Western Avenue District

[Chitty]

Any updates on the streetscape plan?

Also - Nova closed, I heard Deep Fork is keeping the lease and will open an "Irish Pub", calling it their "superior concept to Whiskey Cake." Pete any info?

[Urbanized]

...Also - Nova closed, I heard Deep Fork is keeping the lease and will open an "Irish Pub", calling it their "superior concept to Whiskey Cake." Pete any info?

Check the Barrel thread.

[metro]

Any updates on the streetscape plan?

Also - Nova closed, I heard Deep Fork is keeping the lease and will open an "Irish Pub", calling it their "superior concept to Whiskey Cake." Pete any info?

Yeah, as Urbanized hinted to, it's called Barrel, it's open and I don't know if I'd call it an Irish Pub.

[Plutonic Panda]

In Oklahoma City, Western Avenue merchants marketing on community | News OK

[Plutonic Panda]

Western renovation: City provides $1M for shopping district streetscapes | The Journal Record

[Plutonic Panda]

Western renovation: City provides $1M for shopping district streetscapes | The Journal Record

Can anyone post this article? I still don't have sub.

[warreng88]

Can anyone post this article? I still don't have sub.

Here you go, sorry I am so late:

Western renovation: City provides $1M for shopping district streetscapes

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record December 19, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – Years of research, merchant feedback and planning came to a head Tuesday as the Oklahoma City Council approved $1 million toward a streetscape project for the N. Western Avenue retail and restaurant corridor.

The funds represent Ward 2’s portion of $8 million set aside in the annual budgeting process that allowed each representative to identify a project to receive funding. Councilman Ed Shadid said market research on Western suggests the corridor has become a significant gathering point for the community, so the streetscaping will have a much larger effect than just the merchants between NW 41st and NW 45th streets.

Shadid said the planned package of upgrades, which includes street resurfacing and sidewalk enhancements, will significantly transform the area in much the same manner as Project 180 revamped the downtown business district. He said that painful experience on the latter project will help shape the work schedule on Western: Only one block will be under construction at a time in order to reduce the effects on customer traffic.

Shadid said the Western corridor differs from streetscape work in the Plaza District because Western had already proven itself as a vital business magnet, whereas the Plaza was still attracting builders and occupants.

Kim Cooper-Hart, program manager for the city’s Commercial District Revitalization Program, said the Western corridor is a good example of the challenge city planners face as business development drives the need to retrofit corridors to handle more traffic than initially envisioned.

“The city has planning processes and zoning that tries to anticipate trends and impact,” she said. “Some areas grow a little faster than we have funds to adapt. Certainly with Western Avenue, this was foreseen back in 2007.

“These corridors develop into wonderful magnets for people, and our response is that we want to keep those areas as safe and walkable as possible,” Cooper-Hart said. “All of these areas want people to come and stay for a while, and we can help with that by giving them public spaces to congregate.”

Cooper-Hart said City Hall must be responsive to market forces and help shape the infrastructure that stakeholders need rather than using strict policy to force development into a preset plan.

“It’s important to support a unified vision in which people believe something can actually be done, that it’s in their power to help an area transform,” she said. “Sometimes people think there are invisible forces at work behind the scenes, but when you look more closely, it happens because a lot of people rolled up their sleeves and made it happen.”

For a list of the city’s recognized commercial districts and destinations, visit http://www.okc.gov/Planning/cdrp/.

[warreng88]

By the way, if you ever come across a JR article and it hasn't been posted yet, feel free to message me and ask me to do it. Pete has done it multiple times and I am happy to do it. Depending on what is going on, it might take me a day or so, but I will get around to it. This isn't directed specifially at you PP, but anyone that wants to see an article from the JR.

[CuatrodeMayo]

I guess the JR is cool with posting articles behind the paywall and the DOK is not with articles that are "free"?

[Plutonic Panda]

From Oklahoma City's Facebook page:

Beginning Feb. 16, Western Avenue between NW 41 and NW 42 Street will be reduced to one lane, south bound traffic only.

Crews will be working on the Western Avenue streetscape project, which includes construction of an enhanced streetscape from NW 41 to NW 45 Street.

Crews will begin on the east side of Western Avenue between NW 41 and NW 42 St. Construction will be completed one half-block at a time before proceeding north to the next block. Once the crews complete the east side, they will switch to the west side moving north to south.

Each half-block is anticipated to take six weeks.

The Western Avenue project is funded by the City’s 2007 Bond Issue and the City’s General Fund.

- https://www.facebook.com/cityofokc/p...52588475472312

[Spartan]

I like the way they are phasing it. This is an improvement from P180. I cringed hard when I read where Shadid said this streetscape was gonna do P180 to Western Ave. Lol...

[Plutonic Panda]

I just hope it is in cement. If they asphalt, that will suck.

[John Knight]

I attended a meeting yesterday regarding the beginning stages of street music festival. It will be called West Fest and is planned for Saturday, September 19th. It will be located on Western between the blocks of 42nd and 45th.

Very cool to see something like this come to Western Ave.

[Urbanized]

The project manager for the redesign - Shane Hampton from the OU Institute for Quality Communities - worked for me during his undergraduate and graduate work at OU. I take full credit for any awesomeness that he is a part of. You're welcome, OKC.

[LakeEffect]

I just hope it is in cement. If they asphalt, that will suck.

I prefer concrete...

[Pete]

I attended a meeting yesterday regarding the beginning stages of street music festival. It will be called West Fest and is planned for Saturday, September 19th. It will be located on Western between the blocks of 42nd and 45th.

Very cool to see something like this come to Western Ave.

That's great news.

That district has much untapped potential.

[dankrutka]

Sounds awesome, but I'd love to see it a month earlier instead of competing with OU (Tulsa) and OSU (UTSA) home football games. Maybe the city can support all these events, but I bet a lot of people would love to attend both. I don't think there are any major festivals or sporting events in August, right?

[John Knight]

Sounds awesome, but I'd love to see it a month earlier instead of competing with OU (Tulsa) and OSU (UTSA) home football games. Maybe the city can support all these events, but I bet a lot of people would love to attend both. I don't think there are any major festivals or sporting events in August, right?

Correct. The MLB season is wrapping up and the NFL has preseason games but that doesn't necessarily affect Oklahoma City.

I agree, too many things are being crammed into the Spring and Fall months.

[Plutonic Panda]

Reconstruction has started on the portion between NW41 and 42nd

[Pete]

Photo of the work:

[Mr. Cotter]

That's more of a "During" than "Before."

[jdcf]

Thank you Pete for posting the pictures. I am very pleased with this.

[Teo9969]

That's more of a "During" than "Before."

Isn't it more of a "During" and a "Soon to Come"?

[Plutonic Panda]

Isn't it more of a "During" and a "Soon to Come"?

naa. I think "currently" and "down the road" is better.

[betts]

That will be a much needed improvement.