Downtown Parking

[BDP]

Wow. those pics remind me a lot of a Hot Wheels storage case I had growing up. LOL

Yes. Sad and funny that Hot Wheels can think of a more efficient and attractive way to store toy cars than we can in real life.

[Larry OKC]

I was thinking the same thing, I'm 52 and still have mine and most of the hot wheels as well, My son and I collect them, some are quite valuable.

Sadly I don't have any of my Hot Wheels left. Most jumped the track and ran along the boards until they found a wide enough crack in the floor boards of the walk-in atticand disappeared. there is a Hot Wheels graveyard in a house in Little Rock...

I do have boxes and boxes of my Hot Wheels track somewhere in my parents garage...there may be a car or two come to think of it that may have survived. Mine were the cars you charged and ran on their own...

You mean you stored all your Hot Wheels in some kind of container and didn't space them out in a single layer of rows all over your bedroom floor?

No. LOL Well, except for the ones under the floor boards mentioned above...

[hipsterdoofus]

Still surprised that no one remembers the lack of parking on the West side (where Devon bought the garage). Putting a garage in bricktown or automobile alley won't help that. Apparently at one point, the city thought it worthwhile to have parking there, but now that hundreds more work in the area, it isn't as important.

[OSUMom]

I agree Hip. Putting a garage in AA or bricktown isn't going to help DT parking at all. I park in Broadway-Kerr. Rumor has it we will able to park there for quite some time but that is up to Sandridge. What if they decide they need all the spaces and kick everyone else out? Those 800 new curbside that project 180 is supposed to create isn't going to help. A garage in Bricktown isn't going to help. Is there room in Santa Fe for all the people kicked out of Broadway-Kerr, which includes the valet parking from the Skirvin. I'm not happy with the callous attitude of Rick Cain in Steve's article. To talk about the need for more DT parking then in almost the same sentence mention AA and Bricktown?

Maybe I'm overreacting. I hope I am. I hope Sandridge doesn't kick anybody out for years to come.

[rcjunkie]

I agree Hip. Putting a garage in AA or bricktown isn't going to help DT parking at all. I park in Broadway-Kerr. Rumor has it we will able to park there for quite some time but that is up to Sandridge. What if they decide they need all the spaces and kick everyone else out? Those 800 new curbside that project 180 is supposed to create isn't going to help. A garage in Bricktown isn't going to help. Is there room in Santa Fe for all the people kicked out of Broadway-Kerr, which includes the valet parking from the Skirvin. I'm not happy with the callous attitude of Rick Cain in Steve's article. To talk about the need for more DT parking then in almost the same sentence mention AA and Bricktown?

Maybe I'm overreacting. I hope I am. I hope Sandridge doesn't kick anybody out for years to come.

Depending on the location in Bricktown, it would only be an additional 3--4 block walk and most could use the exercise.

[Spartan]

I agree Hip. Putting a garage in AA or bricktown isn't going to help DT parking at all. I park in Broadway-Kerr. Rumor has it we will able to park there for quite some time but that is up to Sandridge. What if they decide they need all the spaces and kick everyone else out? Those 800 new curbside that project 180 is supposed to create isn't going to help. A garage in Bricktown isn't going to help. Is there room in Santa Fe for all the people kicked out of Broadway-Kerr, which includes the valet parking from the Skirvin. I'm not happy with the callous attitude of Rick Cain in Steve's article. To talk about the need for more DT parking then in almost the same sentence mention AA and Bricktown?

Maybe I'm overreacting. I hope I am. I hope Sandridge doesn't kick anybody out for years to come.

Maybe it's not best for downtown workers, but it's hard to argue that the city doesn't get more out of putting a public garage in Bricktown or AA. From the sounds of it, they're also wanting to leverage the remaining downtown public parking to incentivize mixed-use development in the core. You're seeing a priority shift (finally) from office to mixed-use becoming the preferred development type downtown.

And as rcjunkie mentioned, we are talking about a difference of 3-4 blocks, in a downtown that will be served by streetcar soon. I'm thinking the most likely new garage would be building the transit hub garage on Reno. That would serve both Bricktown, CBD, and Thunder games.

