How would you improve the city

[ClipedWingAngel]

Luke, I still have my Macy's card and would love to see one here.
Midtowner, I think you meant to say Racial Profiling?

I personally dont want to go to any mall that has the potential for gangbangers to get into a little turf war. Two things are conducive to trouble and higher thefts, groups roaming together in groups that are larger than four or five, groups that are not there to spend money and deter or intimidate shoppers into not being comfortable.

I have been to Penn Sq, Crossroads, Quail Springs, 50 Penn, North Park, a few others but nothing great! WE REALLY NEED AN OUTLET MALL, in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE with no housing immmediately close by. WE also need an IKEA!!!!

This could atract more business to OKC during conventions. Arizona opened a new IKEA in Phoenix in November and they are still swamped with difficulties getting parking and we in Jan. Dallas is getting one this summer but we should keep the money here instead of going to Dallas to spend it. Check it out: IKEA.com its great stuff!!! but to appreaciate it you need to go their store to understand the Swedish concepts of design from their show rooms.

[floater]

IKEA would probably locate in the "Furniture Row" along Reno, but it'd be cool if they could solve the parking problems with a store in the Flatiron or west side arts district...

[metro]

I'd like to recall my first proposal and buy a stick of gum for everyone in the city instead

[Luke]

Wonderful idea with IKEA, ClipedWingAngel. I may be planning a U-Haul trip this summer when the one in Frisco (north of Dallas) opens up.

IKEA is a retailer we should target to for the "Galleria Renaissance" downtown.

[metro]

I think the name Renaissance Galleria is smoother sounding, I doubt we'd get an IKEA seeing there are several larger cities without one

[ClipedWingAngel]

Ikea needs to be in a location all to itself. The show rooms and their warehouse is too big for downtown. They need parking the size of Walmart. It brings in revenue revenue and they care about their neighborhood, the environment and the local economy. They sell inexpensive beautiful natural xmas tress and you can return them for some money back, they mulch the trees and donate the mulch. They hire all ages and contribute to local programs. It would be a big plus. They also landscape their place beautifully and provide a child care environment that is safe and entertaining for parents.

There is one on LI and one in NJ and people travel from all over to purchase.

They contribute enough to local economy and causes that we can have them contibute to the billboard! or sponsor one. Create some sort of endowment for the arts.

[floater]

I'd like to recall my first proposal and buy a stick of gum for everyone in the city instead

okay, I'm dense, please explain why metro...

[mranderson]

I think the name Renaissance Galleria is smoother sounding, I doubt we'd get an IKEA seeing there are several larger cities without one

I looked at their website and noticed the locations. For the most part, you are correct... Metro wise. However, there are some locations that are in cities much smaller than Oklahoma City. One is New Haven, Ct (never could spell the state).

If this company will locate in New Haven (leave Yale out of the reason), then why do you think Oklahoma City is too small?

[Luke]

What about a large warehouse in Automobile Alley for IKEA?

[Luke]

True, mranderson, it's not size.

There's no reason IKEA wouldn't locate here. In fact, if someone informs them that OKC is the most competitive furniture market in the nation (West Reno), they may want a piece of that pie.

[metro]

mranderson, for one, the population density of that area of the country is far greater than the DFW metroplex alone. You have NYC and Hartford right there not to mention, Philly, Boston, Washington D.C. , Albany, and Providence just a short train ride or drive away. I'm not saying we couldnt support one because we could. Especially with our "furniture row". I'm just saying there are several mega-cities that do not have one and OKC is not exactly a known city for modern living or decor. Miami, Florida , south Florida, or even the state of Florida does not have a store and they are probably the most modern, minimalistic city in the U.S. with 5 million people in the metropolitan area and 16+ in the state. Atlanta is just now getting one.

floater, my stick of gum comment was sarcastic because I was bored and this thread was getting out of hand in my opinion and it seemed like the most useless waste of the money. sorry it wasnt that funny

[Proactive Volunteer]

If I had ten million dollars, I would donate all of it to OKC Beautiful and turn it into a supercharged force for beautfication.

