Strawberry Fields

[Teo9969]

What would the land aquisition cost be for this? 35 million?

If you bought it all today, that seems reasonable, but that's not real life. I can't honestly see them getting it all for less than $50M. There's of course a chance that they never get ahold of the missing park-front property, and I could easily see those 3 missing park-front blocks costing them $10M per by the time it's all said and done.

This is way too close to downtown to not be a multi-billion dollar development. If they're planning less than that, they're going to fail.

[warreng88]

Saw on the Journal Record today that Strawberry Fields LLC (the same entity that bought all the other land) closed on the purchase of 712 SW 15th Street. The seller is listed as Southwest Oklahoma District Church of the Nazarene. The problem is, when I look this address up on the county assessor, it doesn't exist. On googlemaps, it gets me to just north of the Oklahoma River and east of Walker Avenue. Does anyone think they are going to try to purchase property in this area as well to develop when the southern portion of the park is complete?

[warreng88]

Also, they closed on the purchase of 418 SW 5th Street. 4,950 sf auto shop, built in 1963, purchased for $528,000.

[Pete]

This is the property.

They have been buying dozens of lots in that area for the master plan.

[HangryHippo]

Strawberry Fields has some deep pockets. Who's bankrolling these purchases and are they going to have the money to develop any of this when they're done buying all the land?

[warreng88]

This is the property.

They have been buying dozens of lots in that area for the master plan.

$375,000 for a 1,750 sf building. Not exactly sure what it used to be. Too small to be a church. Maybe an office for the church?

[Pete]

Strawberry Fields has some deep pockets. Who's bankrolling these purchases and are they going to have the money to develop any of this when they're done buying all the land?

That is a good question because what they are doing is very expensive: Buying a bunch of properties and sitting on them for years.

You can't go get a bank loan to do that so the tens of millions must be coming from somewhere.

[warreng88]

That is a good question because what they are doing is very expensive: Buying a bunch of properties and sitting on them for years.

You can't go get a bank loan to do that so the tens of millions must be coming from somewhere.

Same thing the guy who bought all those homes north of NHP did. Bought them over 10-15 year and sat on them until he got them all, then tore them down. Of course, that guy is an O&G guy and had deep, deep pockets...

[Pete]

And we are talking about a lot more money in the case of Strawberry Fields.

[PhiAlpha]

Paul McCartney?

[Dustin]

Paul McCartney?

Every time I see the title of this thread I have a really strong urge to belt out "STRAWBERRY WINE" the country song... lol

[T. Jamison]

It looks like they have added a Master Plan.

http://www.strawberryfieldsok.com/masterplan-1

[David]

[Plutonic Panda]

I like everything except for what appears to be big box with large parking lots in the lower left corner. I would also like the buildings fronting the park to be minimum 30 stories.

[ChrisHayes]

I'd like to see some taller high rises as well, but in a case like this it's not entirely necessary. I wish they would get a timeline for development going.

[Spartan]

I think an urban-format big box component could be a good thing. I'd rather an urban Walmart go there than Deep Deuce.

[Plutonic Panda]

Let's hope this whole thing isn't some hoax by Walmart to get an urban store put in there. I want to note, I use the word urban by OKC standards. Not like what the urban stores shown here.

Fancy renderings and exciting layouts proposed with big box stores included... big box stores are built first... the rest either arent built or are sh!tty design or scaled back.

[Pete]

These are two great old structures in the middle of this proposed development but not owned by the Strawberry Fields group.

The white building is now the Fountain of Faith church but was originally the Czech Hall. Address is 515 SW 6th.

The Victorian house has been spruced up and they were close to getting an operator to put in a beer garden but that feel through; still trying to find the right tenant just a block west of the Czech Hall at 623 S. Dewey.

More on the old Czech Hall; it is on the National Register of Historic Places:

Czech Hall was constructed in 1924, replacing an earlier facility in the same location. The building served as a headquarters for the Western Czech Brotherhood Association, chartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory in 1903. This organization provided a broad range of support, from funeral insurance and assistance for new immigrants to social events, dances, and weddings. The Hall served a centerpiece for a neighborhood of Czechoslovakian immigrants where they could simultaneously practice their customs and traditions while helping each other adjust to life in a new country.

The modest, vernacular structure has had few alterations since it was constructed. It is a rare surviving example of an early neighborhood institution built by and for one of the immigrant populations that arrived with the opening of Oklahoma Territory to settlers.

[UnFrSaKn]

https://twitter.com/stevelackmeyer/s...26933761458176

[LocoAko]

I wonder if that's what this was referring to. https://www.facebook.com/WestparkOKC...302617/?type=3

[UnFrSaKn]

http://newsok.com/planting-oklahoma-...rticle/5554746

[UnFrSaKn]

They are both related.

http://www.strawberryfieldsok.com

[Pete]

1. Who are the Salames? What did they do for a living before starting these acquisitions? (All I know is Pat Salame used to work at the Waco equipment rental place on Classen and that they own a few small apartment buildings and they are both in their 60's)
2. Where did they get the $15 million to buy, scrape and sit on properties indefinitely?
3. Was Pat Salame even asked about her scores of investors (common knowledge) and who they might be?
4. Are they working with any of the 10+ other large property owners in the area between Scissortail Park and Western? (several own as much property, their 'master plan' shows grand vision for property of which only about 25% is owned by them)
5. How many demolitions have they performed rather than the one example of a structure they bought and left standing? (dozens, if you follow the permitting process)
6. Do they have plans to develop any of the property themselves? (I know for a fact they have spoken to other developers about spinning some land off for housing and were refused, at least for the time being)
7. Are they just speculators who plan to sit on most this property until others come in and offer them and their many investors a nice profit?

If you look at the map below, you'll see their ownership in pink. What you notice is that it is largely fragments that sit among other large property owners. (Green is city-owned).

There are at least a dozen owners / investors that own big chunks all around them.

[Bellaboo]

The Oklahoman article today stated that Pat Salames has a cousin who owns a pipeline company that is part of the ownership group behind SF.

[Pete]

The Oklahoman article today stated that Pat Salames has a cousin who owns a pipeline company that is part of the ownership group behind SF.

From people involved, I am told there are "dozens" of investors.