SandRidge Center & Commons

[Steve]

I suspect it will be taller than 15 stories.

[Patrick]

Maybe so.....he likened it to Dowell Center, which I guess is something like 18-20 stories.

[OKCDrummer77]

Dowell Center is 20 stories (the top 2 are smaller than the others). As for this new tower, a building of that height with that large a footprint sounds like it will create a nice streetwall if they push it out to Broadway.

[plmccordj]

Everyone keeps talking about this LARGE footprint. As I look at that lot, I am not seeing the room for much of a footprint at all. Heck, if you put the current building right up against it's East wall and it would go all the way to the street. Are people speculating that the building will be long and narrow to the North and South? That is the only way I can see a large footprint on that small area where that garage sits. If I am seeing this incorrectly, can you clarify?

[Patrick]

Take a look at the picture, and look to the right (east)of the tower. That property is about the same width as the tower, but the new building could be extended further north and south. That's what makes it a larger footprint. The building will be about the same size as the parking garage in foot print, only taller. The garage has a lot larger footprint than the tower. The tower only takes up about 50% of the lot between Robert S. Kerr and Dean McGee. The new tower could essentially be just as wide as the tower, yet stretch further north and south and take up nearly 100% of the lot in that direction.

[Patrick]

This is what they have in mind, only maybe a little taller:

[mcca7596]

I hope it can be like the Braniff building and have some retail space. If the Carnegie project ever does happen, it would sure be nice for some of the workers of Sandridge to be right across the street.

[wschnitt]

This is what they have in mind, only maybe a little taller:

Sandridge is planning to build on those two large parcels on Broadway?

[Doug Loudenback]

Good news for downtown! Sorta makes all the Sandridge haters look silly now...actually they looked silly then but especially now.

Will be interesting to see what the architects come up with. The current trend is all-glass, but it needs to complement the current tower and its neighbors.

Maybe something like this: http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2...thout_its.html

Disagree completely about the looking silly part. Very legitimate procedural and substantive issues were involved in that phase of SandRidge's then-proposal. Very solid positions existed that SandRidge got a Kings-X in that process ... rules were probably, at least arguably, not followed that would normally apply to other projects and a thorough investigation of whether historic structures were, indeed, unsalvageable (mainly the India Temple Building and the OKC S&L) was not done (largely thwarted by SandRidge since it refused to permit objective experts to have a close inspection of the affected properties).

It may be, earlywinegareth, that you regard such matters as petty and inconsequential, and, if you do, that is your privilege. But it is not the only point of view, regardless of how you might be inclined to trivialize the matters which have been thoroughly discussed here by those who see matters differently.

Regardless, just because SandRidge may/will construct a substantial new building not specifically included in its original proposal hasn't got anything at all to do with whether its proposal before the DDRC and then the Board of Adjustment (footnote: the one BOA member who voted against SandRidge's position was not reappointed by the mayor, which has customarily been done). Just because a project's sponsor, in this case SandRidge, was heavy-handed in the earlier process and whose position was bolstered by big corporate interests in the city, and that SandRidge now says that it may/will build a new structure downtown does not mean that what it, and its allies, did during the proposal phase is mystically transformed into an automatic high-five, "What we did was OK."

That said, what's done is done and, except for public educational purposes as to future proposals, no point exists in beating a dead horse, especially when no political will exists to do things differently as happened in this piece of Oklahoma City's history. Perhaps political will may change in the future, but it's not there now.

So, for now, I earnestly hope that SandRidge will use its victory to enhance downtown and the city in positive ways, whether that means to perform on that which it previously said that it would do (for which it is not obligated to do) or to make additional projects like that being discussed here and in the accompanying thread.

On edit: Just because serious-minded people might think along the lines that I do (and have expressed) regarding the procedure of how SandRidge got its original proposal adopted, or about the value of historical preservation, does not make us "SandRidge haters," at least not me. I'm for any business, large or small, doing good things for downtown, even if I'm not inclined to give a blind eye about how things get done and/or what might get destroyed in the process.

[mcca7596]

They own those parcels and they will be parking garages most likely.