$2.5 million staff endowment
I don't know who's on staff now, but I would beef up the resource-generating staff and add "account managers", a full-time grantwriter, and a full-time fundraiser/community events manager. The account managers would sell "advertising space" on different OKCB projects mentioned below. For 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, and yearly "leases", they would pay for the maintainence of all or a portion of these projects. These committments would vary in size, thus prices.

Unlike Adopt-A-Highway, however, a full-time carpenter could construct their sign to the customer's taste, within reason. Two full-time landscape architects would be responsible for design project flowerbeds, etc and work with the city's parks, public works and planning departments to find other project areas within the city.

This assumes that there already is a volunteer coordinator, accountant/business manager.

$1.5 million marketing fund
This would be a long term fund to encourage businesses and groups to become "ad customers" via print ads, freebies. This would also fund a newsletter that profiles the best new projects and continue the "Best Lawn" program. Hopefully, ad costs could be split with the city and state with their own initiatives.

$6 millon project fund
This would go to fund initial projects that sponsorships would maintain:

Downtown tree program
Plots on highway interchanges
Flower beds on boulevards such as Lincoln, Shields, Classen, and the new one to replace the crosstown
Neighborhood gateways

LOVE IT!! I could not agree more!!

Beautification and Quality of Life are ranked in the top three things that relocating Corporations..and their wives base a move to a city on.

I would like to see you expand your thoughts on the Downtown Tree Program you mention. There is funding through the OKC Community Foundation for projects on public lands and a couple of other funding sources available for this type of project...in lieu of waiting for a bond issue. Please share your thoughts.


Let's also do a Capital Campaign that would implement the OKC Beautiful Airport Road Gateway Project!!

MAPS for Neighborhoods and Community Appearance....use the 2 million to generate criteria, funding details, etc. to make this a reality!! This could include beautification, sidewalks, period lighting and safety projects regardless of neighborhood income levels.

[Patrick]

I think the Tulsa Up with Trees program is a good idea...only problem is they plant twigs, and then don't maintain the areas after they plant them (at least that's what everyone on Tulsa Now says).

[Proactive Volunteer]

According to ODOT, Tulsa has a different person who works on their highway plantings. This person used different guidelines than the Oklahoma City person. Thus they have lots of trees.

The City and State would prefer 2 1/2 inch calipers for successful plantings. And yes, MAINTENANCE is always an issue. What would work, would be a 3 year commitment from a volunteer group to guarantee the watering, mulching, pruning and feeding of the new trees.

Check out the clover leafs of the on ramps in Moore. They found a way to get some substantial plantings done.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

How to improve OKC:

Connect 240 with the Kilpatrick (Loop).
Add a mills mall
Expand the urban lifestyle in downtown
Don't go overboard by converting us into a blue state through urbanism
Elect only republicans
Rerout I 40
Build a downtown loop to make a triangle, and connect I 40 with I 235. Leave room for growth.
Promote the historic districts.
Make S.W. 134 Street a freeway
Boost D'town hotel room count
Lower that damn sales tax
Do whatever it takes to pamper new construction
Make sure D'town gets a new skyscraper before Penn Square/Uptown
Refurbish the Oklahoma Medical Center
Try to establish more of a continuous connection with Norman
Put LOWERING the cost of living the MAIN priority
Annex much more land for Oklahoma City, the more sprawl we have the better for us

Area's for prime retail potential:
I 35 corridor between Moore and South Canadian River
I 40 from Meridian to El Reno
S.W. 134th Street in West Moore
All of the Kilpatrick Turnpike/Memorial Road
Broadway in Edmond
I 35 in Edmond
N.W. Expressway from Belle Isle to Frisco Road (past my Surrey Hill's home)

Area's prime for residential development:

Thinderbird and East Norman
Broadmoore (golf course community between Moore and Norman)
North & East of Moore (Sooner Road and 134th corridors)
Westmoore
North & South of Mustang
North & West of Yukon
Harrah/MWC (build around Spencer and Jones, they don't seem to great)
River Oaks area (S. of Memorial Road)
Lake Hefner
Lake Overholser
Deer Creek
North of Edmond

That is all that I want to see a focus on. I want to see these parts ignored for now:

Del City
Capital Hill & Inner South Side
Jones & Spencer
East Side, w/ exception of Lincoln Terrace & Medical Center (bounded by I 40, I 44, I 235, & I 35)