[Just the facts]

Why would you build a parking garage at a transit hub? The whole purpose of a transit hub is to get people to ride transit, not make it easier for them to drive their own cars. The only garage that should be at a transit hub is one to hold about 10 rental cars, and that is only if the OKC-Tulsa route comes into existance.

[bombermwc]

And just how are you going to get yourself to the station to hop on that train Just the Facts? If you've ever been to a city with a car culture like ours, you'll see that there has to be a place to park your car for you to get on the thing. Since there is no suburban hub, if you want people to use it downtown, they need a place close by to park before they get on. It's just like you would have at a suburban station...except we're forced to do it downtown since the line doesn't connect anywhere else.

[OSUMom]

3 or 4 blocks is a very long way when it is raining or icy. And I will believe a street car that DT workers can take from a parking garage to their offices when I see one. I already walk about 3 blocks to work. You think adding 3 or 4 more is no big deal? If they are selling off DT parking garages to private companies for private use they have a responsibility to make sure there is still enough parking. When I read that article I wanted to hear what their plans were for replacing lost parking spaces. Not how happy they were that now they were debt free and can look into giving other areas garages.

[Rover]

If it is a serious transportation hub with intercity train service it will have to have affordable overnight parking nearby. If we want a system to go from bar to bar at night and only be used by downtowners, I guess we don't need one.

[Just the facts]

Bomber, are you seriously going to drive in from Midwest City and go to Midtown, via stopping at the downtown hub and riding the streetcar. Just go park in Midtown. If your destination is Bricktown then park in Bricktown. I can't think of a single city in the world that has a parking garage at their transit hub. Not saying it doesn't exist, but I have looked at a lot of system I have yet to see it.

[SkyWestOKC]

Kerry, if you are taking Amtrack to Dallas....are you going to walk from Midwest City to the train station?

[Just the facts]

3 or 4 blocks is a very long way when it is raining or icy. And I will believe a street car that DT workers can take from a parking garage to their offices when I see one. I already walk about 3 blocks to work. You think adding 3 or 4 more is no big deal? If they are selling off DT parking garages to private companies for private use they have a responsibility to make sure there is still enough parking. When I read that article I wanted to hear what their plans were for replacing lost parking spaces. Not how happy they were that now they were debt free and can look into giving other areas garages.

People do it everyday in cities around the world. Have you thought about moving downtown and just avoiding the whole driving thing?

[OSUMom]

People do it everyday in cities around the world. Have you thought about moving downtown and just avoiding the whole driving thing?

My family and I are happy in our house, thank you. When the last kid is gone we have discussed looking into some of the places around DT but doubt we will because of cost.

And I don't care what other cities do or other people do. I have a right to be irritated when the head of the parking garage system acts like losing so much DT parking is no big deal and how wonderful it is that they have no more debt, and can look into putting parking in other places. Knowing that more people are coming DT to work. Maybe when DT workers are taking up all the fancy new curbside parking all day long they might rethink the importance of it.

[betts]

In most cities a three or four block walk to work is not a big deal at all. An umbrella is a handy thing to have. When the streetcar is completed, on a particularly bad day one could hop aboard the streetcar and likely get closer. I too would like to see the next parking garage be the hub garage, if it's feasible to build it before the hub expansion. That would create a short walk to either Bricktown or the CBD for commuters or downtown visitors.

[metro]

My family and I are happy in our house, thank you. When the last kid is gone we have discussed looking into some of the places around DT but doubt we will because of cost.

And I don't care what other cities do or other people do. I have a right to be irritated when the head of the parking garage system acts like losing so much DT parking is no big deal and how wonderful it is that they have no more debt, and can look into putting parking in other places. Knowing that more people are coming DT to work. Maybe when DT workers are taking up all the fancy new curbside parking all day long they might rethink the importance of it.

Like many people in this city, I think you have a misconception for what a healthy downtown should be like.

[Just the facts]

My family and I are happy in our house, thank you.

Are you sure, because you seem to hate your future commute to work? Also, is the Conn-course an option for you?

[Just the facts]

Kerry, if you are taking Amtrack to Dallas....are you going to walk from Midwest City to the train station?

