601 W. Main

[Plutonic Panda]

Do you think the PGD is a joke? This is big league.

Game changer.

[Colbafone]

Game changer.

Now you're coming around. Steve has been hyping this up for years. My excitement knows NO bounds for the PGD

[Plutonic Panda]

Now you're coming around. Steve has been hyping this up for years. My excitement knows NO bounds for the PGD

Based on your profile pic, it seems you have realized this is what will make KC and Dallas jealous. This is the stuff right here. The real McCoy.

[megathunder]

Soon we will need to build a parking garage just to accommodate people who want to come & see the parking garage district.

This just seriously cracked me up

[Sooner.Arch]

The only thing that i don't like about this, is that not all sides will have the architectural facade. Im sure that after it will get built someone will be commissioned to do a mural on one of the sides, but i still feel like they should have designed all the sides. There is this beaut that is in Dallas! Would be amazing to see something similar if they are gonna build more (also there are no bare concrete sides)

[shawnw]

Please make a satirical twitter and start pumping up all the various PGD projects in our near future. We need this.

[riflesforwatie]

Once autonomous cars take off and these parking garages turn into pointless white elephants OKC will be in great position to create the world's first Parking Garage Museum. If that doesn't pay off the PGD will be an interesting project for archaeologists to excavate a thousand years from now.

[yukong]

If this garage is constructed as in the renderings...it resembles a very famous building....





At least that is what I thought of when I saw the renderings. I've always been awed by the chapel.

[Bellaboo]

AFA. Chapel

[Ross MacLochness]

After a considerable amount of opposition from surrounding property owners, the case was continued to the September DDRC meeting. Blair Humphreys and Richard McKown also spoke in opposition of this garage. The main complaints were its huge scale when compared to existing structures in the area and it's function with respect to the goals of this particular part of downtown. McKown argued that the garage would further encourage a drive to your office, work, then leave mentality instead of one that would encourage 18 hour use of the park as part of a living breathing residential/commercial urban district. In fact, he mentioned that he, along with property owners of the surrounding surface parking lots, have been talking/planning mixed use residential developments along main street and Colcord Dr. and that this garage would likely end their plans. Interesting stuff indeed. Despite the difference in opinions, both sides were civil and respectful.

[Colbafone]

After a considerable amount of opposition from surrounding property owners, the case was continued to the September DDRC meeting. Blair Humphreys and Richard McKown also spoke in opposition of this garage. The main complaints were its huge scale when compared to existing structures in the area and it's function with respect to the goals of this particular part of downtown. McKown argued that the garage would further encourage a drive to your office, work, then leave mentality instead of one that would encourage 18 hour use of the park as part of a living breathing residential/commercial urban district. In fact, he mentioned that he, along with property owners of the surrounding surface parking lots, have been talking/planning mixed use residential developments along main street and Colcord Dr. and that this garage would likely end their plans. Interesting stuff indeed. Despite the difference in opinions, both sides were civil and respectful.

Did they meet at Lee Elementary?

[Pete]

Below, you see this proposed garage in pink. The properties in yellow are owned by the Box family.




The Box's had an attorney speak on their behalf who in turn introduced Richard McKown and Blair Humphreys.

McKown said that he had been working with the Box's for a while with plans to develop the large property on the south side of Main Street. He made the point that property and all the lots on that side of the street are unusually deep and thus lend themselves to a mixed-use project which could have parking in the middle then wrapped with residential and commercial on all sides.

He seemed to imply that this parking garage was the wrong type of development for this important corridor which should bridge the CBD to the 21c and all the great things happening in west downtown.

McKown also said they were waiting for the right time to go forward with what would be a $25-$30 million mixed used, residential project on that Main Street lot. I imagine it would be similar to Level, but a smaller scale.

Blair Humphreys just spoke in general terms about good urban development design principles.

A number of people mentioned that this building height was out of proportion with the area, especially given it's small footprint.

Ultimately, as mentioned, the item was continued.