I do not want to waste time. Neighborhoods I want to see a revitalization spotlight in:

Inner North Side
Inner Norman
Yukon (they have a few historic blocks)

I want to see nice/slightly run down neighborhoods worked on. Where I want to see office growth

Downtown
Penn Square/Uptown
Inner North Side/Midtown
East Side: Capital & Medical District
I 240 Stretch between I 35 & I 44
Memorial Road & rest of Edmond/West Outter Loop (Kilpatrick)

That is all. I do not want to see office growth too far out, or areas that haven't proven immense potential. Areas for industrial focus:

Southern Del City
Northern Norman
Southeastern Edmond
S.W. Oklahoma City (out by Hobby Lobby)

Well... that would be my strategy as mayor of Oklahoma City.

[mranderson]

" want to see nice/slightly run down neighborhoods worked on. Where I want to see office growth

Downtown
Penn Square/Uptown
Inner North Side/Midtown
East Side: Capital & Medical District
I 240 Stretch between I 35 & I 44
Memorial Road & rest of Edmond/West Outter Loop (Kilpatrick)"

I live in one of those "nice/slightly rundown" neighborhoods you mentioned. I disagree with your assessment of the one between May and Pennsylvania, off 240. That area has very well kept homes (a very small number of exceptions) and is considered upscale in about 75% of it. The homes were build between 1960 and 1975 and are between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet. Mine is in the middle of that figure. They range in value of $60,000 (the 25% not upscale, mainly towards May) to $200,000. Mine will range around 175,000 when we complete remodeling late this year.

The area on Memorial ranges about the same.

I invite you to drive my entire neighborhood, and I mean every street, every inch. Then tell me it is "slightly rundown." I think you will retract your feelings.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

That is where I wanted office growth. That was my closing statement, and also also the beginning of the next. The transition paragraph.

[Patrick]

Hey Sooner&RiceGRad, Thanks for your assessment, and welcome to the site.

I agree with some of what you say, especially building less office towers uptown, and leaving those for downtown.

I wanted to address some of the other issues you suggested.

1. Actually the Oklahoma Health Center is an ongoing project. Boren just poured millions into the campus. Check out Stanton L. Young near the Bird Library. Soon, the hospitals will be completely refurbished as will the Dean McGee Eye Institute. Also, the research park is almost complete, with one final building going up now.

2. I agree that sales tax is a little high, but right now it's funding some much needed projects, like MAPS for Kids.

3. I disagree with your assessment of leaving Capitol Hill, Del City, and the East side alone. If anything, these are the areas weighting ou city down the most. They could really use some improvements. For too long now our city has ignored those parts of town. Capitol Hill could be a nice district if given the right boost. For years now, both the African American and Hispanic populations have been slapped in the face.

4. The Kilpatrick turnpike will eventually be extended from I-40 to Norman. The exact route hasn't been determined yet.

5. I don't think we can lower our cost of living anymore.....we're about the lowest in the country.

6. Sprawl only hurts downtown OKC and the inner city, and costs the city millions in wasted infrastructure funds. Seems like the trend over the next few years will shift back on inner city, as more young professionals are starting to move back to the downtown area. We can't promote historic districts and improve urban life in downtown, if we're drawing away from it via urban sprawl. Oklahoma City isn't annexing anymore..in fact we've given up some land back to the county in recent years.

7. Add western OKC to your list of areas to experience industrial growth. There are still quite a few industrial sites out there that need filling, namely the old Lucent plant and the former Corning site. Also, the Kilpatrick turnpike out near I-40 will become an industrial area. I'd also add SE OKC to the list, out near the GM plant. There's still plenty of space out there for more industry. The Oklahoma River will be a great location for office complexes and residential towers.

Your assessments are good, and I appreciate your input.

[mranderson]

"I agree that sales tax is a little high, but right now it's funding some much needed projects, like MAPS for Kids. "

If a tax can provide nice things and improve the safety of our city, state, and country, then it is worth the investment.

Just remember. Without that 8.375% tax, we would not have a new arena, no new baseball stadium (hense no teams), no tourist attractions downtown, no moern library, no modern schools (maps for kids), unsafe and unreliable police cars and fire aperatis, decaying fire stations, about half the police officers and fire fighters, no updated radio system (we needed it on May 3, 1999), no advanced tornado warning system, roads in worse shape than they are, no traffic lights, no nothing.

