The Rise

[amaesquire]

They have poured SOME concrete...

[HangryHippo]

Well that's a bit extreme, don't you think?


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I meant it more tongue-in-cheek than it came across and normally, I'd say yes. But with this development, I'm not so sure. It really seems like there have been a lot of things going awry and I hope Land Run overcomes them all.

And please forgive the nonsensical grammar in my previous post. I should quit drinking that early.

[Teo9969]

I walked by after lunch and thought I saw drywall up in one of the store fronts. They have a long way to go on all 3 buildings.

I walked all the way around the building and while on the south side, I remembered they have a good half+ of the block to the south and I'm kind of wishing all this land fell into other hands.

[tbholme]

I think Fedora is a much better fit for 23rd St. In AA they could possibly fall between the cracks.

[Chadanth]

I think Fedora is a much better fit for 23rd St. In AA they could possibly fall between the cracks.

I don't think so, it works either way. There will be another restaurant next door, and with the Chophouse and others, it's great infill and AA looks to be the best few blocks of dining in the city.

[ljbab728]

Steve's update.

Most tenants stick with The Rise as redevelopment suffers through more delays in Oklahoma City | NewsOK.com

Russell acknowledges he is frustrated with the delays as well, but still has the support of most of the tenants as he battles against an unexpectedly complicated site.

“We changed a couple of tenants, but we’re set to open 100 percent occupied, and we’re moving forward,” Russell said.

[betts]

I saw drywall in one of the spaces as well. There was a lot more steel up today on the NE corner and they've poured concrete half walls as well.

[Plutonic Panda]

Most tenants stick with The Rise as redevelopment suffers through more delays in Oklahoma City | News OK

[PhiAlpha]

Steve's update.

Most tenants stick with The Rise as redevelopment suffers through more delays in Oklahoma City | NewsOK.com

I'm really glad AGE is staying to help anchor this thing. In flashback and fedora's defense, its a lot easier to deal with delays when you already have multiple successful restaurants than when you're trying to secure financing and putting all your work into your first restaurant. Hopefully Russell will be able to replace them.


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[Pete]

^

Exactly.

For both FlashBack and Fedora, this was to be the first venture and they've had money going out for a couple of years, with no real set date on when this project would be finished, after being way off the mark in previous estimates. And no end in sight.

Now saying "winter" which would mean early next year at the earliest.

Several of the other tenants have other locations as well, which makes their situations very different.

[BillyOcean]

I still don't understand the "coming fall 2013 sign". If I remember correctly, I don't think that sign even existed until late spring '13 so I am not sure how they ever expected to complete this project in less than a year. This whole deal smells of incompetence.

[Paseofreak]

I still don't understand the "coming fall 2013 sign". If I remember correctly, I don't think that sign even existed until late spring '13 so I am not sure how they ever expected to complete this project in less than a year. This whole deal smells of incompetence.

They had to move a sewer line. I recently had to relocate 80 feet of 12 inch water line, shifting it about two feet. It took about six months to get all the approvals and to have a city inspector available to oversee the work. By the description in the article, I would guess that this project required far more detailed engineering and thus more rigorous review by the city and more difficult time scheduling a city inspector. The folks at 420 W. Main are very nice and work quite hard, but they can make a shambles of your schedule in very short order, not to mention your budget.

[BillyOcean]

They had to move a sewer line. I recently had to relocate 80 feet of 12 inch water line, shifting it about two feet. It took about six months to get all the approvals and to have a city inspector available to oversee the work. By the description in the article, I would guess that this project required far more detailed engineering and thus more rigorous review by the city and more difficult time scheduling a city inspector. The folks at 420 W. Main are very nice and work quite hard, but they can make a shambles of your schedule in very short order, not to mention your budget.

so take the sign down immediately.

[IanMcDermid]

Apparently the skilled construction team at The Rise busted a water line today. At least that means they were working...but come on!!!

The city busted that attempting to put my water valve on the main. It also brought their attention to the line break on Dewey which has caused a sinkhole on 24th and the water table to rise so high they can't get the pond to dry up in the parking lot to prep for concrete. This also cost me 6 tons of gravel to make a bed for my compulsory 500, yes 500 gallon grease trap.

Some serious fingers are being pointed in the wrong direction of Landrun. Who by the way. Own their own contracting company. Albeit they are specialized in NEW construction. We can't all be flintco.

[PhiAlpha]

The city busted that attempting to put my water valve on the main. It also brought their attention to the line break on Dewey which has caused a sinkhole on 24th and the water table to rise so high they can't get the pond to dry up in the parking lot to prep for concrete. This also cost me 6 tons of gravel to make a bed for my compulsory 500, yes 500 gallon grease trap.

Some serious fingers are being pointed in the wrong direction of Landrun. Who by the way. Own their own contracting company. Albeit they are specialized in NEW construction. We can't all be flintco.

My bad, I was told otherwise.

[onthestrip]

Flashback continues to rip Land Run and Russell on twitter today.

[Mr. Cotter]

Flashback continues to rip Land Run and Russell on twitter today.

