REHCO / Former Downtown Ford site

[Rover]

They can be responsible and conservative and still lead. They don’t have to develop the whole site at once. If they develop a great plan for the space with staged development, they can induce more development AND help increase the value of the land. They could create the vision and develop a single signature building to kick start the development. Let’s say they develop a mid-rise mixed use on the corner across from the Omni, Park, and arena that becomes the gateway to the development and show the quality and type of vision they will promote. It doesn’t have to be a huge investment. A 12-15 story building with a 10,000 sq ft footprint can be built for $25-35 million. Then, if they invite other developers to join them in developing additional pieces of the site, they can kick start the whole thing.

We have gotten into the mindset that we need huge projects and single developers when we really need many developers and significant smaller pieces added one at a time.

[Teo9969]

What leads you to believe they are good corporate citizens when they are buying and hoarding key properties and waiting for public investments to maximize their value? Sounds more like profiteering than being leaders. They may know how to make money but I’ve yet to see them do real game changing development that induces other real development. Buy and hold isn’t leadership.

I absolutely agree that Buy and Hold isn't leadership, and it is definitely a problem in this city. To me it also shows a lack of faith in our market which is disappointing.

That being said - I don't think the Howards were involved with West Village but we know that Hall is involved with REHCO. West Village absolutely is game changing development for that area. But even that is nowhere near the level of development nor investment that this land needs/deserves.

I think people have to consider that there's a chance this site and/or the Cox site are on hold until we find another major corporation that wants to come in and headquarter downtown. Coming up with $250M and coming up with $500M are completely different ballparks. This site merits well beyond either one of those numbers and that's almost surely going to require a company that can anchor a massive mixed-use development. That kind of company needs to be employing close to 1000 people in those headquarters, and we don't have just tons of those in this market, and all of the ones that are not downtown have no real intention of leaving their digs anytime soon.

If they cannot find a way to activate the Harvey spine once the park is complete, that is worrisome, but the rest of this remaining parking until 2025 seems disappointing, but filling this area with a bigger version of West Village...well...that would be...unfortunate.

[Pete]

Even if you include streets, the 21c, Jones and all of West Village, that is only 8 acres.

This old dealership site is 18 acres and deserves something way more dense than the west end of Film Row.

This site is half the size of the entire Producers Coop. It's larger than the Cox Center site and the presumption has been all the way along that those 14 Cox acres will be divided up amoung multiple developers.

MidtownR has yet to develop anything larger than an acre or more than 4 stories tall.


If there is going to be something dense and worthwhile, I just don't see it happening for a long time.

[Pete]

Reminder of what MidtownR already owns and how much of it is un- or under-developed:

[sroberts24]

Would love to see Midtown R work with Bradshaw. Having Bradshaw’s proposal for the convention center parking garage be built across from Fassler or on the Bleu Garten site would be amazing.

[ditm4567]

Pete, out of curiosity who are the faces behind Midtown R?

[Pete]

Pete, out of curiosity who are the faces behind Midtown R?

Bob Howard (car dealer) and Mickey Clagg.

This old dealership site is co-owned by the Hall family as well.

[Pete]

The city is in the process of selling about half an acre of land on the west side of Robinson to REHCO, the group headed by Bob Howard that owns the adjacent property.

There are no signs REHCO is going to develop this land any time soon -- especially now.

Will be paying $1.06 million.

[sroberts24]

Would absolutely love to see a Hilton or JW Marriott on this site. Something 20-30 stories would be amazing and bridge the gap in the skyline between CBD and Omni. One can dream, right?

[Teo9969]

Would absolutely love to see a Hilton or JW Marriott on this site. Something 20-30 stories would be amazing and bridge the gap in the skyline between CBD and Omni. One can dream, right?

Given the people behind it, I would think that a major hotel will go up on the se corner of that lot, unless the convention center is a huge flop. But they may as well wait a 5-10 years to get an idea of how things are going to shape up before they determine the scale of what they plan on building. It's a multi-generational site.

[Laramie]

Possibly a future hotel maybe 7 to 10 years away if Omni doesn't exercise their 1st rights of refusal. OKC's agreement with Omni; no other new hotel is allowed to encroach upon the Omni for 25 years IIRC. Does this agreement affect an expansion of the 395 room Sheraton or 319 room Renaissance increasing their size...

