Convention Center

[Hutch]

This is from the study I was referencing.

At the time, the convention center was planned for the property between Myriad Gardens and the MAPS 3 Park, and the whole point was to show how the surrounding area should be developed once we had a new cc and the Cox Center was demolished.

The study really should be completely reworked now that the convention center is going to the east of the park and represents more time, money and energy wasted on the previous site which of course the City never owned.

Anyway, it's fun to look at:

Nice. I'm in favor of any plan that removes the Cox superblock. Doing so will not only allow the CBD to expand, but will open up the CBD to Santa Fe Station and to the heart of Bricktown by way of the pedestrian concourse that will soon be constructed as part of the redevelopment of the station. More importantly, at some point in the future when a regional transit system is in operation and thousands of people are arriving downtown everyday by way of Santa Fe Station, the station will become as important a gateway to the CBD as the Boulevard. By breaking up the superblock, there will be a tremendous opportunity to develop a very inviting front-door experience into the CBD from the station.

[shawnw]

I think that I posted this somewhere some time ago...if nothing else, it's fun to think about...

Attachment 13641

Yes please

[Laramie]

I think that I posted this somewhere some time ago...if nothing else, it's fun to think about...

Attachment 13641

From left to right: Looks like Fountain Place & Trammell Crow Center in Dallas:

Fountain Place (720 ft/62 storiees) & Trammell Crow Center (686 ft/50 stories)

[jn1780]

Nice. I'm in favor of any plan that removes the Cox superblock. Doing so will not only allow the CBD to expand, but will open up the CBD to Santa Fe Station and to the heart of Bricktown by way of the pedestrian concourse that will soon be constructed as part of the redevelopment of the station. More importantly, at some point in the future when a regional transit system is in operation and thousands of people are arriving downtown everyday by way of Santa Fe Station, the station will become as important a gateway to the CBD as the Boulevard. By breaking up the superblock, there will be a tremendous opportunity to develop a very inviting front-door experience into the CBD from the station.

Yeah, keeping your core area locked up for 15+ years for an arena doesn't really make sense to me. I don't think the criteria for arena placement is as strict as it is for the convention center.

I think the city owns the Bass Pro building and parking lot doesn't it? We could perhaps build them a new building and look at building a new arena there.

[Laramie]

Yeah, keeping your core area locked up for 15+ years for an arena doesn't really make sense to me. I don't think the criteria for arena placement is as strict as it is for the convention center.

I think the city owns the Bass Pro building and parking lot doesn't it? We could perhaps build them a new building and look at building a new arena there.

How do you think that would affect traffic if a new arena were built in the Bass Pro area.

A better long-term plan would be to find a site for a new arena with room for a large stadium where most of the parking could be shared.

[riflesforwatie]

I'm generally pretty optimistic about most things, but I think bombermwc might be correct here, even if it's for the wrong reasons (i.e., might not be because of an arena necessarily). The city has made great strides, but we still make a lot of boneheaded decisions when it comes to urban principles. Yes the Cox superblock is a great opportunity, but I'm not convinced that the powers that be are going to make the "right decision" for it by default. Those of us that care are going to have to fight, or we risk getting another Boulevard-type mistake.

[jn1780]

How do you think that would affect traffic if a new arena were built in the Bass Pro area.

A better long-term plan would be to find a site for a new arena with room for a large stadium where most of the parking could be shared.

Yeah, I agree. The lumber mill/co ops site would be the best location for this. That would involve longer term planning and cooperation. No telling what will happen with the co op site in the years to come.

[hoya]

Again, we don't need a new arena. The reason the last round of arenas were built is because luxury suites became a big thing in the NBA, and you couldn't really retrofit many of the old arenas to have them.

There are currently zero new structural advances like that in NBA arenas. Maybe something happens in the future, but right now the clock hasn't even started ticking yet.

[Pete]

^

All true.

And I wonder how much extra demand there is for suites in OKC anyway.

I know Staples in L.A. has tons and tons of suites and it really sucks the life out of that place. But of course, it's a massive city with tons of big businesses there.

I'm not sure that OKC needs or wants more suites and I bet they could add more club-style seating if they so desired.

[ljbab728]

From the Oklahoman's William Crum.

http://m.newsok.com/article/5539854

Discussed the feasibility of installing a rooftop solar array above the exhibit hall at the*MAPS 3 convention center, and Mayor Mick Cornett asked the architect to put together*a cost estimate*for a study of the idea. Convention centers in cities including*Anaheim, Portland, Las Vegas and Houston are generating solar energy.*"Clearly this is the trend,"*said Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid.

[catch22]

From the Oklahoman's William Crum.

http://m.newsok.com/article/5539854

I think that's a good idea. That is a *lot* of space to light and more importantly keep cool in the summer, when it is the sunniest. Any efficiency gains would be good. Solar is becoming very, very efficient in the ratio of sq. ft. of solar receptors to energy output. A friend of mine here in Denver just installed solar last year on his house, and he has been getting $15-30 back every month from the electric company for the past year or so, minus December and January where he only owed $5-10.