[Doug Loudenback]

I seriously doubt there will be another tower built that will be as high or higher than Devon. But are we looking at more mid- to high-rises? Yep. Been saying it for a while, and I'm not backing away from it.

You've got a backbone of steel.

[Just the facts]

Good news for downtown! Sorta makes all the Sandridge haters look silly now...actually they looked silly then but especially now.

How do you figure? Sandridge ended up doing exactly what us urbanist wanted them to do all along - and that is keep downtown urban. You can't blame us if Sandridge kept that secret from everyone. If they said they were going replace India Temple with another building I would have helped haul away the debris. If anything, the people who were content with a suburban toga park are the ones who look silly.

[Steve]

I'm pretty convinced there are people within SandRidge who have a lot of regret over how things were handled. Note the executive who was the key player in the controversial hearings is no longer with the company.

[Doug Loudenback]

That's good to hear, Steve, and I hope that it's so. I don't recall who that key player was and in the middle of OU game (with OSU to follow) I don't want to look up who you are referring to. Maybe you or someone else will save me the trouble by naming the name so that I can keep one eye on the TV and another on this forum.

[Doug Loudenback]

Well, it's 9:17 pm and I see that you are on-line, Steve, so I guess I'll have to spend my own precious time looking up the name that you could have named so simply. Oh, wait, back to the game ... not good, Landry intercepted. At least, it's on the Nole's 20 or so ... whoops ...

On edit: Oh, well, it doesn't really matter, does it. By the same token, neither may the remark about unnamed people in, "within SandRidge who have a lot of regret over how things were handled."

Do-de-doddle-do-de-doddle, etc.



We've just crossed over into the "no-name zone."

But, the bottom line is: it just doesn't matter.

[wschnitt]

They own those parcels and they will be parking garages most likely.

Not ideal, but better than nothing.

[wschnitt]

That would do a lot for foot traffic forcing the Sand Ridge people to walk those few blocks.

[wschnitt]

What about the spot north of TAP architecture?

[mcca7596]

Good question, that would be a very small parking garage indeed. IDK.

[Steve]

Doug, simply because this shows I'm "online" doesn't mean I'm actually on OKC Talk. Sometimes I just leave it up. As for the "no names," yeah, that was intended. If you want me to share insight as to what's going on, this is sometimes the best I can do. Subpoena me if you don't like it!

(this is where I would post some stupid smile face or something to indicate there is no hostility intended with this response)

[earlywinegareth]

There are and were a number of people who were happy with SandRidge's plans all along, i.e. getting rid of the eyesores/unusable structures and even before this current announcement, SandRidge was doing downtown OKC a great favor. We also want to see downtown OKC develop it's urban identify, but we don't think there should be some kind of moratorium on destruction of existing structures. That's just unrealistic.

And Doug, normally I respect your views, but in all honesty I think you need to get over yourself just a little bit - you are prone to making mountains out of molehills and we are all free to have differing opinions.

[Rover]

This development and the extra people will help make a chronically dead few blocks alive now.

[MDot]

This development and the extra people will help make a chronically dead few blocks alive now.

This area has needed something like this to happen and help it look alive for quite sometime.

Hopefully it will bring in more people that aren't SandRidge empolyees.

[Doug Loudenback]

There are and were a number of people who were happy with SandRidge's plans all along, i.e. getting rid of the eyesores/unusable structures and even before this current announcement, SandRidge was doing downtown OKC a great favor. We also want to see downtown OKC develop it's urban identify, but we don't think there should be some kind of moratorium on destruction of existing structures. That's just unrealistic.

And Doug, normally I respect your views, but in all honesty I think you need to get over yourself just a little bit - you are prone to making mountains out of molehills and we are all free to have differing opinions.

As to ¶1, I understand that many have that point of view. As to ¶2, of course. But it wasn't me who said, "Sorta makes all the Sandridge haters look silly now...actually they looked silly then but especially now." I didn't call those who disagreed with me any names, like "Sandridge haters," or "silly." It was YOU who said those things about people who didn't share YOUR viewpoint, not me.

[betts]

I see nothing wrong with hoping to preserve historic buildings, regardless what may or may not take their place. But, once they're gone it's over, and the same person can celebrate the fact that at least something besides a parking lot may take their place.