Stadium District (formerly Producers Coop)

[bchris02]

With all the bashing, let's remember this is Oklahoma City history that's still up, running and employing some 200 people. I think it's pretty cool to have this industrial facility still in business (where they've been for 61 years). It may not be Boeing, but by golly, they've put a lot of food on the table of Oklahoman's who have worked there through the decades.
About Producers Cooperative Oil Mill

Yeah I have no desire to see it out of business and the people out of work. I simply think it should be relocated.

[David]

And weren't people saying that the mill was actually looking to sell and move somewhere else? If they move, it should not sit there empty just for the look of it.

[Rover]

LOL. Saving old decrepit buildings is good. Saving old decrepit industry is not. Where are all our preservationists? There is a significant history with this business and facility in OKC. Is that important, or do we clear it for a perceived better use?

[Paseofreak]

Not that the buildings are even remotely similar, but for the sake of argument, couldn't the Fred Jones Building be defined as old decrepit industry?

[shawnw]

Not everything old is gold.

[adaniel]

Don't forget the putrid STENCH that emits from this place.

There's nothing quite like opening your windows in Midtown on a nice spring day, only to have your entire apartment smell like burnt fried chicken and yeast within 15 minutes.

[Dubya61]

I think the dog food cooking plant a little further south adds to the perfume of OKC negatively, too.

[s00nr1]

Every time I see this property I think about Victory Park in Dallas and what it has become. If I remember correctly, VP occupies about 75 acres that was formerly a polluted rail yard/power plant -- so about twice the size of the Mill property here in OKC.

[Urbanized]

Hopefully we'll never be so unlucky as to get an OKC version of Victory Park.

[s00nr1]

I was wondering who the first person would be to chide VP. It's easy to criticize when you don't have the frame of reference of what that property looked like compared to what it is now. It definitely has its problems but it is FAR better than the sad state it was in 15 years ago.

Hopefully we'll never be so unlucky as to get an OKC version of Victory Park.

[Rover]

Not that the buildings are even remotely similar, but for the sake of argument, couldn't the Fred Jones Building be defined as old decrepit industry?

Don't know...what business is operating in the business now.

BTW, I wasn't really being serious. Just poking a little fun.

[Urbanized]

I was wondering who the first person would be to chide VP. It's easy to criticize when you don't have the frame of reference of what that property looked like compared to what it is now. It definitely has its problems but it is FAR better than the sad state it was in 15 years ago.

So...better than crappy makes us happy? I'll take it back; should be a great fit here then!

[Paseofreak]

Me too!

[BDP]

Don't forget the putrid STENCH that emits from this place.

There's nothing quite like opening your windows in Midtown on a nice spring day, only to have your entire apartment smell like burnt fried chicken and yeast within 15 minutes.

This is actually the worst part about it, imo. It's a potentially amazing site for redevelopment, but it is still a working business, and you have to respect that. However, the smell affects the experience of all of the downtown districts. I think a lot of visitors have no idea where the smell is coming from and just think Oklahoma City stinks in general. There is no doubt it has a negative affect on the appeal of the core, but I think the smell it emits into the core has a much bigger and broader negative impact than the way it looks does.

[hoya]

I've worked downtown for 10 years and have never smelled anything like you're talking about.

[shawnw]

The wind has to be blowing just the right way. On Sunday I exited Harkins after a movie with a bunch of friends and several of them were like, "what IS that terrible smell?!?!" as they'd never smelled it before.

[BDP]

I've worked downtown for 10 years and have never smelled anything like you're talking about.

You're one of the lucky ones.

It's not 365 days a year and the wind obviously matters, but when it's present it just hangs over BT and the surrounding districts. Smells like the pan drippings under your grill x 10.

[OklahomaNick]

This property does have frontage along Shields which is decent access to I-40 and downtown & the visibility from I-40 is great.
But I agree it is WAY over priced. Might be close to being worth the price if it were a brownfield site.