I think it is definitely something the city should look into to reduce the long term operating costs of the facility; lower costs can make event booking cheaper which will only enhance the city's ability to book conventions that are shopping around for value. The initial expense would be worth it in the long run.

[riflesforwatie]

Update on the new substation: they're working rapidly on it. It was dark when I went by, so no photos. In Pete's last update all you see is the cleared dirt, but now there's quite a bit of concrete poured and a lot of the metal superstructure is up. Despite the dark there were at least 4 or 5 crews working on the substation and tons of lighting, trucks, and other equipment at the site.

I can't help but feel putting the new substation right next to the river is a huge mistake, as that land could be quite desirable some day if Pull-A-Part can ever be convinced to leave.

[Pete]

^

The city could easily take the Pull-a-Part property through eminent domain, as they have countless times through OCURA. Then, that would be a quite valuable slice of property, especially as the surrounding area is set to be developed.

The reason this happened is because the city already owned that land and it's an intentional strategy to give property to another owner (in this case OG&E) and then not have it count against the convention center budget.

I've argued several times that not only is this a disingenuous practice (the property has value and that should be counted just as if the city spent cash for something) but it results in these types of situations where they use city owned land as bargaining chips which can lead to something other than the highest and best use of property, and that is clearly happening here.

IMO, the whole thing basically creates two wrongs yet they continue to do it without much question and certainly no thought of handling things a different way.

[OKCRT]

Maybe they could find a parcel of land out on 1-40 and Peebly rd or somewhere like that for Pull-A-Part and do a swap. That has always seemed like an odd site for a salvage yard.

[ljbab728]

Maybe they could find a parcel of land out on 1-40 and Peebly rd or somewhere like that for Pull-A-Part and do a swap. That has always seemed like an odd site for a salvage yard.

There was a time when that property was inexpensive and nobody cared about the river.

[riflesforwatie]

Maybe they could find a parcel of land out on 1-40 and Peebly rd or somewhere like that for Pull-A-Part and do a swap. That has always seemed like an odd site for a salvage yard.

It made sense in the context of that area being Hubcap Alley but with the park coming and many of the remaining Hubcap Alley businesses closing I agree that Pull-a-Part should want to move.

[Laramie]

Pull-A-Part appear to run a transparent operation. Gone there with a friend to help pull some parts; only surprised that they charge an admission fee. They are well organized with the grounds & arrangement of vehicles according to some models & makes.

Don't have any idea as to what was in place before Pull-A-Part occupied the site; hopefully the clean-up won't be as enormous or severe as the Producer's Coop Mill site.

Just thrilled with the OKC future development plans; especially with the potential clean up of the coop mill & Pull-A-Part sites. Our city looked like the pits in the pre 90s. Since 2000, you can see the drastic change in the overall cleanliness of our city. Clean-up & beautification will always be a continuous process. Bricktown, Adventure, Paseo, Capitol Hill, Plaza, Asian & HSC districts have made remarkable improvements.

[_Kyle]

Does anybody else see the OKC sign in this? Its very hard to see if you don't know its there.

[ljbab728]

Does anybody else see the OKC sign in this? Its very hard to see if you don't know its there.

Very interesting coming out of the ground like that.

[ChrisHayes]

Does anybody else see the OKC sign in this? Its very hard to see if you don't know its there.

I never noticed that before. That's a nice touch really. Far better looking than if the entire sign was at the front. It would be overbearing

[Laramie]

Does anybody else see the OKC sign in this? Its very hard to see if you don't know its there.

Kyle, your keen eye for observation pointed out something many of us overlooked.

That's neat, reminds me of the logo signage in the Ferris Wheel Wheeler District; the city needs to maintain this theme. Every Thunder game you hear the fans chant O - K - C, it reminds me of that signage.


The more you can build that signage in strategic points throughout our city; it will leave what we hope will be a favorable impression. We are a city on the verge; therefore we need to promote ourselves through subliminal signage.


The Land Run monument & the OKC signage along with the buffalo statues throughout our city will complement & promote Oklahoma City.

[hoya]

I don't know that flooding the city with big OKC letters will have a big positive impact, but I do like the appearance of it here.

[d-usa]

Well, it's a branding benefit I would think. Cities often spend huge amounts of money on symbols, slogans, etc, in order to create a certain brand for their cities. OKC is certainly one way to brand Oklahoma City, and it's something nice and short to use when talking about the city. Maybe similar to how people say DC instead of saying Washington, DC.

It's also a branding that is already used by other companies that tie back into the city, like the logo of the Thunder (whether you like it or not). It also ties in somewhat with the old "Oklahoma is OK" motto we used to have on our tags and promoted by our tourism board.

[Pete]

And as I mentioned in the Central Park thread, every publicly funded project is required to spend 1% of its budget on public art.

So, they will have a big chunk of money for that purpose.

[TheTravellers]

... OKC is certainly one way to brand Oklahoma City, and it's something nice and short to use when talking about the city. Maybe similar to how people say DC instead of saying Washington, DC.

...

And having people refer to it as "OKC" is way preferable to people saying "Oak City" (phonetically, not sure how it's spelled in print), which I have never heard from anybody that lives here or grew up here.