Crossroads? Crossroads is dead my friend. You can call me, OKC Market Center -

[sacolton]

Bulldoze it!

[Thunder]

Bulldoze it!

Just another negative person.

There is no logical reason to bulldoze a decent megastructure.

[megax11]

New news.

It seems OKC Market Center wasn't a spur of the moment deal.

While at my eye doctor today, who used to be in the mall, I asked him what made him decide to move.

He said back 9 years ago, when he moved out of the mall, stores were starting to leave because they weren't happy.

I told him, well did you hear about what's happening with the mall.

He then told me, "Yes. The chamber of commerce has been working on that for about 2 years now." I said, "really?" He was like "yeah," and that his banker friend also knows a lot about it. If I remember correctly, I think he said his banker friend is friends with those who bought the mall.

Anyhow, my eye doctor, I guess, knows alot about the happenings inside the chamber of commerce, since he's known about this.

Interesting to get another side of this, which still confirms this is something that's happening.

[Steve]

Two years sounds about right. But not what you're thinking. Yes, it's true the chamber has been pursuing this as one of a handful of ideas for adaptive reuse. Now, did these discussions involve the Market Center folks for two years? I can't say for sure, but it's highly doubtful.

[megax11]

Not so sure when the people who plan on turning it into the Market Center bought it, but I find it interesting that something has been happening without much notice, for the past 2 years.

Goes to show how much the news in OKC, nor us, doesn't know.

[Steve]

They've not bought it. Goes to show how much the news does know.

[Easy180]

Not so sure when the people who plan on turning it into the Market Center bought it, but I find it interesting that something has been happening without much notice, for the past 2 years.

Goes to show how much the news in OKC, nor us, doesn't know.

So says the always reliable source for news...Anonymous eye doctor

[Larry OKC]

Magax11

Let me see if I am following this....your info is from your eye doctor who has a banker friend who is friends with the people that bought (but didn't buy) the mall???

Where does Kevin Bacon come into it?

[Steve]

Trust me, Richard Mize is on top of this one and is watching the sale listing closely. If it sells, he'll have a story.
Here are some other online news alerts that were "missed" by local news:
- http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=10825&page=1
- http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...64&pagenumber=
- http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...06&pagenumber=
- http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...31&pagenumber=

Now, that having been said, OKC Talk is a great website and I'm not trying to get into a bash fest here. The following is one example of where a poster was (I think) dead on in seeing what could be coming soon to downtown:
-http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=10900&page=1

It's cool to discuss gossip and rumors about what could be coming next. It gets people talking, generates ideas and sometimes provides some surprising inspiration to those who can make such things happen. But it gets old - REALLY OLD - hearing how a smart move by local news to not give too much attention to a deal that isn't real yet gets twisted into some sort of "the old media is so stupid, they know less than this forum does" game.
The deal at Crossroads has been written about by Richard Mize in a tone that was quite appropriate - it's an idea that has a lot of people talking, but it's far from being a done deal. Websites are created all the time for developments that never materialize - I really enjoyed dreaming about visiting Quail Crossing at Western and Memorial. Too bad the project is dead.

BTW: I fully Pete was told about Ruth's Chris at Founders. Those former owners were making all sorts of wild claims, and more than once they, how shall I say it? ... They told me something that I found to be at total odds with the truth.

[Thunder]

Is this Richard Mize the one responsible for writing the lame article filled with his own speculations? Steve and Larry, I don't see how you both still work for News 9 / The Oklahomans. Hope that guy get the pink slip one day.

[megax11]

Is this Richard Mize the one responsible for writing the lame article filled with his own speculations? Steve and Larry, I don't see how you both still work for News 9 / The Oklahomans. Hope that guy get the pink slip one day.

Yeah, this Steve Mize clown speculated in delivering his facts, which doesn't seem right to me.

I know more people who know more about this happening than the news. An eye doctor, whose banker friend knows the person who bought it and a friend who was offered a job from those who bought it.

This Mize guy speculated that the girl buying the mall was only dreaming, when really, a professional journalist would actually... you know... talk to the person themself, instead of speculate, then make a story about it.

Nope, instead this Mize guy went straight to some dude at Edward Price to get his answers, when the person who bought the mall could have told them to zip their lips.

If I was buying the mall, and wanted to surprise people, I would have stated that part of me buying the mall means that any inquiries into a potential sale, would result in the seller stating that nothing has happened yet, so it could remain secret. I think the feds would agree to that. Why? Because they want the damn thing sold and off their hands. So by whatever means necessary.

The last bit is my take, however. I'm not going to act with some inferiority complex, like any journalist who claim to know 100% of the facts, and state I am right when speculating, like I was in the last statement of mine. However, I do know two people now who have people on the inside of this, and they suggest otherwise when it came to the sell of the mall... WAIT! Make that three. Forgot the person who owns a store in the mall, who told me to begin with.

Bottom line. I see the news fabricate everything more than tell the truth, just to create drama, so who knows... It's getting to where you can't even trust the news anymore.