[OKVision4U]

This piece of real estate would be perfect for a large Corporate Plaza w/ a American Energy Partners new HQ. AEP ( Aubrey M. ) would know exactly how to develop this location.

It would also be a great location for several key energy players.... It could be called Energy Plaza I, II , III, IV, V. With several 5-10 story bldgs each w/ TapStone / Enable / Enlink...

Or the new Continenal HQ w/ multiple towers & Energy Hotel.

It would be best if it was High End Corp. Small lake in center that flows into the canal.

[metro]

Well Charlotte or Austin wouldn't have something that ugly and smelly right in the middle of their downtown. If the Co-op were in downtown Austin or Charlotte it would have been partitioned and sold to developers years ago. From what I've read here selling the property is the primary roadblock. It's harsh and you can bash me all you want for saying it but it's the truth. I am all for preserving stuff that is unique to OKC in a positive way, but the Co-op downtown is a negative. It's ugly, confirms the perception most Americans have of this city, and it will likely prevent quality development around it as long as it remains.



Cool concept, but I don't think it would work with the Co-op. The brewery has better bones. Something like that would have been perfect for the Belle Isle power plant rather than demolishing it to build a Wal-Mart. The Co-op is primarily steel buildings that would be difficult to repurpose for anything other than dirty industry.

Boo hoo. You sound like Spartan. Have you ever been to Detroit, the upper Midwest or across the NE? Most of the "rust belt" has tons of industrial buildings in the heart of the urban core or downtown's. Cleveland, Pittsburg, Philly, even "progressive utopia" NYC has plenty of industrial buildings in the heart of urbanity. Get over it, it adds character. Sure we'd all love to see a new BILLION dollar development at the Cotton Mill in OKC, but nothing serious will happen here for at least a decade.

[metro]

Every time I see this property I think about Victory Park in Dallas and what it has become. If I remember correctly, VP occupies about 75 acres that was formerly a polluted rail yard/power plant -- so about twice the size of the Mill property here in OKC.

You realize Victory Park is considered a disaster in modern redevelopment don't you? They are spending over $100 million to "fix" it.

http://www.dmagazine.com/publication...f-victory-park

http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2...-million.html/

[shawnw]

How about a land swap between Humphreys and the COOP owners where Blair builds his (I presume) dense development on this site, leaving the airpark site to be negotiated between the concert venue owner, the soccer team(s), etc (or some combination thereof). Meanwhile, the COOP function moves to the tire plant and the owners still come out ahead cash wise...

(I think the airpark is the perfect place for soccer stadiums... by the river and closer to the south side, which may give higher initial support fan-base wise...)

[OKVision4U]

This would be the most visible piece of RE in OKC. ...1-40, the new Blvd., The River, The Peake...

[bchris02]

Boo hoo. You sound like Spartan. Have you ever been to Detroit, the upper Midwest or across the NE? Most of the "rust belt" has tons of industrial buildings in the heart of the urban core or downtown's. Cleveland, Pittsburg, Philly, even "progressive utopia" NYC has plenty of industrial buildings in the heart of urbanity. Get over it, it adds character. Sure we'd all love to see a new BILLION dollar development at the Cotton Mill in OKC, but nothing serious will happen here for at least a decade.

Sorry, but cities like Detroit don't have a reputation as being the best or most desirable places to live either. One could say OKC in the '80s was the Detroit of the Great Plains and the city is finally coming back from that, but Detroit is nothing to aspire to, despite its history. The Co-op does nothing to add character. It only adds smell, blight, and lowers property values around it. You are right, its probably not going anywhere for at least a decade, but that doesn't mean people can't post their opinions about it on a website.

[OKVision4U]

The local commercial lending should be drooling all over this. This is the lowest risk w/ the Greatest Upside in Oklahoma. $1-2B, ... Energy Center w/ the Energy Tower of 1,000 ft. ???? The Anara Tower, perfect.