboard]

W hotel and residences @ the curve? please? Ok I will stop dreaming.

[stlokc]

Well, more grist for the rumor mill...my Dad has a friend with a business in the building where the Varsity used to be (I don't remember the name). He told him that the future plans for his building included it's razing for purposes of a "Chesapeake hotel." But this was at least a year ago, so who knows?

[SkyWestOKC]

That would go along with what my buddy told me. He told me a building (didn't say which one) was going to be flattened pretty soon and a hotel built on it by/for CHK. But, rumors are rumors. Everyone may know them in a company, but that doesn't make it true -- just means both heard the same rumor.

However, given the amount of money and development Chesapeake is putting forward for that area, I wouldn't doubt something along those lines would come up.

[Jethrol]

Wouldn't surprise me a bit if they built a hotel on their campus.....I know they bring in a lot of consultants and stuff from around the country so they have to have a place to put them all.

I heard another rumor that they're going to build an employee fishing pond E of Shartel....actually might even be further E but I think it's planned to go in where all the big mounds of dirt are.

[john60]

Are there any zoning ordinances in that area that would restrict the height of a hotel? It seems like all the buildings in the area are no more than three-four stories.

[J. Pitman]

Anyone know the rumored completion date on the daycare?

[metro]

That's what I was hoping for for that whole block that incorporates the Whole Foods. Something like Dallas' Park Lane. Have a nice midrise hotel like the W or Aloft or something, have retail on the first floor and condo's mixed in I hope they make that block real dense development.

[Pete]

The daycare should be finished in less than a year.

The building that used to house The Varsity (and before that, Michael's Plum) is called Glenbrook Centre East. I was by there about a week ago and besides the bridge over the creek to the south where Whole Foods is being built, that area seemed pretty quiet and largely empty. You know they will bring it down eventually as they have not been renewing leases there for some time.

[stlokc]

Am I the only one that shakes my head in wonder at this kind of thing? (if true, a big if) A few years ago that was a full, thriving building with good tenants, retail, etc. I'm not saying it was the greatest place in the world, but I don't understand why they would buy that, empty it out, and tear it down when they have all that open land east of the campus. It sure will be interesting to see how this all plays out...I'm sure somewhere there's a plan.

[Pete]

CHK has already torn down dozens of buildings... There was an office building of about the same size they pulled down recently just west of Glenbrook Centre and it didn't even make the news (and nobody commented on it here until I saw an aerial). They've also razed the Kennsington apartments and Kings court condos in the same general area, with no specific plans to develop those properties. Both have been empty lots for some time.

Their M.O. has been to acquire, not renew leases (and in many cases, buy them out) and tear down as soon as a building is vacant.


I'm less critical now that they have actually built something back (Classen Curve and Whole Foods) that will benefit the surrounding community.

[J. Pitman]

The daycare should be finished in less than a year.

Less than a year from now or less than a year from the start of construction?

[Pete]

Are there any zoning ordinances in that area that would restrict the height of a hotel? It seems like all the buildings in the area are no more than three-four stories.

The height of the buildings are just preference by CHK. All of their campus (and even the area west of Western and south of 63rd) is in Oklahoma City, not Nichols Hills. So, they shouldn't have any issues building taller, especially since most these areas are already zoned for office/commercial.


And I believe the day care center will be open by next summer.