[SkyWestOKC]

Reread what you just wrote. "An eye doctor, whose banker friend knows the person who bought it and a friend who was offered a job from those who bought it." reread it, then read it again. Hopefully you will see how untrustworthy that "source" is. Have you ever played that telephone game in grade school. Have people sitting next to each other, one person starts a whisper, and it moves from person to person, and the last person tells out loud what it is. And 100% of the time it's different than what the first person said.

Your situation is no different.

Person the doctor's banker's friend knows -> the banker friend of the doctor: "I heard the mall is going to be sold"

Banker -> doctor: "I heard from a friend the mall is going to be sold. Rumor around here is that some Market Center is going in."

Doctor -> you: "Yeah, I heard that the mall is going to be sold to (or already has been) to some Market Center."

you -> us: "The mall was sold to OKC Market Center"

I'd bet you $5 that is how it went.

[megax11]

Well everyone here can be negative all they want. That's not my problem in life. I'm not going to be a person who calls everyone a liar, because if we're going to play "he said, she said," then we might as well say that NewsOK just heard from others as well. This particular other, could be holding onto a secret for all we know."

Mize just heard as well, but not from the buyer... He speculated in that case. Once he hears "no I didn't buy it" from the buyer, then he can say he has the facts, instead of just heard from another person.

Edward Price would do more to protect the interest of the buyer, than some clown on NewsOK reporting the news. Who are they? No one when you think about it. Who is the buyer? The one with the money, making the seller go "woo-woo." Which is more important to give accurate info to? Hmm...

[Spartan]

If OKC does not do what it takes to get Crossroads shut down and on lockdown, we will NEVER develop any downtown retail or inner-south side retail. It is that simple. Stop trying to save the huge unsustainable mistakes we made in the 70s. It is a waste of time and resources. Crossroads never should have been built. It was good for about 15 years, then started going downhill, and has been unofficially dead for the last 10 years. Time to make it official.

Time to redistribute the existing retail around the inner south side, reinvigorate the inner south side, and make a move to position downtown to fill the void left by Crossroads. If the chamber really IS considering putting Crossroads on it's to-do list, this speaks volumes about bad priorities. It tells you how we've given up on downtown retail and made suburban retail the priority once again. Is a dead mall on the southside more important than trying to make something happen downtown?

And if a single cent gets spent on Crossroads in the form of public incentives, other than to build a great wall around it, I will be fuming.

[Steve]

Thunder, Mega, since you're so concerned with the facts...
Mize's first name is Richard. And neither he or I work for KWTV. And no, there is no relationship between The Oklahoman and KWTV. Feel free to returning to talking about Crossroads being sold, Ruth's Chris at Founders, massive Carousels on the river, etc.

[megax11]

For the record I don't know who you work for, Steve... I know this Mize character works for NewsOK.

Again news can be spun in any which way the journalist sees fit.

Richard could have gone straight to the source, but instead, chose to go to someone who sells the land, who could have been told to be quiet about the matter to the press. Then again it could have not sold. I'm just saying, I keep running into people who seemingly not only know about this, but now the number of people saying it has been sold has been upped to 3, while one goofball helping the feds sell the place, is the lone person who knows if it sold or not and is saying it didn't.

3-1.

[Thunder]

If OKC does not do what it takes to get Crossroads shut down and on lockdown, we will NEVER develop any downtown retail or inner-south side retail. It is that simple. Stop trying to save the huge unsustainable mistakes we made in the 70s. It is a waste of time and resources. Crossroads never should have been built. It was good for about 15 years, then started going downhill, and has been unofficially dead for the last 10 years. Time to make it official.

Time to redistribute the existing retail around the inner south side, reinvigorate the inner south side, and make a move to position downtown to fill the void left by Crossroads. If the chamber really IS considering putting Crossroads on it's to-do list, this speaks volumes about bad priorities. It tells you how we've given up on downtown retail and made suburban retail the priority once again. Is a dead mall on the southside more important than trying to make something happen downtown?

And if a single cent gets spent on Crossroads in the form of public incentives, other than to build a great wall around it, I will be fuming.

Is it always Downtown this and Downtown that to you?! Downtown does not need everything! Crossroads was NOT a mistake. The management committed numerous mistakes. Whatever you like it or not, that megastructure will come alive. If that hurts you so badly, move to Tulsa or elsewhere.

[Steve]

Richard sits at the desk next to mine. Public records indicate the sale has not gone through yet.
When a sale occurs, a deed is filed at the county courthouse. Reporters access such deeds and county property transactions to determine when a sale has taken place. The Oklahoman examines such records weekly and runs a list of the top sales every Saturday. The Journal Record does so as well.
So we have two methods of reporting a sales transaction. One is to go to the sales broker, the manager of the mall and the property records to see if a transaction has taken place. The other is to quote three unnamed people and to slam the news media for having followed the first method.
Alrighty.... all hail the rise of new media.
Yes, this deal could be going through. And I'm sure there are those who think it will. But it hasn't yet.
I'm going to log off now. I've got a busy day tomorrow - shopping at the world's fifth largest mall in Norman, followed by dinner at Ruth's Chris at Founders Tower followed by a spin on the world's largest carousel along the Oklahoma River.

