Dollar General demolished on Classen Blvd.

[John]

There is an office supply store downtown, but it is small and privately-owned. I can't remember the name of it, but I walked by it on Monday and I bought resume paper there once.

Copelin's in First National?

[Doug Loudenback]

The place on Classen & 12th was, before it went out of business and before Dollar General, a restaurant/club ... can't remember the name right now, but it wasn't bad at all. It was at the location for several years.

[Midtowner]

There is an office supply store downtown, but it is small and privately-owned. I can't remember the name of it, but I walked by it on Monday and I bought resume paper there once.

Copelan's? Coplan's? Something like that.

It's the only place in town that carries Respondent/Petitioner exhibit labels, FYI

[bandnerd]

Well let me go and load up on those!!!

What are they??? j/k.

[Doug Loudenback]

The place on Classen & 12th was, before it went out of business and before Dollar General, a restaurant/club ... can't remember the name right now, but it wasn't bad at all. It was at the location for several years.

I've found the restaurant. It was Fuzzy's Supper Club for more than 40 years (late 1940s - early 1990s). The last Oklahoman ad I found was in 1991. Arthur's Prime Rib Room was added around 1973, and it was quite a nice place to go. The restaurant featured beef (notably prime rib) and seafood (lobster, shrimp, oysters on the half shell, etc.), and the restaurant featured live entertainment. It once was popular with sports press and news media and included transportation to OU football games. The article below says that Keith Jackson ate there.

Here's a 10/10/1982 Oklahoman article ... click the link for a readable image ...

Link to readable pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...nts/fuzzys.jpg



The south part of Classen Blvd. was once a very good part of Oklahoma City. Here's hoping it will become a good part again.

[y_h]

I've found the restaurant. It was Fuzzy's Supper Club for more than 40 years (late 1940s - early 1990s). The last Oklahoman ad I found was in 1991. Arthur's Prime Rib Room was added around 1973, and it was quite a nice place to go. The restaurant featured beef (notably prime rib) and seafood (lobster, shrimp, oysters on the half shell, etc.), and the restaurant featured live entertainment. It once was popular with sports press and news media and included transportation to OU football games. The article below says that Keith Jackson ate there.

Here's a 10/10/1982 Oklahoman article ... click the link for a readable image ...

Link to readable pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...nts/fuzzys.jpg



The south part of Classen Blvd. was once a very good part of Oklahoma City. Here's hoping it will become a good part again.

This is terribly off-topic, but I couldn't help laughing at the statement in the above article that Fuzzy's offers chicken Kiev (deep fried chicken breast stuffed with garlic butter) and chicken Cordon Bleu (deep fried chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese) for the "cholesterol conscious."

Now back on topic - It's nice to see Office Depot make a brick-and-mortar investment in urban OKC. While I'm sure that most of the larger businesses occupying the CBD do their supply procurement via catalog and online vendors, it will certainly be a welcome amenity for small and emerging businesses who often have immediate needs for items which cannot wait for 2-3 day delivery and who don't do enough business to qualify for the volume discounts the wholesalers offer. Also, since O.D. has a substantial catalog and online operation, the positive PR this development may generate could also have a positive impact on that sector if some of the larger local businesses switch their allegience from other vendors like Staples' and Office Max's catalog and online services.

[trison]

I was just walking out of the St. Anthony Foundation's office and really got to look at the site where Office Depot is going. It is amazing how much better the property looks. It even appears that Banta cleaned up his neighbors back yard. That's been an eye sore for a while now. I'm really starting to think that Midtown is really going to be a big hit. Has anyone else been as impressed as me about how fast they are moving on widening Walker between 11th and 13th. Those guys are amazing. I've been told that they will be finished by the end of the month. It's nice to see progress.

[betts]

I am totally impressed by the scope of the renovations in Midtown. It looks more like urban renewal on the part of a city, rather than primarily the work of one organization.

[trison]

Does anyone know the status of the Office Depot like when it is going to open?

[metro]

I don't know. I'm staring out my office at the site now, it's a big mud puddle right now. On the bright side, the contractor does have the plastic mud guards to prevent mud from washing on the street. I'm sure this will go up quick if the weather cooperates.

[SuperScooper]

Based on the progress of other retail stores I have seen built around the city, I would think the store would be open by September at the earliest and February at the extreme latest.

One thing I have noticed that retailers traditionally want to be finished with new stores before the holiday season starts. The holiday sell profits can often help pay off the costs of building the store.

It all depends on the weather and how much detail is going into the building.

[DrFritz]

I agree Hot Rod. We need retail downtown and this is definitely a start. Wonder who else is coming in though? Anyone else soon?

[trison]

Other than quite a few restaurants I have not heard of any other large retailers even looking downtown. Maybe we should make a list of retailers that we would like to see and start some sort of letter campaign. I know that has worked in some other markets.