[onthestrip]

Just talks with property owners or is there some actual plans of a mixed use development? Not that I agree with this garage but Im a little leery of what McKown is saying. Plus, you cant look past the fact that this would compete with the Box's parking lot when it come to Civic Center events.

[Pete]

There is no hard plan for a development on that lot.

McKown said they've been talking about things in general terms for quite a while and have been waiting for the 'right time'.

[shawnw]

Seems like they should do what a lot of other developments seem to do. File a building permit, put up a fence, and then do nothing for two years. That would strengthen their case. Of course, that means no parking revenue for Mr Box as well.

[catch22]

I honestly think they are being a little dramatic. This is a mid-block parking garage, which is much better than a corner-lot parking garage. Once the surrounding area fills in this really won't be all that noticeable.

[CS_Mike]

I suspect that their primary concern is to minimize any obstruction of views and direct access to the Civic Center and Bicentennial Park. A 5 story building here would serve as both a physical and psychological barrier between Bicentennial Park and potential residential located on the south side of Main. If you limit the development of this lot to shorter buildings with smaller footprints, residents to the south could still maintain some direct line-of-sight to the park area, which would probably encourage more use of the park. That's my theory, for what it's worth.

This just made me realize something. The best use of this lot would probably be to extend Dewey further north to Colcord. Maybe that's the real reason for wanting to kill this development? Restoring this portion of the street grid would probably have a significant impact on future development in this area.

[Ross MacLochness]

I honestly think they are being a little dramatic. This is a mid-block parking garage, which is much better than a corner-lot parking garage. Once the surrounding area fills in this really won't be all that noticeable.

That's like saying a gun shot wound to the arm is better than one to the heart. It's just a prime spot, being park front and main street facing in our civic center block. You'd think we could be a little more creative with some of our most visible and public space.

[Bellaboo]

That's like saying a gun shot wound to the arm is better than one to the heart. It's just a prime spot, being park front and main street facing in our civic center block. You'd think we could be a little more creative with some of our most visible and public space.

Personally, I don't think of this as much of a park. And the 4 floor garage is not that tall as you can see in the renderings, it's less tall than the Civic Center itself.
The real reason for objection is competition, and some folks don't want it.

[Ross MacLochness]

Personally, I don't think of this as much of a park.

What is it then?

The real reason for objection is competition, and some folks don't want it.

Even if this is true, hiding parking is still > a garage on this prime piece of land. Is a parking garage really highest and best use here?? I agree with the folks who oppose this despite their motives (though I'd argue McKown and Humphreys had good intentions when arguing there case).

[Bellaboo]

What is it then?
Even if this is true, hiding parking is still > a garage on this prime piece of land. Is a parking garage really highest and best use here?? I agree with the folks who oppose this despite their motives (though I'd argue McKown and Humphreys had good intentions when arguing there case).

It's the entryway to the Civic Center. Nothing more to do there than just sit. The real park is a couple of blocks Southeast...lol

[Pete]

http://newsok.com/neighbors-opposed-...rticle/5564616

Oh, the irony...

Attorneys David and Dennis Box continue to lead the campaign against this project. They own the property immediately to the east.

At the same time, David was sitting in the community meeting about the Classen Circle Braum's basically telling people his client is going to do what they want. And they make their living off helping private clients get their projects passed by the various City committees.


One more bit of conflict here: The City built that massive Main Street Parking Garage to the east and it in fact faces that very nice and recently renovated park in front of City Hall.

[Mott]

Pete, what are the rules for bicycling in the garage to 'hill train' on Sunday mornings?

[Anonymous.]

People skate and bike in [most of] downtown garages every evening. I see it often. I think if you just go during any non-peak hours (post 6pm and no local evening events) you would be fine.

[KayneMo]

To counter-argue, the Box Building is the one that seems out of context to me. It's set back farther from the sidewalk than other nearby buildings, and is one of a few of one-story buildings in the immediate area.