Core to Shore

[huskysooner]

Does anyone have a feel for what price per SF the City paid to acquire land within the Maps 3 Park footprint? Also, does anyone have a good number for what the prime real estate surrounding the park (along Hudson, for example) is going for? I am sure there has been a lot of sales activity for the adjacent lots as the start date for park construction has drawn closer and closer.

[warreng88]

With the COOP still blending in w/ our new skyline, it needs to have a new owner for sure. It makes it more difficult for the other developments to really take off. If this property were to have an anchor development as "Corp Plaza on the River", you would see the other areas take off. As is, its holding things back.

I have a feeling by 2020 (when is the Coop planning on moving to SOKC again?) there will be someone who will buy it then sell it off in chunks. I don't think one large development will go on that space. Not sure we want a Gaylord Oklahoman in that area or a casino development and that is the kind of development we are talking about taking up that much space.

[Pete]

The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA) has been working on acquiring properties around the proposed Central Park.

In their meeting this week, they will be amending their plan:

The Authority is carrying out the Core to Shore Urban Renewal Plan, approved by The City of Oklahoma City March 2, 2010, as amended November 27, 2012. To better facilitate the Urban Renewal Plan’s goals of creating infill neighborhoods surrounding the newly created park, it is appropriate and desirable to authorize the acquisition of the blocks surrounding the park. Additionally, in order to encourage property owners within the Urban Renewal Area with the means and desire to redevelop their property, it is appropriate and desirable to authorize owner participation agreements in accordance with the Oklahoma Urban Redevelopment Law.

The proposed Second Amendment to the Core to Shore Urban Renewal Plan amends Exhibits 4, 4A, and 4B to the Core to Shore Urban Renewal Plan to show the new areas where the Authority will be authorized to acquire real property. The proposed Second Amendment also grants the Authority the authorization to enter into owner participation agreements with landowners to redevelop or rehabilitate their properties consistent with the Urban Renewal Plan, provided the landowners meet criteria established by a policy adopted by the Authority.

OCURA may enter into agreements with the owners of record of property within the Urban Renewal Area if it determines it feasible and finds that the owner is financially and otherwise qualified to participate in the redevelopment of its property within the Urban Renewal Area. Wherever practicable, OCURA shall enter into agreements with the owners of record of properties receiving substantial benefit from public improvements and other public investments, such as infrastructure, parks or other public spaces, and transit. An owner participation agreement shall provide that the owner agrees to carry out the purposes of the Urban Renewal Plan and shall contain provisions deemed by OCURA to be necessary or desirable to assist in preventing the development or spread of future blight or to otherwise carry out the purposes of the Oklahoma Urban Redevelopment Law. An owner participation agreement shall be consistent with and make requirements similar to the conditions imposed in agreements for land dispostion, including the requirement to redevelop the property in accordance with this Urban Renewal Plan, as may be amended from time to time.

[Pete]

Also, I had suggested that OCURA should have acquired the Stage Center site from the foundation then held a public process to determine it's highest and best use.

There was a counter-argument that the $4.275 million was beyond their means.

However, current financial statements show $10.1 million in assets; $4.9 in cash and $4.7 in investments.

And they certainly seem to have millions to spend on properties all over Core2Shore, which is still decades away from any real renaissance.

[hoya]

Also, I had suggested that OCURA should have acquired the Stage Center site from the foundation then held a public process to determine it's highest and best use.

There was a counter-argument that the $4.275 million was beyond their means.

However, current financial statements show $10.1 million in assets; $4.9 in cash and $4.7 in investments.

And they certainly seem to have millions to spend on properties all over Core2Shore, which is still decades away from any real renaissance.

Like. Or rather, dislike. Too bad they didn't purchase Stage Center.

[onthestrip]

The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA) has been working on acquiring properties around the proposed Central Park.

In their meeting this week, they will be amending their plan:

Man, that blue outline of the acquisition area is certainly an ambitious amount. Does OCURA have that much money to make all those acquisitions and if so, were do they get all their money?

[CuatrodeMayo]

Cuatrodemayo, maybe you could take the lead on the Central Park renderings, I'm sure they will be better than anything else out there. I would love to see what your vision is for Core to Shore / The River.

I've been considering taking a crack at redesigning the new park to show how it SHOULD be done, but 1) I have other projects that are getting priority right now and 2) I'm not sure there is enough grassroots support for an intervention ala FBB when it comes to the park.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Does anyone have a feel for what price per SF the City paid to acquire land within the Maps 3 Park footprint? Also, does anyone have a good number for what the prime real estate surrounding the park (along Hudson, for example) is going for? I am sure there has been a lot of sales activity for the adjacent lots as the start date for park construction has drawn closer and closer.