[metro]

trison, as the old saying goes "retail follows rooftops". Once we get some people in these new developments, I can almost guarantee you'll see some retail. We've already seen some retail come downtown in the last year or so. Clothing Retail: Firefly, Lit Clothing, Claybourne's, Pinpoint Resource Service Retail: Scott Cleaners, Velvet Monkey Salon, Park Harvey Athletic Club, Body Werx Fitness, and now Office Depot, there are also several more underway that I can't remember.

We are just in the beginning stages of seeing significant downtown retail underway. If the trends continue, it should hopefully snowball, especially after some more housing is online around September.

[trison]

I wonder what retailer is going on the lot across from Office Depot. I would think someone would want to be on Classen directly across from Office Depot. I also keep hoping the Jamba Juice will show up somewhere....maybe in Plaza Court. It looks like they still have two spaces available next to Subway.

[jbrown84]

Jamba would be a great addition downtown. I'd patronize.

[metro]

I don't know if I'd want a Jamba Juice in Plaza Court. I'd rather see them in the CBD perhaps in the Park Harvey corner spot. I wouldn't want them taking away Grateful Bean's business across the street. It's too historic of a place to lose.

As far as an update for the Office Depot. Two days ago they had 3 utility trucks out there in the field. Currently there are several above ground utility poles. I'm not sure what they were doing but I'm hoping they are working on burying the power lines.. As soon as this rain stops, I think we'll see some more progress.

[jbrown84]

I would LOVE to have Jamba in the Park Harvey, since I live there.

[helloo]

I saw a closing sign on S Robinson and about 25th st. I was wondering if they are all closing ir just some of them....

[metro]

helloo, if you read yesterdays Daily Disappointment (aka Daily Oklahoman) there was an article in there stating they are closing 13 Oklahoma City locations. They will still have about 300 locations left in the state. This one we've been referencing has been closed for awhile however and was not a part of this new realignment of the company.

[trison]

I just heard a rumor that the city did not approve Office Depot's plans to build and that the deal is dead. Tell me this isn't so. I thought we were trying to recruit retailers to downtown!

[Doug Loudenback]

7/11/07 Oklahoman article by Lackmeyer:

New Rules May Block Office Depot Plan

NewsOK: New rules may block Office Depot plan<br/><span class='hl2'>City adjustment board has rejected bid for parking in front of store</span>

A deal to bring Office Depot to MidTown may be in jeopardy because of new urban design rules that attempt to recast a traditionally suburban stretch of Classen Boulevard as a dense urban corridor.

Greg Banta's deal with Office Depot for NW 12 and Classen was hailed by local leaders last month as a triumph for downtown retail, but so far he has been unable to win plan approval by urban design commissioners or the city's board of adjustment.

By a vote of 2-2, the Board of Adjustment last week rejected a variance request by Banta that would have allowed parking in front of the building.

Banta said while he is concerned about the project, "I'm confident this will be resolved.”

The land in question was suburban retail with surface parking for more than a quarter century, and was last occupied by a Dollar General store that was razed this spring. Banta bought the property before the introduction of downtown zoning earlier this year that, for the first time, placed design controls along Classen Boulevard south of NW 13.

City Planning Director John Dugan said retailers such as Office Depot have adapted urban store designs in other downtown areas, and shouldn't have a problem doing the same in Oklahoma City.

"Fort Worth has done a really good job at this,” Dugan said. "The local franchise just has to get the idea this is the city's new standard.”

Dugan acknowledged the new zoning is a change from the area's historic usage, but added Classen Boulevard is expected to become a major entryway into downtown.

The streets that run east from Classen into downtown travel through MidTown, which predominantly features cottage homes and small office buildings surrounded by surface parking. Denser development is located along NW 10 and Walker at St. Anthony Hospital, where MidTown adjoins downtown's Arts Quarter.

"It is a much more intensive zoning than before,” Dugan said. "If the people don't like it, they can try to change it.”

Brett Hamm, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., said he hopes the city will do what it can to ensure the Office Depot project can move forward.

"While we've been supportive of the new design standards overall, this project should receive consideration recognizing its point in the process,” Hamm said. "Without a resolution, we stand a risk of sending the message that these new standards are anti-business and counter-productive to our top priority of gaining national retail in Downtown Oklahoma City. I have no doubt other national retailers will take note of how this plays out.”

Banta said he, too, supports the new zoning, and submitted plans that include brick and other materials not typically incorporated in a suburban Office Depot store.

"The intent of this is good,” Banta said. "I think Oklahoma City should have high standards, and that the people of Oklahoma City should expect quality development. We support that. Unfortunately we got caught up in the middle, but I'm confident it's going to come out OK in the end. This is what Oklahoma City is wanting — national retail downtown.”

[metro]

Sounds like it will be worked out in the end. I'm not too worried about this although it does explain the hiatus of no progress being made on the job site.

[metro]

Just an update...The Downtown Design Review Committee will be meeting on this again tomorrow (Thursday 19th) at 9:30am in the third floor chamber at City Hall 200 N. Walker. Hopefully we'll here good news and the project can move forward.

[trison]

Approval of the Office Depot site plan was received today by the Downtown Design Committee.