Convention Center

[Larry OKC]

Do you have any idea why?

Besides the legal issues, IIRC it was a matter of maintaining the "family friendly" nature of the Bricktown area. Never mind the fact that we have a slew of adult only clubs & bars.

[Larry OKC]

Funding, costs for Oklahoma City convention center hotel, parking still unknown

The Oklahoma City Council was advised Tuesday a new garage and a publicly subsidized conference hotel are unknown costs the city faces beyond the $250 million set to be spent on a new convention center.

Keep in mind that parking was to be shared between the C.C. and the MAPS 3 Park. The parking was to be under the Park and was cost prohibitive so it was scrapped (besides the Mayor said they had plenty of parking for the Park and it wasn't needed.

As far as Councilman Shadid's tweet and others, the other costs were mentioned during the campaign but it wasn't something they were pushing. The campaigns focus was get the phase 1 funded and we will worry about the rest of it later. The idea being that as it is about ready to open, the "oh, we need to start on Phase 2 immediately and we really need to get the hotel funded and built NOW. We have spent too much money to turn back now". Same arguments used for the Arena renovations and the American Indian Cultural Center....

ON EDIT: isn't the City looking at building more parking garages anyway since they sold off some recently...can't this be one of those???

[hoya]

I can accept that we need a new convention center. I am not an expert, or even relatively well informed, on the subject. If you tell me the Myriad is not up to par and we need to replace it, I will believe you. I believe we can build a convention center for OKC for $250 million that will serve our needs. Like the Chesapeake Arena, we might have to fork over more money later to spruce it up a bit. I think we've always known we needed to build a hotel to go with it.

The problem is, we can't build the convention center we want on the land we have chosen for the money we have available. It's like going to a car dealership and looking at BMWs and Mercedes (Mercedeses?) when you can afford a Ford Focus. The costs of the land appear to be much higher than anything people realized at the time. You're not going to be getting a $220 million center with $30 million in land acquisition costs. You're now talking about spending half the money or so on land, before you ever move a shovel of dirt. When you've got a budget, that's bad.

[Urbanized]

...I actually like the idea of using the lumberyard SE of the 'Peake and placing the hotel in the now U-Haul space..

First of all, the lumberyard was my favorite of all locations too, but the talk of putting something - anything from parking to a convention hotel - other than the building now standing on the U-Haul location chills me to the bone. I'd like to do whatever I can to squash that talk, even though it is only marginally related to the thread topic. Why in the WORLD would we want to tear down U-Haul for the sake of parking or any other structure, when there are acres and acres of undeveloped land and surface parking all around that location? I would like to remind everyone again of just what is entombed and totally preserved under the tin siding on the U-Haul building. If would require very little other than removal of the tin and stripping of a few layers of paint to suddenly have the most impressive structure in the Bricktown area, and the one best-suited for top-quality loft housing...

[GaryOKC6]

First of all, the lumberyard was my favorite of all locations too, but the talk of putting something - anything from parking to a convention hotel - other than the building now standing on the U-Haul location chills me to the bone. I'd like to do whatever I can to squash that talk, even though it is only marginally related to the thread topic. Why in the WORLD would we want to tear down U-Haul for the sake of parking or any other structure, when there are acres and acres of undeveloped land and surface parking all around that location? I would like to remind everyone again of just what is entombed and totally preserved under the tin siding on the U-Haul building. If would require very little other than removal of the tin and stripping of a few layers of paint to suddenly have the most impressive structure in the Bricktown area, and the one best-suited for top-quality loft housing...

The building has a lot of history. It later became National Biscut Company or NABISCO. After that it was the home to the Folding Carrier Corporation which is where the Shopping Cart was invented. I was in there a lot before uhaul came in and it has a lot of potential. Not to mention the new boulevard will run next to it (i think).