Got some land to unload?

[shawnw]

Even if you don't re-design the whole park, redesigning the portion around both the film exchange and union station could at least give people some vision about the posibilties... :-)

[CaptDave]

Did I miss something with Core to Shore? When did the city envision it with high rises around it? The last renditions I saw from the city showed it almost totally surrounded by one-store single family homes with a few low rise apartments.

That is what I recall also - rows of brownstone/townhouses were fronting the west side park with several different types of residential to the west with some mixed use development on the east and north.

[OKVision4U]

I've been considering taking a crack at redesigning the new park to show how it SHOULD be done, but 1) I have other projects that are getting priority right now and 2) I'm not sure there is enough grassroots support for an intervention ala FBB when it comes to the park.

I have no doubt you are busy as "the best" are always in high-demand. We just need A Design, that places the bar at the level you already invision in your designs. Some of the other attempts at ( Core to Shore / The River / Central Park ) just feels like we are settling for "the runner up". I don't know if we need a formal approach at the Central Parks plans, but they certainly need to have feel for what we all invision here.

[Jeepnokc]

What is the status of the park? I was looking online and it appears the main part of the park is north of I40 with just a smaller strip of park running down south of I40 to the river. However, I noticed that there are still properties that would be in the actual park part still being actively marketed for sale. Are they still planning on going all the way to the river on the west side of Robinson. I also notice some conceptual plans for Parkside developments but I am guessing that will be a long time off before we get any real development next to the park on the South side of I40.

[Laramie]

CORE TO SHORE RIPPLES

http://oklahoman.com/core-to-shore-r...rticle/5363337

[warreng88]

From the Journal Record commentary:

O’Connor: The future of Core to Shore

By: Cathy O'Connor Guest Columnist December 16, 2014

The conversation surrounding downtown development is ever evolving, consisting of a multitude of levels. Where do we develop? What type of development should go where? Would redevelopment of a district – or the creation of a new one – be detrimental to an established district? We work to answer these questions on a daily basis.

Since the Core to Shore district was conceptualized, there has been dialogue among city leaders and stakeholders as to whether it would compete with districts that are maturing downtown, such as Midtown, Bricktown and Deep Deuce, and even new developments like the Wheeler District planned for what is now known as the Downtown Airpark.

The answer is complicated. The Core to Shore district will be unlike any that we currently have, offering a very different type of development. It will be the blank slate that we need to develop a world-class neighborhood by providing much-needed community amenities, like added retail and commercial space, to the downtown area.

From what will be the new Crosstown Boulevard to the river, this project will add an estimated 500,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 residential units and 77,500 square feet of retail and commercial space. The rest of the development will contribute an additional million square feet of office space, 4,225 residential units and 156,200 square feet of retail and commercial space.

That being said, this development may be more complex and potentially more expensive than other districts around the city. Mayor Mick Cornett talks about the need for greater urban density, and that the idea of urban sprawl is one from the past. The new developmental paradigm of high-density, elevated design leads itself to a higher level of overall quality among all projects designed for the core of Oklahoma City.

The Core to Shore district will also be the long-awaited connection between the south site and the urban core. This will help move more investment into an area of Oklahoma City that has been longing for expansion and redevelopment for some time now.

It is important to keep in mind that development is not something that happens overnight. Remember the years it took Bricktown to transform into the entertainment district, and how long it has taken Midtown to run the course of its renaissance.

Cathy O’Connor is president of The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City.

[CaptDave]

When I was in Orlando for a couple hours today, I drove out to the former site of the Naval Training Center where I attended nuclear power school a long time ago. That base was closed during one of the BRAC rounds and has been redeveloped into what I think (hope) Core to Shore will become. It is called Baldwin Park and meets all the goals of the C2S studies and what many people hope that area will become. I thought about putting this in the Wheeler District thread, but Blair seems to have that one well in hand with a great vision and hopefully the means to achieve it. C2S seems to be a bit adrift now since the original "plan" is fairly old now, so maybe something like Baldwin Park should serve as an example of what could be. (This may have been mentioned in this thread at some point because Baldwin Park is similar to the opportunity OKC has to redevelop a large amount of land at one time.)

Baldwin Park | Orlando, FL

With all the discussion of the Convention Center and how it could relate to Core to Shore, I thought it might be interesting and relevant to look at some concepts for C2S.

[ljbab728]

When I was in Orlando for a couple hours today, I drove out to the former site of the Naval Training Center where I attended nuclear power school a long time ago. That base was closed during one of the BRAC rounds and has been redeveloped into what I think (hope) Core to Shore will become. It is called Baldwin Park and meets all the goals of the C2S studies and what many people hope that area will become. I thought about putting this in the Wheeler District thread, but Blair seems to have that one well in hand with a great vision and hopefully the means to achieve it. C2S seems to be a bit adrift now since the original "plan" is fairly old now, so maybe something like Baldwin Park should serve as an example of what could be. (This may have been mentioned in this thread at some point because Baldwin Park is similar to the opportunity OKC has to redevelop a large amount of land at one time.)