I saw that. Not exactly professional.

[Pete]

I saw that. Not exactly professional.

Over the last several months, I have been in communication with one of the FlashBack owners and he and I spoke again today.

The reason he is doing this is because Russell is quoted in that article as saying: "Russell dismisses Rodriguez’s complaints, saying he has maintained communication with tenants and that tenants also were always free to ask for updates."

I was told that after many delays, FlashBack had to pressure Russell to meet with them in April, at which time a June completion date was promised. In late May when it became clear they were nowhere close to completion, a subordinate of Russell's (who wouldn't respond directly) promised August.

FlashBack does not feel LandRun communicated well at all, and responses only came after lots of concerned appeals. And even then, they were given multiple promises that were not only broken but not communicated. LandRun -- according to FlashBack -- merely let the next promised date approach without providing updates or revised timelines.

Keep in mind that FlashBack had been booking reunions, events and watch parties based on these various promises. Not only did the missed deadlines cause them a lot of business, it also has impacted their credibility, which is especially important when you are trying to get a business of the ground.

So, they took to Twitter last month to get their side of the story out, and continue to do that now.

[Mr. Cotter]

Pete, what you just typed was a rational explanation of their view of the circumstances. Flashback's Twitter feed, I feel, was unprofessional in how it handled the issue. It's okay to be upset, but when conducting business in a relatively small community, a little decorum goes a long way.

I have no insight into the situation other than what's in this treat, Steve's article, and Flashback's twitter feed. Based only on that, LandRun seems like a well intentioned developer who ran into some unfortunate set backs, who couldn't tell when their project would be complete. Flashback just seems mad.

[Bullbear]

Pete, what you just typed was a rational explanation of their view of the circumstances. Flashback's Twitter feed, I feel, was unprofessional in how it handled the issue. It's okay to be upset, but when conducting business in a relatively small community, a little decorum goes a long way.

I have no insight into the situation other than what's in this treat, Steve's article, and Flashback's twitter feed. Based only on that, LandRun seems like a well intentioned developer who ran into some unfortunate set backs, who couldn't tell when their project would be complete. Flashback just seems mad.

I'd be mad to. Setbacks are part of the game. no project seems to ever come in on time or on budget and the entire process is frustrating, However it is more frustrating when there is a lack of communication. people want to know what they are dealing with and sure things change and when those things change you need to communicate it with the people who are depending on a completion date.

[Pete]

These weren't just typical delays -- LandRun has been missing the mark in a way that can be measured in years, not weeks or months.

And, after promises were repeatedly made, the inability to meet those dates was not communicated; at least according to the guys at FlashBack.

Pump Bar and Pizzeria Gusto are in a different situation because they are in separate buildings from the other Rise tenants. Fortunately for them, they've been able to get into their space and start their work. Both are pretty far along.

Now imagine you are Fedora or FlashBack waiting, waiting... Seeing almost zero progress... No one giving them updates... Deadlines coming and going... Money going out and no ability to bring any in. AND you've already got a lot of sunk costs in plans and marketing that is lost if you simply pick up and move and start all over again at the beginning.

Then you add on top of all that changes to their space without prior consent and a general lack of concern/regard/communication (their side of it) , and you can see why they are upset.

[Mr. Cotter]

I'm not saying they shouldn't be upset. I would be livid. I'm actually kind of mad it's not open yet, and I'm just a potential customer/guy who lives in the general area. Fedora publicly handled the situation with grace. Flashback did not. That was my only point.

[Pete]

One thing I wanted to mention is that Jose Rodriguez was Director of Sales & Marketing for Aloft in Deep Deuce all throughout the long delays that project encountered.

So, it's fair to say he understands development setbacks and what happens when you are on the other side of the table as the property owner/manager; taking deposits and making promises and then communicating when bad news has to be delivered.


Frankly, one of the things that I feel is unhealthy and even constraining in the OKC business community is the idea that no matter the outrageous/unethical behavior of another party, everyone urges you to "get along" and stay on the high road. The overwhelming sentiment you should be outwardly nice and polite even if it's not deserved or sincere.

But there are times when people need to be called out, even if that causes some rancor and uncomfortable shuffling of feet.

So, in this case, perhaps FlashBack should be commended rather than condemned for sticking their necks out. At least they have provided a different perspective than the "old buildings are complicated" mantra, when it's been clear for quite a while there is more to all this.

[Mr. Cotter]

I disagree with people professionally. I'm not coming at this from a position that everyone should "get along." I simply think their message, and very legitimate complaints, would have been more effective had it been delivered with an even temper, and not "calling BULL****!!!"

[Pete]

I disagree with people professionally. I'm not coming at this from a position that everyone should "get along." I simply think their message, and very legitimate complaints, would have been more effective had it been delivered with an even temper, and not "calling BULL****!!!"

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, just trying to present another perspective that I've gained through following this situation for a long time.

And didn't mean you were advocating the "get along" mentality, just using the opportunity to point out how it is often used in oppressive ways in OKC, especially by those with power.