How do people do it now? 200 people ride Amtrak to Ft Worth every morning. However, like Rover suggested, if inter-city rail comes to OKC then a garage for those people would be warranted. But that is at least 20 years away. Why would the City/State/Region spend money to create commuter rail and then build a parking garage for commuters right next to the final destination? It would make the whole thing self-defeating. Build the parking garages in downtown Norman and downtown Edmond and let people park their cars their. Then we get pedestrians at both ends of the trip - or better yet, it urbanizes dowtown Edmond and Norman even more by people moving to be close to those train stations.

A lot of you seem be trying to build mass transit systems using the automobile as a primary design consideration. Try thinking in terms of eliminating the car from the entire equation. We shouldn't be trying to supplement the car, we should be trying to free people from it. Eliminate the 20 miles drive, not just the last 3 blocks of it.

[OSUMom]

OKC is not NYC. We do not have a great public transportation system. You can't snap your fingers and made it so overnight. Just because you want an urban DT where no cars exist doesn't make it feasible for those that work there now.

Someone said project 180 is going to add 800 more curbside spots. When DT workers are filling those spaces up all day long maybe the city will decide that parking DT is important.

[OSUMom]

Are you sure, because you seem to hate your future commute to work? Also, is the Conn-course an option for you?

I have no problem with my commute. I'm irked with the possibility of the city selling away my parking garage without plans to make sure there is enough parking for those of us displaced.

What do you mean by the Conn-course?

[Just the facts]

I have no problem with my commute. I'm irked with the possibility of the city selling away my parking garage without plans to make sure there is enough parking for those of us displaced.

What do you mean by the Conn-course?

The Conn-course is the underground/skywalk pedestrian system.

http://www.downtownokc.com/Portals/0...map%202007.pdf

[Just the facts]

OKC is not NYC. We do not have a great public transportation system. You can't snap your fingers and made it so overnight. Just because you want an urban DT where no cars exist doesn't make it feasible for those that work there now.

Someone said project 180 is going to add 800 more curbside spots. When DT workers are filling those spaces up all day long maybe the city will decide that parking DT is important.

I imagine there will be a 2 hour time limit on the parking meters so I don't know how many workers will be using those space. As for OKC not being NYC, I am not suggesting that we try. All I am asking is that the City not defeat itself by pursuing counter-productive efforts. At some point in the recent past OKC has decided to make an attempt at rebuilding sustainable traditional neighborhoods (a method of urban development that has been refined over thousands of years). But that becomes hard to accomplish when other parts of the City keep trying to reproduce what hasn't been working (see my whole commentary on the location of the Senior Wellness Centers).

Again, I am not saying don't build a parking garage - just don't do it at the transit hub. Personally, I would build a garage on the surface lot south of City Hall next to the Hightower Building.

[Urban Pioneer]

I think that there is a real opportunity to integrate streetcar service with a parking garage on the line. We're at least a decade away from seeing any regional rail service. Phase 1 streetcar service is about 4-5 years out. The Sandridge campus will be flanked on both sides by northbound and southbound lines. The campus plaza is also a great location to interface with the underground Conncourse, if there is a desire to do so.

[OSUMom]

The Conn-course is the underground/skywalk pedestrian system.

http://www.downtownokc.com/Portals/0...map%202007.pdf

I use the tunnel now in bad weather. It doesn't go to Bricktown or AA so I don't see how that would help if that is where they choose to build a new parking garage.

[OSUMom]

I imagine there will be a 2 hour time limit on the parking meters so I don't know how many workers will be using those space. As for OKC not being NYC, I am not suggesting that we try. All I am asking is that the City not defeat itself by pursuing counter-productive efforts. At some point in the recent past OKC has decided to make an attempt at rebuilding sustainable traditional neighborhoods (a method of urban development that has been refined over thousands of years). But that becomes hard to accomplish when other parts of the City keep trying to reproduce what hasn't been working (see my whole commentary on the location of the Senior Wellness Centers).

Again, I am not saying don't build a parking garage - just don't do it at the transit hub. Personally, I would build a garage on the surface lot south of City Hall next to the Hightower Building.

I would be ok with parking on the west side of DT as opposed to the east side.

And as for the 2 hour time limit on parking meters, I've heard of people feeding meters all day. It isn't rampant, but I guarantee you if downtown businesses are told that available parking for employees is in AA or Bricktown, you will see a lot more of it.