OG&E Tower

[Pete]

jccougar, have you seen the OGE property on S Broadway?
Further, it's a domino effect. There is a back-up of people wanting space at Leadership Square. This will free up that space for someone from outside to move in....
Look at what happened with 20 N Broadway.

Pretty much confirms Enable/Enogex is/was the second company.

[jccouger]

I understand the concept of vacated space creating more opportunities for other companies to join the downtown party. This concept would hold true regardless of where the newly constructed space was created though. Saying that, I've backed away from my stance on saving the stage center for this development based on the knowledge you just delivered, for now. Still seems like there is a lot left to be determined, and ill wait.

[OKCisOK4me]

Just realized that Praedura hasn't made a post in a while. I sure hope he's okay. Last post was 12-12. His posts give me a smile in this thread.

[Dubya61]

These people will be moving from one corner of downtown to the other. No new jobs will be added, other than construction jobs. And those only last as long as the actual construction. How exactly is that a huge improvement?

What kind of property taxes are collected on the stage center site now?
What kind of property taxes would be collected on the new OGE tower site?
I suspect it would be a BIG improvement.

[Pete]

What kind of property taxes are collected on the stage center site now?
What kind of property taxes would be collected on the new OGE tower site?
I suspect it would be a BIG improvement.

Zero property taxes for decades because the property has been owned by a non-profit.

The tax rate is $155 per $1,000 of property value, so assuming approx. $100 million improved value, that would yield about $1 million a year.

Also, the City will collect sales tax on the various items purchased for the tower, and that represents a pretty good amount as well.

And then, there is continuing sales tax from the restaurants and other services in the project.

[Pete]

I really hope they incorporate LED lighting to compliment Devon, the Crystal Bridge and Skydance Bridge.

I like how all three are bathed in Thunder blue on game days and I know there is coordination / synching functionality between the Myriad Gardens and Devon. Need to make sure that any new buildings have the same features.

[Bellaboo]

I really hope they incorporate LED lighting to compliment Devon, the Crystal Bridge and Skydance Bridge.

I like how all three are bathed in Thunder blue on game days and I know there is coordination / synching functionality between the Myriad Gardens and Devon. Need to make sure that any new buildings have the same features.

On their current old HQ, they have the top outlined in orange lighting. Should be a good sign that they will.

[Pete]

Funny how this has come full circle (from 7/30/84):



The New OG&E 16-story Headquarters

[OKCisOK4me]

Funny how this has come full circle (from 7/30/84):



The New OG&E 16-story Headquarters

I like the +30 year plan better!

[coov23]

Funny how this has come full circle (from 7/30/84):



The New OG&E 16-story Headquarters

Hopefully, history does not repeat itself this time around.

[Patrick]

Can't get too excited about this. This new tower belongs on NW Expressway, not in the middle of the CBD downtown. What an opportunity wasted for such an important piece of property.

And mark my word. Nothing is ever completed as promised. Plans are always cut down. We'll end up with an 8-10 story building downtown and the residential/hotel will be cut from the plans. Just keeping it real.

[Patrick]

I really hope they incorporate LED lighting to compliment Devon, the Crystal Bridge and Skydance Bridge.

I like how all three are bathed in Thunder blue on game days and I know there is coordination / synching functionality between the Myriad Gardens and Devon. Need to make sure that any new buildings have the same features.

They better have an advanced ornate LED lighting system. After all, we are talking about an energy company company, right?

[Plutonic Panda]

The lack of activity on this thread speaks volumes to the quality of this project in relation to its expectations. Its nearly halfway down the first page, and people have literally waited YEARS for this announcement.

The 2 most exciting aspects of the entire project are A. it has "green space" on top of the parking garage, even though its right next to the best park in the city and soon the soon to be Maps park. So....? and B. it may have a urban target at street level. A target... SMH. Going to a target in my life has never made me excited. Ever. I get it will be nice for people living downtown, but the excitement of that will wear off in a few weeks time.

There is basically zero excitement surrounding the actual "tower" aspect.

I actually really agree with you now. At first I liked it, but every time I see it, it is just underwhelming. The Stage Center is worth more than this tower. imo.

[Plutonic Panda]

^This. What would be better, downtown as it is now or take the 11 tallest buildings and replacing them with 10 story buildings but keeping the same amount of space? These 11 building would become 32 buildings all between 100 and 150 feet tall, plus all the other buildings downtown that were not in the top 11. Downtown's tallest would be 101 Park Ave (former Sonic bldg.) at 180' but there would be some awesome street-level density. Think Madison, WI.

I mentioned this before but Stage Center could easily fit 5 towers.

Hell no!

[MFracas84]

I think jccouger has a point.

[Cocaine]

I think the this new tower would have had to be some type of award winning design for me not to be disappointed by it. O well I guess the Stage Center will soon be added to the building that shouldn't have been demolished along with The Biltmore and The Criterion. O well at least it's not a parking lot.