If the success of the 605 room Omni exceed expectations and the city needs another hotel for convention support; then Omni will be given the first rights to propose a hotel which includes the Cox site if that convention center is ever demolished. Is there any agreement with Omni that OKC would be responsible to incentivized an Omni if they were to build a 300 or more room adjacent hotel on the convention center parcel.

Will the convention industry be so lucrative (Post Covid-19/vaccine) come MAPS 5 renewal in 2028 that the Cox site will propose modification to accommodate the booming convention industry that will engulf OKC for a 2030 expansion.

[Timtoomany]

Whoever takes control of this parcel of land, I hope they will consider some 'meanwhile' use until they undertake a full-scale development. It is a blight on an otherwise exceptional part of the city. A supersized OKSea would get my vote, but really anything that formalized a pedestrian route between Scissortail and the Myriad would be a start.

[BoulderSooner]

Possibly a future hotel maybe 7 to 10 years away if Omni doesn't exercise their 1st rights of refusal. OKC's agreement with Omni; no other new hotel is allowed to encroach upon the Omni for 25 years IIRC. Does this agreement affect an expansion of the 395 room Sheraton or 319 room Renaissance increasing their size...

If the success of the 605 room Omni exceed expectations and the city needs another hotel for convention support; then Omni will be given the first rights to propose a hotel which includes the Cox site if that convention center is ever demolished. Is there any agreement with Omni that OKC would be responsible to incentivized an Omni if they were to build a 300 or more room adjacent hotel on the convention center parcel.

Will the convention industry be so lucrative (Post Covid-19/vaccine) come MAPS 5 renewal in 2028 that the Cox site will propose modification to accommodate the booming convention industry that will engulf OKC for a 2030 expansion.

the Omni only has the first right to build a hotel on the cox site if the city wants a hotel there ..

they have no ability to block a hotel on this site ...

NOTE: city money can not go to a hotel on this site

[jn1780]

The important question is: How many cars can fit on a half acre of land?

[TheTravellers]

The important question is: How many cars can fit on a half acre of land?

Ha, perfect! And I'd bet that someone in the OKC Parking Mafia has a database of *exactly* how many can be squeezed into whatever size or shape of lot there is...

[3nglnd]

Whoever takes control of this parcel of land, I hope they will consider some 'meanwhile' use until they undertake a full-scale development. It is a blight on an otherwise exceptional part of the city. A supersized OKSea would get my vote, but really anything that formalized a pedestrian route between Scissortail and the Myriad would be a start.

As someone who walks between these two parks a handful of times a week, I agree with this sentiment a million percent

[G.Walker]

Not getting my hopes for anything special, last thing we need in another temporary "green space". It's best use at this point would be , let me dare to say a parking garage, lol.

[Pete]

Bob Howard & Co. do things right. See their many quality projects in Midtown.

It stinks to have that big hole but I'd much rather wait and get a quality, well thought-out development.

I don't know what you could build right now given the market conditions.

[Laramie]

the Omni only has the first right to build a hotel on the cox site if the city wants a hotel there ..

they have no ability to block a hotel on this site ...

NOTE: city money can not go to a hotel on this site

Thanks for the assurance info...

[Oski]

My wife and I visited Myriad Gardens yesterday, the whole thing was so beautifully designed. Then I looked at the Scissortail Park direction, I think nothing should block the gorgeous view from Myriad to Scissortail and vice versa, probably another park in this old Ford site is best for both parks and downtown, I know we won’t be able to afford it though. For those who love towers, we still have plenty of empty lands in the Coop site, Strawberry Fields, and the area next to Lower Scissortail Park. I myself think towers are cold, repetitive, and boring, mid-rises are the best.

[HOT ROD]

we'll see but the ford lands are probably the most valuable land in the state - a park or mid-rises probably are not the best use for such valuable land.

don't worry though, they will very likely incorporate greenspace and/or promenade to connect the two parks regardless of what is built.

[oklip955]

My non valuable 2 cents on this, mid rise with shopping and restaurants on the lower levels, office as a buffer then mid to high end condos or apartments. I am thinking some people would love to be able to walk to basic shopping/restaurants and then spend time in the park.

[Oski]

Just imagine a massive building gets built the between the two parks in this photo, that would be sad!

[Plutonic Panda]

Why would that be sad!?

[Oski]

Why would that be sad!?

Same reason as a bunch of humongous skyscrapers that would separate NYC Central Park into two parts, in this case, Myriad would look much smaller because it’d be boxed out. Very sad, especially if it’d boxed out by empty towers.