Will Rogers World Airport - Eastside Commercial Development!

[catch22]

My Email was circulated through a few offices and I assume I received a "finalized" reply.

[Snowman]

I contacted the city about Portland Ave. Will be a 4 lane 45mph street. No sidewalks or pedestrian infrastructure provided. All pedestrian infrastructure will be built as buildings are built. So...You will have your Chili's with a sidewalk, then a 75 foot gap of no sidewalk until your next pad development of a McDonald's.

They say they want urban development but I believe it is lip service and I will believe it when I see it. This is going to be another UNP, without the sidewalks.

I laughed and wondered if that slide was suppose to be in a different presentation when I first saw it because nothing up to that point seemed like they were going that direction and a lot of things stated prior indicated they were wanting the standard destination shopping center.

[catch22]

In all of the meetings I have attended the ongoing theme pushed by OCAT has been a urban development.

Once again, I do not have high hopes for this project.

[bombermwc]

It's not new news that it's not an urban masterplan. In what universe does discussion of including a home improvement store (Home Depot) part of an urban design? Not to mention the fact that the runway side will, by its very nature, be spacious and not walkable. The I-44 side will simply be another swath of shopping centers with a "center" area. It will be more like Norman's University Center than anything. Mixed-use...nah. Remember that masterplans are more often than not, NOT what gets built. Just like C2S, it will be totally dependant on what the developers decide they want to build....not what the airport authority thinks they want there.

As for sidewalks, they also aren't a surprise. If you put them in at first, each one of those developers that come in, are going to rip them out and/or block them off during consutruction. So you'd be asking the airport to put money in for sidewalks (no one is going to use) and then have it be wasted as they are torn back out. Again, it's not a surprise...it's normal business. Doing it this way, the airport can save quite a bit of money (sidewalks dont cost a little $5 a foot or anything).

I'm not sure why people are getting all panties-twisted here. It's all been out in the open from day 1.

[catch22]

Obviously you have not been involved with this.

From day 1, the airport has seeked (or at least have stated) they wanted the shopping district to be an urban mixed use development district.

The hangars and airside facilities are a separate phase. The retail section was to be urban design.

[Plutonic Panda]

It's not new news that it's not an urban masterplan. In what universe does discussion of including a home improvement store (Home Depot) part of an urban design? Not to mention the fact that the runway side will, by its very nature, be spacious and not walkable. The I-44 side will simply be another swath of shopping centers with a "center" area. It will be more like Norman's University Center than anything. Mixed-use...nah. Remember that masterplans are more often than not, NOT what gets built. Just like C2S, it will be totally dependant on what the developers decide they want to build....not what the airport authority thinks they want there.

As for sidewalks, they also aren't a surprise. If you put them in at first, each one of those developers that come in, are going to rip them out and/or block them off during consutruction. So you'd be asking the airport to put money in for sidewalks (no one is going to use) and then have it be wasted as they are torn back out. Again, it's not a surprise...it's normal business. Doing it this way, the airport can save quite a bit of money (sidewalks dont cost a little $5 a foot or anything).

I'm not sure why people are getting all panties-twisted here. It's all been out in the open from day 1.

I think this development looks pretty nice

[bombermwc]

Obviously you have not been involved with this.

From day 1, the airport has seeked (or at least have stated) they wanted the shopping district to be an urban mixed use development district.

The hangars and airside facilities are a separate phase. The retail section was to be urban design.

You know they've had masterplans available for about a year now right? The proposed images, are just those...images. So far, there are no surprises from what the original plan was....which is not what some folks here have tried to make it out to be.

Now don't take me wrong....just like Plutonic Panda, i think the thing looks very nice. I'm not dissapointed in it at all. I'm just keeping some practicality in focus on it. Remember, this is not an overnight project either. So exepect it to take several years....again, just as the airport folks said it would. So far, things are right on track for their timeline. And their timeline is the one that matters here....not ours.

[catch22]

You know they've had masterplans available for about a year now right? The proposed images, are just those...images. So far, there are no surprises from what the original plan was....which is not what some folks here have tried to make it out to be.

Now don't take me wrong....just like Plutonic Panda, i think the thing looks very nice. I'm not dissapointed in it at all. I'm just keeping some practicality in focus on it. Remember, this is not an overnight project either. So exepect it to take several years....again, just as the airport folks said it would. So far, things are right on track for their timeline. And their timeline is the one that matters here....not ours.

Yes I am aware of that. And the words out of the airport trust and Mark Lranenburg's mouth has been their desire for a mixed use urban shopping center for the retail area.

