Level Apartments

[Spartan]

...almost reminds me of some prefabricated construction of newer student housing in Sweden.

[Just the facts]

I for one like it. It is an urban apartment, it is meant for light cooking and sleeping. I am not even sure I would own a TV if I lived there, although I am sure someone will try to pack in a 60 incher. Someday when these units go condo you can add some higher quality fixtures and cabinets without having to break the bank.

[metro]

Yeah maybe once it is all done it will look better, that picture just really made it look cheap.

Agree, looked like cheap fixtures and appliances.

[betts]

Everybody wants apartments downtown, but people build apartments only to generate cash. So, they cut corners where they can and make them just nice enough to generate the price point they need. Homeowners are willing to pay for aesthetics, not landlords.

I'm waiting for the pendulum of public opinion to swing in a few years, but by then we may have a few more LEVELs aging ungracefully perhaps.

[metro]

I for one like it. It is an urban apartment, it is meant for light cooking and sleeping. I am not even sure I would own a TV if I lived there, although I am sure someone will try to pack in a 60 incher. Someday when these units go condo you can add some higher quality fixtures and cabinets without having to break the bank.

Kerry, but when someone is shelling out $1000+ for a one bedroom in OKC, then they should get the fixtures to match the budget. If this was in ATL, CHI, NYC, SF,SEA, MIA, LV, then I could see them cheating out on fixtures, but $1000 will buy you a lot in OKC, even downtown.

[metro]

Yuck! Those cabinets are very cheap looking... and white appliances, with white tile? So freaking boring for an urban apartment in my opinion.

The all white isn't bad, it's just the quality they chose, and I agree, white appliances aren't the best lok for this, but it's much cheaper than stainless is why they probably cheaped out.

[Just the facts]

I think a fair portion of the $1000 is accounted for in the location and parking deck. Only the microwave is white, the rest will be black.

[Rover]

I got lambasted early on for criticizing this finish level. If people could see what is being done in other "urban" areas they might expect more here. Though I like the general architecture I am also disappointed that the exterior is basically slightly better eifs (though it is technically stucco). I hope the rest of the finish is better throughout.

[Spartan]

I just don't see the point in criticizing the finish level, especially when you're all pretty hesitant in criticizing the real culprits downtown. There is no question that LEVEL is an unprecedented step in the right direction for OKC, regardless of whether downtown's high-level executives are knocking the door down at the leasing office.

I don't remember the exact figure, but the construction cost per living unit is extraordinarily high for an apartment development in this part of the country. I want to say it's around $120,000? (I figure giving someone an opportunity to correct my post is the best and easiest way of getting someone to look it up for me)

They wouldn't post the photo if McKown, who really gets the creative class as a potential downtown force, didn't stand by it. At some point, a microwave (which most consider an amenity) is so minute a detail when I feel like we're getting beleaguered by crappy developments, hidden interests, building demolitions left and right, block demolitions, landmark demolitions, broken public works projects, and political controversy to name a few (at least we're not Tulsa yet). How can anyone have the energy or devotion to criticize the microwaves that are pre-installed and waiting to be used by future tenants when there are so many bigger and more important issues??

P.S. Stainless steel microwaves would look better with wooden cabinetry or black paint, I think it would look awful with white. That's just my opinion, and you probably would not want me to redesign your place so take it with a grain of salt. :-P

[betts]

I just don't see the point in criticizing the finish level, especially when you're pretty hesitant in criticizing the real culprits downtown. There is no question that LEVEL is an unprecedented step in the right direction for OKC, regardless of whether downtown's high-level executives are knocking the door down at the leasing offic.

Why is it unprecedented? The Deep Deuce Apartments have been in existence for years, and in many ways are more visually appropriate to the neighborhood.

I think LEVEL will end up looking fine, once they get the balconies done, but it's really just an apartment building, and a fairly bare bones one at that. In fact, I'm asking myself why the Edge was required to come back with a design showing more brick on the facade, and LEVEL got away with very little.

[Spartan]

Well that's $1200/mo. I think LEVEL is actually the Edge of what people can afford within 2-4 years of graduating.

LEVEL is unprecedented because it's bringing a small albeit legitimate locally-owned grocery option to downtown. It's also unprecedented due to its urban form, how it fills an entire block AND will define an entire block (one which is wedged between other new urban developments in a way that is also unprecedented for OKC).

And I might even credit it with flying in the face of the obsession with for-sale condominium units in the wake of the realities of the 2008 financial crash.

Requiring them to factor in some more brick would have countered their design approach (whereas Edge clearly is designed for a more masonry-heavy traditionalist look), however I agree that if we as a city just understood a little more about EIFS and different alternatives and similar building systems then we could have a policy that required utterly impeccable stucco or whatever makes us happy. That would no doubt be a VERY good idea, problem is...it would probably not be enforced, just like every other building "suggestion" (formerly known as codes) in OKC.

[Rover]

I find it interesting that those that hold some to such high standards are apologists for others. I continue to say that we should expect more from everyone, not just those in or out of favor. We need a permanent and sustaining downtown.

[Doug Loudenback]

I'm a generalist on this one. I'm not into the discussion about other projects in the broad vicinity ... Deep Deuce Apartments, the Hill, others. They are not the same thing. What I am into is having a renters (i.e., apartment) complex which looks good from the outside and which is sufficiently appealing on the inside to potential tenants to rent their apartments to fill the space (land area). My generalist impression is that the developer of this project has met my personal criteria, and I'm very pleased for this infill and will be glad to witness its opening, and I think this is a fine development for Oklahoma City.

