Here's an idea.... doubt those consultant would come up with a creative solution like this though. I'd use both the Uhaul site and Lumberyard. You could put the expo column free space underground from Reno south that would go under the new boulevard. You'd then put meeting spaces, etc. above ground on both the Uhaul and Lumberyard site with ground floor retail that would front Reno, The new boulevard, and an extended Oklahoma Ave to connect into SW 4th & the new park.
Red is the ground floor retail
Purple is the meeting spaces above ground
Blue line is the column free space (330,000 sq. ft.)
Orange would be the new hotel
This would also act as a front door to people exiting I-40 into downtown.
*Edit* Also forgot to add that the new retail if put into a TIF would help pay for the convention center hotel. There could be around 130,000 - 160,000 sq. ft. of retail based of the areas highlighted. Depending on what the sales per sq. ft. are (my guess would be a moderate range of $300 psf) would net about $1.25 million a year in OKC sales tax only so a 25 year TIF would capture about $31.25 million
Bookmarks