No one is talking about an urban runway or urban hangars as those do not really exist in reality anywhere for obvious reasons.

So since reading comprehension is difficult for you I will say it again, the airport trust's (the acting developer) desire is for an urban, walkable retail component.

[catch22]

A source has told me the gas station project is now on hold.

The old gas station on 104th and I-44/Portland was bought and razed and the developer wanted to build a new large gas station in it's place. However due to the site size, parking requirements, and layout the project isn't feasible in it's current form.

[Zuplar]

A source has told me the gas station project is now on hold.

The old gas station on 104th and I-44/Portland was bought and razed and the developer wanted to build a new large gas station in it's place. However due to the site size, parking requirements, and layout the project isn't feasible in it's current form.

So are they going to build anything or just leave it in it's current state, which unfortunately is worse than it was.

[catch22]

So are they going to build anything or just leave it in it's current state, which unfortunately is worse than it was.

As far as I know everything on the site is on hold until the developer figures out what they want to do.

[Zuplar]

As far as I know everything on the site is on hold until the developer figures out what they want to do.

I think it's in a good location for a gas station. Might not be able to do something huge like an Oncue or Domino, but still would get some use once the development north of it takes off.

[bombermwc]

wow cath22, angry much? I've seen the same rednerings you have. And the SMALL portion of the development that they consider mixed use, does not make up enough of the overall development to call the thing urban. And again, the authority "wants" to....does not equal to what will develop. That's why it's a masterplan. Maybe you could pull the pissy pill out your butt too....sheesh.

[catch22]

I think it's in a good location for a gas station. Might not be able to do something huge like an Oncue or Domino, but still would get some use once the development north of it takes off.

I was hopeful we would see something go up soon.

The developer should at least, out of respect for the city, clean up his demolition mess. Talk about an eyesore...a huge pile of debris.

Really tells you what kind of developer bought the property if they can't even clean up their mess when they find out they can't build what they wanted. They should have surveyed the site before buying and drawn up some basic dimensions to see if what they wanted would fit.

[Zuplar]

I was hopeful we would see something go up soon.

The developer should at least, out of respect for the city, clean up his demolition mess. Talk about an eyesore...a huge pile of debris.

Really tells you what kind of developer bought the property if they can't even clean up their mess when they find out they can't build what they wanted. They should have surveyed the site before buying and drawn up some basic dimensions to see if what they wanted would fit.

I 100% agree. It's obvious their planning was poor. I wondered if they don't clean it up soon if there is a way to make a complaint about getting it at least cleaned up. I would think if they aren't going to do anything and want to sell it, that they would at least want to present it as clean as possible. Who knows, some people just don't care.

[catcherinthewry]

There is dirt work going on on the SE corner of 74th and Portland. Anyone know what's going on?

[Zuplar]

They have been doing work on Portland for awhile now. They've been prepping for development by upgrading utilities. They are building a booster station South of 104th on Portland.

[catcherinthewry]

The work on Portland is a water line that will connect Lake Draper to Lake Overholser. They have started the realignment of Portland between 104th and 54th. The dirt work I was talking about is for some type of construction. There is a lot of equipment out there.

[catch22]

I haven't seen any building permits, or any approvals from the airport trust for any projects in that area.

[Dubya61]

The work on Portland is a water line that will connect Lake Draper to Lake Overholser. They have started the realignment of Portland between 104th and 54th. The dirt work I was talking about is for some type of construction. There is a lot of equipment out there.

Is that true of the pipes they've been installing on the north side of SW 54th, too?

[catch22]

Yes

[Zuplar]

This whole project makes me wonder now. With the hotels going up on Meridian, it makes me think this project isn't going to replace that corridor anytime soon.

[catch22]

I wish we'd improve that corridor some more and run a bus from the airport on more frequent head ways... Straight up meridian, then express service down I-40 downtown.

[old okie]

Just heard from a neighbor that the rumor is a Wal-Mart is going in on the one of the corners of I-44 & SW 104th. Wouldn't think it would be the NW corner [airport land]. SE corner is currently Valero & Earlywine Golf Course. NE corner is undeveloped, or SW corner is the old cafe, now demolished.

Anyone hear anything about a Wal-Mart there? Several years ago we heard a Wal-Mart was going in at SW 134th & I-44, but was put on hold/plan abandoned? when the recession hit.

[Zuplar]

I'm not sure why they'd put a Walmart there. There is one on 240, and one down the road in Newcastle. I don't feel like there is enough room over there unless they are doing it on the airport land off of the new Portland.