East Commuter Corridor Study

[bombermwc]

Perception of Crime is hard to undermine in any area that looks "poor"

Going East on Reno from Sooner Road, here are the land marks:

Car Wash/TV & Appliance store
Small Office Park
Antique Store
Newish State Farm Office (first plus so far)
Discount Tobacco Gas Station & Baptist Church
Apartments
Slew of 70s - 90s strip centers
Abandoned Whataburger + Lifechurch and Old Arby's
Dead Mall and Goodwill

etc. etc. etc. … For every 1 positive reinforcement seen, there are 5 to 10 red flags.

For a typical person from middle class and above OKC Metro area residents to feel safe and secure, they need to see Chili's, Chase, and Chevy Tahoes that are 2010 or newer. They need to see these things and their competitors all over. Well taken care of grass, and areas that have housing editions built 1990 or later (exceptions being places like Heritage Hills/Crown Heights, for obvious reasons), contemporary road signage, and gas stations like OnCue are also important.

That doesn't apply to every resident by any means, but it's a good barometer. TOD and gentrification in any manner along the Streetcar route will go a long way to making Midwest City more inviting to your average middle class OKC citizen.

So you managed to pick what most people think is the worst commercial strip in MWC and base your opinion of the city on that huh? But again, people say it's dead, but in that same stretch of road, the ONLY empty building is the mall. That TV & Appliance Center is the old K-Mart, which has had a tenant since K-Mart left (Anthony's used to be in the Fenton Nissan building on I-40). It's a long standing name in EOC and is still doing well. Hardly a company to scoff at. Further down the road you have an old Albertsons lot that was rebuilt as a Walmart NM and is much nicer than the old building. The old WalMart that's been converted to climate controlled storage (and is doing well), a Target that's being turned into Winco. How many stretches in other parts of OKC have so many old big box stores that have managed to repurpose and NOT be vacant for decades all while being a few miles OFF the interstate. I'd say that's a good picture of how MWC economic development is doing its job.

I can go anywhere in any suburb in OKC and in the city itself and find the same crap you've described. Even in precious Moore and Edmond, there is crap. Oodles and oodles of crap. But the perception of those towns is different. And most people don't realize how much money is in MWC. Yes, it's mostly on the eastern sides of MWC, but those million dollar mansions do exist in MWC, and they aren't low in their numbers.

And if you're going to talk MWC, you need to include some of the SE sector nearby because those people spend all of their money in MWC. Again, there's some crap out there, but there's also quite a bit of large expensive areas too..even as close as 44th/Douglas.

[Teo9969]

So you managed to pick what most people think is the worst commercial strip in MWC and base your opinion of the city on that huh?

No, I didn't. I'd personally feel no less safe in Midwest City as I would in Yukon. I've not spent any much time in those places, and both are in my home metro area. I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about why the perception persists.

But . . . How many stretches in other parts of OKC have so many old big box stores that have managed to repurpose and NOT be vacant for decades all while being a few miles OFF the interstate. I'd say that's a good picture of how MWC economic development is doing its job.

I can go anywhere in any suburb in OKC and in the city itself and find the same crap you've described. Even in precious Moore and Edmond, there is crap. Oodles and oodles of crap.

I agree you can find oodles and oodles of crap in any suburb. That might be the best definition of "Suburban America": Oodles and Oodles of crap (This is hyperbole for anyone who just read this and finds themselves having a visceral reaction). Also, not sure anybody is looking to Moore as an example of the most desirable suburb to live in. I hear more people talk @%*^ on Moore than I do Midwest City by a long shot.

MWC problem is that there is a complete lack of density, even of the suburban nature, and that's alone probably worth 3 strikes. There's no road that even closely resembles NW Expressway, Memorial, Broadway Extension, etc. over a 3 mile distance. These are the OKC Metro area's middle class havens. These are the types of places where the middle class is going to spend their money.

But the perception of those towns is different. And most people don't realize how much money is in MWC. Yes, it's mostly on the eastern sides of MWC, but those million dollar mansions do exist in MWC, and they aren't low in their numbers.

And if you're going to talk MWC, you need to include some of the SE sector nearby because those people spend all of their money in MWC. Again, there's some crap out there, but there's also quite a bit of large expensive areas too..even as close as 44th/Douglas.

This ultimately aids my argument that MWC, especially the part most likely to be encountered by the average OKC metro citizen, looks old and not well taken care of. Every person could be a millionaire in Midwest City, but if the Western portion of Midwest City still looked like it did, the perception of crime would still be there.

I have nothing against Midwest City, and I hope it can find a way to flourish the same way Edmond and Norman do, because that only helps OKC (which is really all I care about). But if you want to know the answer to "Why do people think x about MWC", the answers are 100% obvious.

Land Costco, and all of the sudden perception changes real quick.