[HangryHippo]

First of all, the lumberyard was my favorite of all locations too, but the talk of putting something - anything from parking to a convention hotel - other than the building now standing on the U-Haul location chills me to the bone. I'd like to do whatever I can to squash that talk, even though it is only marginally related to the thread topic. Why in the WORLD would we want to tear down U-Haul for the sake of parking or any other structure, when there are acres and acres of undeveloped land and surface parking all around that location? I would like to remind everyone again of just what is entombed and totally preserved under the tin siding on the U-Haul building. If would require very little other than removal of the tin and stripping of a few layers of paint to suddenly have the most impressive structure in the Bricktown area, and the one best-suited for top-quality loft housing...

I will assist in any way possible in the squashing of any such talk. That's just pure lunacy to want to tear down this building. And for parking? Hell no.

I'll also leave a link here http://homes.yahoo.com/news/pittsbur...171500309.html that shows what can be done with an awesome reuse of an old building. There are several such opportunities throughout Bricktown.

[CaptDave]

I hope eventually the Uhaul franchise operator can be convinced to relocate and then see that ugly cladding removed. I have been told the facade is intact beneath the brown and green aluminum(?).

[GaryOKC6]

I hope eventually the Uhaul franchise operator can be convinced to relocate and then see that ugly cladding removed. I have been told the facade is intact beneath the brown and green aluminum(?).

I had lunch with some commercial realtors yesterday at S&B Burger jount. They told me that they have approached the owners on more than one occasion but they aren't budging. They all agreed that the owners are waitin on the new blvd and other changes that will increase the value of the property.

[Urbanized]

Whoever told you that was 100% correct. In fact the original casement windows are still in place, including the glass panes in them. The interior consists almost entirely of some 2 x 4, sheet rock and plywood construction. It is a rented Bobcat and a couple days' work from being completely original inside.

[Anonymous.]

I had no idea the U-Haul building has covered that... Wow.


Anyways it looks as if you could preserve that building easily for residential conversion. I am sure the tin siding has actually helped significantly in protecting the original structure. The hotel and existing U-Haul structure could co-exist in the same block, the hotel could be put on the street facing Reno instead of the Boulevard. Then you could do an additional pedestrian bridge over the Boulevard to act as linkage to the CC (as large groups of people crossing the Boulevard may not be best suitable).

[LakeEffect]

I had lunch with some commercial realtors yesterday at S&B Burger jount. They told me that they have approached the owners on more than one occasion but they aren't budging. They all agreed that the owners are waitin on the new blvd and other changes that will increase the value of the property.

To complicate matters is that it's owned by the UHaul trust of family members. Multiple owners at different percentages. It makes condemnation darn near impossible as well.

[Plutonic Panda]

So heres my question. Why didn't they leave the convention center out of Maps3 and sell it off in it's own package??? If it's already going to cost $500 million or so and the entire Maps3 budget was $777 million they should just either spend the $777 million (or whats left of it) on the CC (which I hope they don't do) and build a news Maps package or just delete the convention center and dedicate the rest of the funds to mass transit, Oklahoma river expansion, ect.... and reboot the convention center an entirely new package!

[Just the facts]

If they put the convention center in its own vote it would probably fail. I am 100% convinced they moved the CC up in the MAPS schedule because they didn't want the CC to be the center of a Finish MAPS III Right vote.

[Plutonic Panda]

If they put the convention center in its own vote it would probably fail. I am 100% convinced they moved the CC up in the MAPS schedule because they didn't want the CC to be the center of a Finish MAPS III Right vote.

I wonder how many people in this city have even been to the Cox area and if they have I doubt they really pay attention to its demise. The Nashville was sold off on it's own package right? Why couldn't the OKC convention center work?

[Just the facts]

I wonder how many people in this city have even been to the Cox area and if they have I doubt they really pay attention to its demise. The Nashville was sold off on it's own package right? Why couldn't the OKC convention center work?

