They are tearing down the C.C. Cooke building at SW 3rd & Walker?
They are tearing down the C.C. Cooke building at SW 3rd & Walker?
Could've done a lot better on the name...
That's probably what a dream version of our planning should look like, but I doubt it will look half that good if the end product does eventually happen. We'll see what happens though. That would be a huge population boost to downtown if that entire area was pulled off like that, plus it would be somewhat connected to the Wheeler district and only separated by the river, correct?
It's nice to dream.
^
So cool!!
If they were smart, they'd work with the city toward building a Middle School that Rex feeds into. It would give the area a big boost with the people who flock to Edmond for schools.
Rex already got the approval to go to 8th I believe, but agree, only about a high school.
Yes, pretty sure the Rex-affiliated middle school will be in the same location as the present elementary.
I can already see this being something to get excited about. In a year or so, expect a Walmart Super Center to be the first anchor with a lot of surface parking. I'm not seeing that in the renderings but I am for the site plan.
I also don't see this to be that good of urban planning for the core. Lots of parking, no alleys just parking in the middle of fairly large blocks. Anyone car to take a guess at how much it would take to develop this?
I should make this clear, I'm not hating on this development. Playing devils advocate here. Many here know my support for sprawl and cars. I'd certainly settle for a Walmart Supercenter to see this built. I just don't want to see one proposed and gets built while these renderings get lost like the Lower Bricktown and Tuscana ones. I can't even find the rendering for Lower Bricktown anymore online.
I want to see this area become dense. The renderings look nice. I just don't know how much confidence I have in this getting done. I'm afraid it won't be Strawberry Fields forever. It'll be Strawberry Fields until they run out of money.
Also, the name sucks. But I guess we're just lucky they didn't name it Why Don't We Do It In The Road.
Hopefully the city has learned its lesson and knows better than to allow something like this. When Lower Bricktown was being developed, there was this mindset that any development is better than none at all so that is why anything Hogan proposed was rubber-stamped without question. I think today standards are higher and there will be more voices promoting quality, urban development in this area. Developers are less likely to get away with doing the bare minimum just because they are developing something. Downtown isn't in the dire straits it was still in at the time Lower Bricktown was being developed.
I'm sure you remember the rumors of Walmart scouting around downtown. Oklahoma City has a history of developers proposing great things and the final product not being what was shown or scaled back. A lot of it canceled. It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit to see this whole thing being a ploy for a downtown Walmart and other big box retail.
The big box retail is shown on the site plan but not in the renderings which is weird as well. Something just seems sketchy as f.ck to me here about this.
I don't think anything is sketchy about this, just think the reporting on this story didn't answer many questions and begged a bunch more.
This is actually very similar to the 'Triangle' that was first proposed by Anthony McDermid and others for what is now Deep Deuce. They acquired a bunch of key properties, but together similar master plans and went from there.
And that district has turned out pretty great and is getting close to being fully built out. That original group did some small original development then spun off other properties which were in turn developed and then other investors / developers started filling in the surround properties.
And like here, there were a bunch of properties not owned by the group that did all the conceptualization.
One difference is that the city has specific guidelines (such as minimum heights) for any development in this area that hopes to receive incentives / TIF.
I really think this will develop very similarly to Deep Deuce and that is not a bad model to follow.
Last I heard, the Walmart will likely be associated with the 4th and EK Gaylord development and will be a Neighborhood Market. I think an urban Walmart downtown could be very beneficial and the company has shown in recent years they are willing to tailor their concept for urban environments. I would prefer a Crest or Uptown Market, but downtown OKC desperately needs a grocery store and if Walmart is willing to adhere to urban standards, I'm for it.
I would agree with this completely. I think Deep Deuce is a better comparison than Lower Bricktown.
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