REHCO / Former Downtown Ford site

[Kerry]

Steve,

Does the new development have financing locked in?

The two men involved are probably the financiers themselves. I think finance will be the least of their concerns.

[stlokc]

That Branson Landing hotel looks like Lower Bricktown. I would hope that the developers of this particular site would think substantially more sophisticated-ly (probably not a word) for that site. Branson Landing is how I imagine the Quail Springs mall development to eventually look.

[Dustin]

That Branson Landing hotel looks like Lower Bricktown. I would hope that the developers of this particular site would think substantially more sophisticated-ly (probably not a word) for that site.

I was there over spring break and it was actually really nice! I would be ecstatic if something like this was built.

[stlokc]

I don't want to judge. I'm glad you had fun on your trip. But to my mind, Branson is a small town that caters to young families on a budget and a segment of older people that seek mild-level shows and think Vegas is naughty. There's a time and place for everything. But 5-story pre-cast construction, while appropriate for Branson and Plano and Quail Springs, should not be the standard for the most urban part of one of America's 30 biggest cities. Just my humble opinion.

[Nuclear_2525]

I have been to Branson Landing many times and I can assure it is NOT what we want for this site or anywhere in Downtown for that matter. The Construction is cheap, cheap, cheap, and the Architectural style is about as plain and boring as it gets. Branson Landing is like the Wal-Mart of mixed use development, meaning it is laid out, and looks like every other cheap, standard mixed-use development around the country.

[Spartan]

The area I really see taking off after Devon is done is the Main Street row of [vacant] shops between Hudson and Walker. An Irish Pub or a Brooks Brothers couldn't help but be successful there.

The only way a Brooks Bros is coming downtown is if it's included in a large development from a prominent developer like Cordish or someone like that and if the project is modeled closely after the West Village, ala, Brooks Bros.

Also, anybody notice Mayor Mick's comment about this site being too central for the convention center? "Too 'in the middle of things'" I think is what he said. So the park is not supposed to be in the middle of things, so that's a natural fit for the convention center. Just because of the extent to which that logic does not make sense, I really am starting to think Cornett is getting it, but that others who might have more say are going to take longer to catch on.

I also think with Fred Hall putting Alison Oshel to work on this, hopefully she can earn her stripes for downtown here.

[Kerry]

Spartan, they Mayor is correct. This would be the worst spot in OKC for a Convention Center. The Convention Center should be nowhere near the park, and especially fronting parks on two sides. C.C. create huge dead spots. They are only open from 9Am to 5PM and are closed on weekends. Their sheer size discourages people from even trying to walk past them. Take a trip to any convention center in America on Friday night at 8PM and tell me how many people you see around it. Even the C.C. at Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas) is dead during that time.

[Spartan]

Yeah we both agree on that, I was just juxtaposing his correct assessment that the Downtown Ford site is bad with the incorrect assessment that the park-side site is an appropriate for a convention center.

[BDP]

That Branson Landing hotel looks like Lower Bricktown.

Ha. I wish. While not that special, relatively, it is 10 times better than lower bricktwon and that Residence Inn. If that had been built instead of the Residence Inn, retail in bricktown might be light years ahead of what it is now.

[Kerry]

Yeah we both agree on that, I was just juxtaposing his correct assessment that the Downtown Ford site is bad with the incorrect assessment that the park-side site is an appropriate for a convention center.

I got you now. Your right, we are talking a difference of one or two blocks between this site and the one south of Ford Center, but all the charactersits stay the same. It needs to be located closer to Lower Bricktown.

[soonerguru]

Zimmer Gunsal would be a good architect to design the development, the are known for good residential/condo development www.zgf.com

That is great work.

[Kerry]

Don't rule out http://www.ahmm.co.uk

They are already doing several projects in OKC.

[Spartan]

I'd kinda just like to see TAP designing downtown developments again.

[wsucougz]

I'd kinda just like to see TAP designing downtown developments again.

Seconded. Seems like they fell off the surface.

[shane453]

These three blocks have always had a retail/residential development with two towers on the Core to Shore planning documents- and the owners have known for a while that they were going to do something like this, according to the article. Maybe the C2S planners also had conversations with Howard and Hall about their future plans for the area, and we've already seen a general idea of what they'd like to do? Hopefully we see some drawings soon! Cool.

[BG918]

Seconded. Seems like they fell off the surface.

Are they involved in any active OKC projects?

[soonerguru]

RE: TAP. I'm not completely lit up about the residential things they have designed so far. Maybe we should look beyond our city borders for this.

[G.Walker]

Hopefully they will outsource the architectural design work. Haven't seen a local architectural firm with notable residential high-rises. Ziegler Cooper would be a great fit www.zieglercooper.com, their residential portfolio is astonishing.

[Spartan]

I am not completely sure, but I think TAP has been occupied lately designing churches and medical office buildings and single residences; types of projects that hardly utilize their principals' creative talent.

While TAP seems to have fallen off the surface, Rand has gotten a lot more prominent lately and as a result maybe his creative talent has fallen off the surface as well? I miss the pre-recession days for architecture. All we have designs from these days are outside architects and Rand, who is great as a part of a whole and not so much as the most prominent architect in town.

[BG918]

I am not completely sure, but I think TAP has been occupied lately designing churches and medical office buildings and single residences; types of projects that hardly utilize their principals' creative talent.

While TAP seems to have fallen off the surface, Rand has gotten a lot more prominent lately and as a result maybe his creative talent has fallen off the surface as well? I miss the pre-recession days for architecture. All we have designs from these days are outside architects and Rand, who is great as a part of a whole and not so much as the most prominent architect in town.

Architects are struggling. The recession really took a toll on the entire construction industry and especially architects. It's not something the media ever talks about so most people outside of the industry have no idea, but nationwide the unemployment rate for architects was over 30% and it hasn't improved much. The aftermath of this recession will be felt for a long time in the design/construction community.

[Spartan]

A lot of them have had their pay slashed in half too. I think I read something where only 15% of architects can claim to not be majorly affected right now.

[OKCRT]

A guy I was talking to today said that there has been talk of a twin mid-high rise building configuration of some sorts being bandied about. He said 30 stories plus and to me that sounds like more of a high rise. How many stories is the old 1st nat. building?

Of course this is prob. just more speculation as I am not sure that anyone knows for sure what will be built there yet. All we do know for sure is ,something will be built on that property.

[dmoor82]

^^I HOPE your correct on these speculations because currently no building in OKC has more than 36 stories! http://search.mywebsearch.com/mywebs...yPtSY%3D&ct=AR FNC is 493 ft tall w/33 floors!

[G.Walker]

A guy I was talking to today said that there has been talk of a twin mid-high rise building configuration of some sorts being bandied about. He said 30 stories plus and to me that sounds like more of a high rise. How many stories is the old 1st nat. building?

Of course this is prob. just more speculation as I am not sure that anyone knows for sure what will be built there yet. All we do know for sure is ,something will be built on that property.

I doubt they will be that tall, more likely 15-20 stories.

[Spartan]

Actually the First National is more like 440. I know that the Oklahoma Tower is taller, although Oklahoma Tower, City Place, and First National are all 3 very close in height.