Baldwin Park | Orlando, FL

With all the discussion of the Convention Center and how it could relate to Core to Shore, I thought it might be interesting and relevant to look at some concepts for C2S.

That is certainly a wonderful development and some aspects would fit in great with Core to Shore. Most of the home architecture is not what I would envision here, though, and a few parts of it are a little more suburban in appearance than I would want here. Overall, I wouldn't complain if something similar was what ended up in Core to Shore.

[CaptDave]

That is certainly a wonderful development and some aspects would fit in great with Core to Shore. Most of the home architecture is not what I would envision here, though, and a few parts of it are a little more suburban in appearance than I would want here. Overall, I wouldn't complain if something similar was what ended up in Core to Shore.

Right - the concept would need to be adapted to a style more appropriate for OKC (just no more Dallas copycats, please). It is about as mixed use as it can be and as I drove around the area, I felt like I was encroaching by driving instead of walking.

[Teo9969]

Not really a fan. C2S ought to be like what Wheeler Park is shooting for, but even more dense. I'd hope that C2S is filled with 5 to 10 story buildings with commercial fronting the entirety of any important streets, and fronting sizable percentages of less important streets in the area (30% to 60%).

We can take our time building the district. We don't need it to be built out in 5 years…So if to get what we're looking for it takes 20 instead, that's fine…we won't have to rebuild anything for the following 75 years.

[bchris02]

I personally wonder what Core 2 Shore will ultimately end up being. First, the city needs to establish a vision and not grant variances to any developer who wants to stick a suburban development down there. The city has already set a bad precedent with improving that law office with the setback and surface parking.

Another thing to consider is the fact that the Core 2 Shore vision is a decade old. When city leaders were pushing it, OKC didn't have the resurgence currently being seen north of Reno. This is just me, but I think districts like Midtown that still have such a long way to go would be better places for public investment than Core 2 Shore, a concept that may actually be outdated at this point. I think OKC is ultimately at risk of having its eggs in too many baskets. I think the city needs to focus on improving and making great urban neighborhoods out of Bricktown, Midtown, and the area west of the CBD that consists of Film Row, the Clayco development, and the 21c Hotel before worrying about Core 2 Shore. In my opinion, 5 years is just as important as 25 years from now.

Ultimately I see Core 2 Shore, at best, becoming something like the Wheeler district rather than creating a mini-New York as some has envisioned.

[betts]

I'd be thrilled if it were a modern day Brooklyn personally. It doesn't have to be Manhattan.

[hoya]

I want a mini-New York.

I want stuff surrounding the park that looks like this (currently being built in Houston):



The rest of it I want to look like this:



and this:

[ljbab728]

An interesting update by Steve about the proposed new TIF for this area.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/546...o_redirect=yes

A $395 million budget is being proposed for a new 772-acre tax increment financing district designed to spur development in the blighted Core to Shore area between downtown and the Oklahoma River.

The proposal includes $16.6 million that would go to the Oklahoma City school district that might be used for a construction of a new middle school and high school in the project area.

[Pete]

They are actually carving this out of the existing TIF 2 and re-starting the 25-year clock.

One thing they always say when they pitch these TIF's: 'At the end of the 25-year period all property taxes go to the taxing jurisdictions'. Then, 20 years later, they reset the clock long after everyone has forgotten that promise.

As for the money that will 'go to the schools': 1) they would receive much more without the TIF and 2) the TIF requires them to spend the allocation within the district boundaries as opposed to putting that money back in the general fund. This is hardly any sort of gift to schools; it's really the opposite.


This is also one of a bunch of new TIF's they will be pushing through; well more than just First National and Core to Shore. That pitch has already been made to City Council (more districts) and will be coming up for approval soon.

Much more on this to come.

[Plutonic Panda]

AMG adds Parkview Village to portfolio | The Journal Record

[bchris02]

I think if Core 2 Shore is to reach its potential, now is the time to develop a vision and develop design codes to promote that vision and create synergy. The city needs to learn from the mistakes of Lower Bricktown and do this right, even if that means development will take longer than it would if the city let developers build anything they wanted.

I think Core 2 Shore done right should end up being a combination of Deep Deuce and Uptown Dallas. It should be a self-sustaining urban community with retail, providing all the services residents need. One Core 2 Shore is developed, people living there should have no need to drive to NW Expressway for basic needs.