[MikeOKC]

Richard sits at the desk next to mine. Public records indicate the sale has not gone through yet.
When a sale occurs, a deed is filed at the county courthouse. Reporters access such deeds and county property transactions to determine when a sale has taken place. The Oklahoman examines such records weekly and runs a list of the top sales every Saturday. The Journal Record does so as well.
So we have two methods of reporting a sales transaction. One is to go to the sales broker, the manager of the mall and the property records to see if a transaction has taken place. The other is to quote three unnamed people and to slam the news media for having followed the first method.
Alrighty.... all hail the rise of new media.
Yes, this deal could be going through. And I'm sure there are those who think it will. But it hasn't yet.
I'm going to log off now. I've got a busy day tomorrow - shopping at the world's fifth largest mall in Norman, followed by dinner at Ruth's Chris at Founders Tower followed by a spin on the world's largest carousel along the Oklahoma River.

Oh, and don't forget....what was it? The Oklahoma Dome or something? It was once posted here that a deal was set to be announced that would put a domed stadium near downtown and an NFL team would be moving to OKC. That could round out your weekend of fun!

In all seriousness, Steve is absolutely right. The silly Crossroads thread is a perfect example as to why we need newspapers and real journalists. They are professionals who know how to run down a story. I wouldn't go to a dentist to find out about business news downtown and I wouldn't let Steve near my teeth with a drill. Too many people just don't understand this very simple concept.

[Larry OKC]

Is this Richard Mize the one responsible for writing the lame article filled with his own speculations? Steve and Larry, I don't see how you both still work for News 9 / The Oklahomans. Hope that guy get the pink slip one day.

???

Where did you get the idea I worked for News9 or the Oklahoman? I am not now, nor have I ever been employed by any news media outlet.

[kevinpate]

???

Where did you get the idea I worked for News9 or the Oklahoman? I am not now, nor have I ever been employed by any news media outlet.

Maybe the brother of an eye doctor's janitor left him a note one day?

[megax11]

Richard sits at the desk next to mine. Public records indicate the sale has not gone through yet.
When a sale occurs, a deed is filed at the county courthouse. Reporters access such deeds and county property transactions to determine when a sale has taken place. The Oklahoman examines such records weekly and runs a list of the top sales every Saturday. The Journal Record does so as well.
So we have two methods of reporting a sales transaction. One is to go to the sales broker, the manager of the mall and the property records to see if a transaction has taken place. The other is to quote three unnamed people and to slam the news media for having followed the first method.
Alrighty.... all hail the rise of new media.
Yes, this deal could be going through. And I'm sure there are those who think it will. But it hasn't yet.
I'm going to log off now. I've got a busy day tomorrow - shopping at the world's fifth largest mall in Norman, followed by dinner at Ruth's Chris at Founders Tower followed by a spin on the world's largest carousel along the Oklahoma River.

Yeah... As I've stated before, the record of the sale will show up on their annual report, which hasn't happened yet. It will in 2011.

That's what I heard at least.

Man, we're all about just hearing.

I'm just hearing. Mize is just hearing. We should make a boat so all of us speculators and just-hearers (phony word), can go boating together... Weeee.

Oh and to the person who said we need the news and newspaper, I can say this. A real journalist would have went to the buyer, not speculated that the buyer was just dreaming. Why would a friend of mine be offered a job, be told to come apply, if there was nothing to apply for? Why would a merchant at the mall, who knew about this before any single one of us, even these so called professional journalists, state that the mall was signed off the day before she told me the news about the OKC Market Center? LOL! A peasy mall merchant, knew before journalists. That's just an odd thing to say. An eye doctor's friend is the same banker for the lady who bought the mall. I mean a banker would know why their clients are taking out huge amounts of money, filing for loans, etc...

I don't know, but again, I see one speculating journalist "hearing" from one person who stated it didn't sell (someone who could have been sworn to keep their trap shut), while 3 have all basically said the same thing, and they're all unrelated. I don't believe in coincidence.

[Steve]

No, records of sale are recorded at the courthouse when the transaction is filed. What the NEWS KNOWS is what the PUBLIC KNOWS: there is no sale yet, but there is an interested buyer who would like to turn the property into a market center.

[megax11]

And the courhouse couldn't be keeping the transaction secret and the request of the buyer, in order to have a grand reveal, since this place would be the first of its kind, open to consumers?

I'm actually curious about that one.

[Steve]

And the courhouse couldn't be keeping the transaction secret and the request of the buyer, in order to have a grand reveal, since this place would be the first of its kind, open to consumers?

I'm actually curious about that one.

Um, yeah .... Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!