[bchris02]

Yeah I also tend to agree this project is way below expectations. The more I think about it, the more I am growing cold to it. Its unreal that we waited two years and are demolishing the most unique landmark in the city for a 14 story tower. A lot of people are excited about the possibility of a Target on its first floor, but I would MUCH rather a Midtown Grocery in Midtown. I personally like the tower, don't get me wrong, but I am not sure its worth losing the Stage Center for. It's also rather embarrassing that we've had hundreds of pages of speculation and hype to only end up with a 14 story tower, not much different than the Valiance Bank tower. How about building this as an anchor in the SoSA district which is currently extremely dilapidated and also the missing piece of the puzzle that will tie downtown in with Midtown?

[kevinpate]

Yes, this site repurposed, plus new bodies going into the present OGE space, is a considerable improvement over DT as it sits today. It fits well with the other changes in the area, and compared to a closed, decaying building ... not even questionable. Even the non-profit that is no longer saddled with a structure too expensive to repair, and dang expensive to let sit and rot, is far better off for having sold the property.

And for comparing to FNB, oh, puhlease, not even an apples and onions comparison. FNB may be a somewhat browned apple that folks keep reaching past for something else, but let's be real. The SC building may have once been all moma nd apple pie, but it's now not merely far far beyond edible, it is out back, at the dumpsters. Even flies were already saying hey, let's go hang out at some long unserviced portapotty rather then hang around the corpse like structure that SC became.

[Plutonic Panda]

Yeah I also tend to agree this project is way below expectations. The more I think about it, the more I am growing cold to it. Its unreal that we waited two years and are demolishing the most unique landmark in the city for a 14 story tower. A lot of people are excited about the possibility of a Target on its first floor, but I would MUCH rather a Midtown Grocery in Midtown. I personally like the tower, don't get me wrong, but I am not sure its worth losing the Stage Center for. It's also rather embarrassing that we've had hundreds of pages of speculation and hype to only end up with a 14 story tower, not much different than the Valiance Bank tower. How about building this as an anchor in the SoSA district which is currently extremely dilapidated and also the missing piece of the puzzle that will tie downtown in with Midtown?

I couldn't agree more, this whole thing is turning out to be a joke. I mean 14 stories????? Really. . . . don't even know why I liked it at all. At least 30 stories would've been alright, but this thing sucks.

Again, I would prefer keeping the Stage Center over this. A portion of the money being spent on this could be spent on saving the Stage Center and this thing could go in some underdeveloped lot in Bricktown, Midtown, Film Row, etc. Not in the CBD or C2S

[PhiAlpha]

Please point me in the direction of the forum rule book that says all posts must have rainbows and unicorns bursting from them.



Listen, I think we can all agree that this tower is an improvement over the stage center. But that does not mean it IS WORTH losing the stage center over. Let me ask you a hypothetical question.

Say a new company decides to move in to town, they release plans to build a giant 50 story tower in downtown Oklahoma City that rivals Devon in beauty, elegance and functionality, butttttt, they bought the land First National resides on and the building must be razed to build their new tower. Sure the new tower would be BETTER than First National but would you be willing to let go of that historic landmark JUST BECAUSE what would be replacing it is better?

Yeah there is no comparison between FNB and the Stage Center.

[HOT ROD]

I couldn't agree more, this whole thing is turning out to be a joke. I mean 14 stories????? Really. . . . don't even know why I liked it at all. At least 30 stories would've been alright, but this thing sucks.

Again, I would prefer keeping the Stage Center over this. A portion of the money being spent on this could be spent on saving the Stage Center and this thing could go in some underdeveloped lot in Bricktown, Midtown, Film Row, etc. Not in the CBD or C2S

Agreed, its not worth a 14-16 floor building in the CBD, there plenty of spaces nearby where this cpuld be better suited and successful'.

[jccouger]

There is as much comparison between stage center and fnc as there is a new 50 story devolpment comparable to devon and the building proposed for stage center. Scales, dude. And plus, I was just using just because something is better than something, it doesn't mean you should have to lose the lesser.

[Plutonic Panda]

Agreed, its not worth a 14-16 floor building in the CBD, there plenty of spaces nearby where this cpuld be better suited and successful'.

Yeah, and worse off, I fear we might end with a scaled down version of something like 10 stories. This building is minuscule and not worthy of leveling the Stage Center. I really think we will be sorry one day.

[PhiAlpha]

There is as much comparison between stage center and fnc as there is a new 50 story devolpment comparable to devon and the building proposed for stage center. Scales, dude. And plus, I was just using just because something is better than something, it doesn't mean you should have to lose the lesser.

I get what you were trying to say, but no way. Scale or no scale, there is no comparison. No clear thinking person would ever suggest any development, no matter how big or expensive, would be an adequate replacement for FNC. There is no adequate replacement for first national. The stage center on the other hand...

[G.Walker]

People, calm down, we really need to wait until final designs are complete. I have seen some quality 15-20 story office projects. It's all about the design and programming of the office tower and site. Its about quality not quantity. If this project ends up being a 16 and 12 story LEED certified Silver, Gold, or Platinum high rises, I say its a win.