I (within reason) welcome taxes.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

Actually the Oklahoma Health Center is an ongoing project.

You must have read the same Oklahoma article. It is not living up to it's potential however. I want it to comete w/ places in Houston, where I am from. It will never, ever shun the Texas Medical Center, but it can compete.

I agree that sales tax is a little high

As one of the South's biggest conservatives, I hate to pay one of the nation's highest sales tax. It is 2 points (percent levels) above the national average. I've heard the income tax is also bad.

Capitol Hill could be a nice district if given the right boost

It has no potential. We can only restore it to what it was originally. We can't completely reconstruct it to have homes large enough to compete with the rest of our fine city.

Sprawl only hurts downtown OKC and the inner city

It also lowers land values, which lower cost of living. We have a cost of living that is nearly a fifth of New Englands and the Midwest and other coastal regions, but we only make about 3/5 the national average. We have much more spending power. I may have read somewhere on urban planet that we have the nation's highest standard of living.

Add western OKC to your list of areas to experience industrial growth.

I said the area out by Hobby Lobby. That covers land from I 40 up to WRWA.

also add SE OKC to the list, out near the GM plant.

I said Del City.

The Oklahoma River will be a great location for office complexes and residential towers.

Over time. 25 years from now, yes. I fully anticipate d'town growth to shift south once I 40 is finished.

5. I don't think we can lower our cost of living anymore.....we're about the lowest in the country.

We have fallen behind. Omaha, Tulsa nad Fort Smith are lower than us when I checked last (Forbes).

we would not have a new arena, no new baseball stadium

I would pay thousands more in taxes if it ever landed OKLAHOMA (doesn't have to be OKC metro) some pro teams.

Does that answer your questions?

Thanks,
Nick.

[okcpulse]

I honestly believe sales tax is in need of reform, and I have an idea as to how to approach a solution. The only way the sales tax rate can be permanently lowered is by reducing the state sales tax rate, and place a cap on how much local sales tax rates can increase. What lawmakers should do is reduce the state salex tax rate from 4.5% to 3.75%. Keep Oklahoma City's sales tax rate at 3.875% and cap it there. That would reduce our total sales tax from 8.375% to 7.625%. Do not allow a shift to replace lsot revenue. State government can do without it.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

I don't know how we would operate our much needed beaurocracies then.

[Midtowner]

I honestly believe sales tax is in need of reform, and I have an idea as to how to approach a solution. The only way the sales tax rate can be permanently lowered is by reducing the state sales tax rate, and place a cap on how much local sales tax rates can increase. What lawmakers should do is reduce the state salex tax rate from 4.5% to 3.75%. Keep Oklahoma City's sales tax rate at 3.875% and cap it there. That would reduce our total sales tax from 8.375% to 7.625%. Do not allow a shift to replace lsot revenue. State government can do without it.

How do you expect the state government to do with less? They are already running very low on money. They have demands on the budget, but no resources to pay for them (see our roads and bridges if you don't believe me). Our education system is in dire straits, less money?

I agree that we could save a few million here and there by making state government leaner -- I posted some excellent material I found on the site for Citizens Against Government Waste site that specifically detailed wasteful spending in Oklahoma. However, even if all of those measures were to pass, Oklahoma has been in the practice of financing state projects through bonds (unconstitutional, but permitted by the Supreme Court). These bonds are now putting a pretty decent strain on the budget as well.

The state really needs to get its act together. We needs some strong leadership at the top. We need school district consolidation. Unfortunately, no one stands to make money off of consolidated schools. It'd probably pass if there were to be an initiative petition, but since no one stands to make any coin off it (unlike the road builders financing the initiative petition to raise the state fuel tax), it probably won't happen.

I like your thinking, but I just don't think we should be looking to send less money to our state government when it's already in pretty bad shape.

[Sooner&RiceGrad]

I never said that myself. Hell, we don't even have the dough to pony up for such a necessary project as the Crosstown Expy.

[Midtowner]

I never said that myself. Hell, we don't even have the dough to pony up for such a necessary project as the Crosstown Expy.

Hey, I know! We could float another bond!