Because people in OKC are smarter? Joking aside, the people of Nashville didn't vote on their convention center. Only their City Council voted. An attempt to put it to a public vote failed.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville....html?page=all

Councilman Eric Crafton's proposal to put the issue to a countywide vote failed, 27-10

Nashville expects to break even on their convention center in the year 2043 assuming they don't expand it or build a new one before then.

[Spartan]

If they put the convention center in its own vote it would probably fail. I am 100% convinced they moved the CC up in the MAPS schedule because they didn't want the CC to be the center of a Finish MAPS III Right vote.

This is absolutely the truth. It's not just people like Kerry or myself or others on this site saying that. It's very much looking like the way it will be. Even Lackmeyer is putting out articles that tows an "unbiased" line of good/bad comparisons to MAPS history.

[Plutonic Panda]

Because people in OKC are smarter? Joking aside, the people of Nashville didn't vote on their convention center. Only their City Council voted.

Haha yeah. Their public didn't have any say all, that sucks. You don't think a new convention center in OKC is good idea?

[Just the facts]

Haha yeah. Their public didn't have any say all, that sucks. You don't think a new convention center in OKC is good idea?

I think we should build a new convention center, but not because I think the convention industry is a cash cow. I would like to see a nice MODEST convention center built in East Bricktown so that the current Cox site can be opened up for redevelopment with park front mid/high rise residential, hotel, office tower, sidewalk dining, and retail - plus what we get out of the Ford dealer and Stage Center sites. Extending Broadway and putting California Ave back will create over one linear mile of new street frontage.

[Teo9969]

If they put the convention center in its own vote it would probably fail. I am 100% convinced they moved the CC up in the MAPS schedule because they didn't want the CC to be the center of a Finish MAPS III Right vote.

I think this will be a good move on their part, but we'll see. As long as the street car makes a real tangible difference, then I can see them issuing MAPS IV on the backs of extended Streetcar service, potential Rail and then finishing out the Convention center.

[Spartan]

I think this will be a good move on their part, but we'll see. As long as the street car makes a real tangible difference, then I can see them issuing MAPS IV on the backs of extended Streetcar service, potential Rail and then finishing out the Convention center.

Why don't we get our 5 miles first with the money we already passed...seriously

[Teo9969]

Why don't we get our 5 miles first with the money we already passed...seriously

I'm not saying I agree with it...I'm saying it will be an effective move on their part to generate enough turnout for a successful vote on MAPS IV.

[soonerguru]

I noticed that too. When they did an article on the street car people where saying things like "so I'm gonna have to pay for something that I live 10 miles from and will never use" "it's a called a car, go buy one" "this is just another failure of OKC" and they were getting positive marks on their comments too!!!??????

If you were on the News9 web site, just think: people commenting there probably think Kelly Ogle's "My Two Cents" is groundbreaking thought.

[soonerguru]

So heres my question. Why didn't they leave the convention center out of Maps3 and sell it off in it's own package??? If it's already going to cost $500 million or so and the entire Maps3 budget was $777 million they should just either spend the $777 million (or whats left of it) on the CC (which I hope they don't do) and build a news Maps package or just delete the convention center and dedicate the rest of the funds to mass transit, Oklahoma river expansion, ect.... and reboot the convention center an entirely new package!

MAPS 3 was just a fig leaf to get a convention center. The public would never have voted for it on its own. Now, there's risk they are going to screw around with projects people actually wanted to only partially fund the project they really wanted. This is beyond maddening. Heads should roll.

Seriously, the public has a big stake in this. We should organize a massive protest at the next convention center subcommittee meeting. These people need to put up or shut up.

[soonerguru]

I'm not saying I agree with it...I'm saying it will be an effective move on their part to generate enough turnout for a successful vote on MAPS IV.

No way. If they screw this up the way it looks like they are, there won't be a MAPS IV.

[Plutonic Panda]

If you were on the News9 web site, just think: people commenting there probably think Kelly Ogle's "My Two Cents" is groundbreaking thought.

No s&%t.. haha.. most of the people commenting there are just either stereo types or come out talking like they know everything. :/