Hudson Park

[Pete]

The only time there is a real parking problem is on Saturday nights when Fassler Hall and Bleu Garten are raging.

[PhiAlpha]

The only time there is a real parking problem is on Saturday nights when Fassler Hall and Bleu Garten are raging.

True which will likely get worse when this opens...which is a good thing. At some point it will make economic sense for MidtownR or someone else to build a garage on one of those empty lots, especially with the streetcar line running through the middle of midtown. I think one reasonable sized, public use garage in that area would handle the bulk of midtown's visitor parking needs for a long time, though I don't think one is necessary yet.

[OkiePoke]

There is a parking garage on 10th between Broadway and Robinson.

It is about 3 blocks from Fassler.

[sooner88]

There is a parking garage on 10th between Broadway and Robinson.

It is about 3 blocks from Fassler.

That is an option, but certainly not big enough to handle the future growth. Bob Howard also uses the garage for storing vehicles from the Mercedes dealership.

[dankrutka]

It's worth mentioning that continuing the build garages for every area will set limits on urban development and transportation diversification. For example, why is anyone going to ever take the new streetcar if there's a parking garage close to every place you want to go?

[Ross MacLochness]

It's worth mentioning that continuing the build garages for every area will set limits on urban development and transportation diversification. For example, why is anyone going to ever take the new streetcar if there's a parking garage close to every place you want to go?

Exactly. For every garage or parking lot built, that's one less lot available for interesting development and incentivizes driving over walking or other modes of transportation. I understand that we live in an extreme car culture at the moment, and it seems like we should be doing everything we can to make it convenient for people to drive and park, but we must begin to get away from that culture, especially in our downtown area, for the sake of economic sustainability, cultural development and the health and safety of future generations.

Even in the midst of our auto culture there is evidence that having dedicated parking isn't always a necessity. Have any of you ever been to a festival in a small town or district where there are no parking garages and few parking lots? Thousands of people can descend on these areas despite a lack of parking simply because they want to be there. When people really want to go somewhere, they make it work.

[Teo9969]

The issue isn't so much parking be built. Or anything for that matter.

The real problem in downtown OKC development is that so much of what is being built is on a scale that is simply too large. Most of the "little" development is rehabbing of old buildings, which is great. But what we need 10x more of are the buildings built on Walker between Louie's and the other building I can't remember right now.

Similarly, you can build a garage that is 6 to 10 stories tall that holds 50+ cars on a plot of land the size that Louie's sits on. It just doesn't fit the economy that people want.

Really what OKC needs is to sit down and revisit entirely urban ordinances, and figure out exactly how far reaching the scope of these sort of urban ordinances will be (i.e. where they apply: within the Interstates, only to Uptown/Capitol Hill, or whatever). Within those ordinances needs to be one that says "If your development (especially parking garages) has a footprint of X-by-Y then you must incorporate other uses into the design."

[Pete]

More revisions for this project. Hopefully once approved they start to move forward.

[Anonymous.]

I guess they are going to build a tree?

[Harbinger]

I guess they are going to build a tree?

Ha, yeah its the same company that did the pre-fab for AC. Once the branches are assembled, the inner rings go rather quickly.

[Pete]

This project seems to be dead.

The original developers are still paying rent on the property but have been looking for someone to take over the lease.

Very expensive proposition as the old Foodies Diner doesn't even have HVAC or a floor.