If a previous post is accurate, the prices range is 1BR $850 – $1,160; for 2BR $1,270 – $1,520 (and that price range is verified here). Truly, one can find similar space outside of downtown for those amounts, probably in Midtown (I've not checked). Make no mistake, there is a price premium for truly living in the center of the city, which, for those who wish to promote the desirability of living downtown, seems fair enough. But it should be understood that part of the rental price is that singular quality ... living downtown. Many will not see the value of doing so, but others will, hopefully enough to make this project successful.

JustTheFacts said in an earlier post in this thread,

Downtown apartments are running 98% full with market rates 50% higher than the city average. That indicates there is no shortage of demand.

If that is accurate, then this project should succeed nicely. Were I a young person working downtown, I'd certainly be pleased to be living in an apartment shown by the previously shown renderings which is near to work, Bricktown, and Chesapeake Arena, as well as downtown generally.

[Spartan]

Rover, I'm very inclined to agree with that. You totally called me out. I'll admit that I wish he used real stucco. I wish the Bricktown Hampton didn't use "stucco," and I wish the adjoining new hotel didn't incorporate the same facade elements which I think will have an ugly stripe effect across the Bricktown skyline like an EIFS impression of some 80's addidas sneakers or something like that. I wish that Legacy wasn't utter crap.

My feelings on those are just really sedate compared to how strongly I feel about 50+ other issues. I lament our DOWNTOWN building standards being so low that if anyone finds them on the ground, please pick them up for us. I just think ultimately we're going to really appreciate this one project a lot. If there's any project that got little scrutiny (BUDC just threw their hands up and shouted "I can't vote no!") it's the House of Bedlam. I could probably write 10 pages just venting about that and pointing blame one way and another and cursing the BUDC this way and that, but why?

There's a lot going on downtown. A lot of it is really good. A lot of it is just so frustrating that I almost want to just pull a BUDC and be like the monkey who says "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." What can you do? Maybe we can all just agree that downtown's boundaries should just be changed to 2-3 blocks centered around 9th and Broadway. No plans to screw that up, right? (Knock on wood)

[circuitboard]

I know we do this comparison often, but I can not resist. In Dallas I can easily rent an apartment in downtown or uptown with much nicer interior for around 1,000 a month. So I am sorry but I do not agree with the design choice for the interior, it looks cheap thus far.

[Spartan]

Well now that our Dallas comparison porn for this page of this thread is out of the way...

(Just giving you a hard time lol)

[circuitboard]

Well now that our Dallas comparison porn for this page of this thread is out of the way...

(Just giving you a hard time lol)

lol, I really hate to compare to Dallas every time, but this one is just too easy.

[Rover]

Spartan, we agree on this. I feel like this development is mostly very positive and if maintained will sustain for long enough to help the core progress. There are other battles needing to be fought more.

[Rover]

Well now that our Dallas comparison porn for this page of this thread is out of the way...

(Just giving you a hard time lol)

I was think more of comparisons to projects I've been on in Seattle, Austin, Denver, Chicago, and others.

[Doug Loudenback]

I know we do this comparison often, but I can not resist. In Dallas I can easily rent an apartment in downtown or uptown with much nicer interior for around 1,000 a month. So I am sorry but I do not agree with the design choice for the interior, it looks cheap thus far.

Unless you are making no distinction between an apartment in the core of downtown OKC v. core of downtown Dallas, and near this city's major entertainment district v. a similar district in Dallas, and near this city's basketball arena, all at the same time, you are comparing apples and oranges. Less expensive rents can be found near-downtown here, too. But that is not the same thing.

[dankrutka]

Well, I'd probably be in the target demographic and if I move back to OKC (a possibility) I will look into living there. I'm satisfied, but I don't have the expertise others here do. To my untrained eye, it looks great.

[Spartan]

Unless you are making no distinction between an apartment in the core of downtown OKC v. core of downtown Dallas, and near this city's major entertainment district v. a similar district in Dallas, and near this city's basketball arena, all at the same time, you are comparing apples and oranges. Less expensive rents can be found near-downtown here, too. But that is not the same thing.

You know, one thing that is a little strange to me is when developers pitch "near the Thunder basketball arena" because you never hear that in other cities. Including Calgary where the Flames are so enshrined in the identity. I guess in Green Bay...

I know it's a great pitch, not detracting from it. Maybe it's more about an "all-America" feel than a matter of size.

[ljbab728]

Maybe it's more about an "all-America" feel than a matter of size.

Spartan, I don't understand that statement at all. Please elaborate.

[UnFrSaKn]

From Monday January 23. Sorry these take so long to do.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS7Jvg3f9Gc

While I was doing video Monday, I was walking along 2nd street and a man came over. I thought "Oh boy...what's this guy going to say to me." It ended up being Richard McKown. We talked for about twenty minutes. I threw out the usual names like "OKCTalk" and "Steve Lackmeyer". He was familiar with both. Really friendly, and pitched the idea of us doing an in-depth tour of the inside. He mentioned a lot of things I can't really remember. He talked about the architects in London, how there's a scale model that they'd like to ship over but said how hard that would be to get it shipped over here. He said the upper floors were angled just right to see the skyline from the living room. How/why they chose the black brick on the ground floor. Lots of things. Gave me his card.

[dankrutka]

Link?