Covell and I-35 Development Updates

[jerrywall]

The thing about the other hotels down the road is that they arent being given a hotel tax rebate from the city, and this Hilton Garden is. Not sure what great thing Edmond is getting on this deal, other than they can say the have a "convention hotel."

The tax rebate is considered a management fee on the city owned convention center.

[Zorba]

I'm holding out for the Life Time Fitness along Memorial west of Portland

Well when we moved to OKC, my wife and I decided that if Life Time Fitness ever built here, we would move to be close to it. So I can think of worse areas than Memorial and Portland .

[Plutonic Panda]

Banking question holds up start of Edmond conference center | News OK

Work should be starting soon. They have a new sign up--if that means anything--and I have seen several people out there lately.

Hotel sucks, but they interior should be nice and it will be awesome next to the pond. I'm really excited for the retail portion of this. Should bring some better retail than what Edmond currently has. Seeing as Edmond some of the most desirable demographics in the metro, I think we might get some high-end retail that hasn't came into the OKC market yet as long as this is done right. Something like this:

Spartan posted about this awhile back, but I couldn't find the thread.
Crocker Park Shopping Center > It's All Happening Here ? Westlake, Ohio

[Plutonic Panda]

Granted I would like to some space reserved for big box retailers keeping my fingers crossed for Costco, Fry's, or Tiger Direct.

[OKCisOK4me]

Honestly, I doubt those locations would want to be on an island surrounded by trees.

[Plutonic Panda]

Update:

The right-of-way plans and the environmental assessment for the Covell widening project has been submitted to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, said Larry Stevens, city manager.

Plans call to further widen Covell and continue the parkway with four lanes extending east from Fairfax Lane to Interstate 35.

“When we get that stay of approval, our people will move forward with the finalizing of the plans and also begin to relocate the utility relocations that will be needed for the major project,” Stevens told the Edmond City Council.

The engineering work for the project is about 30 percent complete, according to the city’s Engineering Department.

The total estimated cost of the Covell widening project is currently set at $10 million, Stevens said. ODOT will provide roughly 50 percent of the cost, he added.

“We’re making progress there and hope to hear something back from ODOT in the near future,” Stevens said.

Increasing roadway infrastructure needs are not going to go away on that portion of Covell. A new McDonald’s restaurant is proposed for the southwest corner of I-35 and Covell. Also, a new public high school will be constructed in six years on an 80-acre site located on the southeast corner of Air Depot and Covell.

Further development on Covell will include the construction of the $30 million Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center at the northwest corner of I-35. A groundbreaking for the project is expected to take place soon.

Summit Sports is another endeavor that is expected to break ground in the next couple of months on the northeast corner Covell and I-35 at a cost of $17 million, according to Janet Yowell, executive director of the Edmond Economic Development Authority.

- Covell project includes widening - The Edmond Sun: News

[Zorba]

Banking question holds up start of Edmond conference center | News OK

Work should be starting soon. They have a new sign up--if that means anything--and I have seen several people out there lately.

Hotel sucks, but they interior should be nice and it will be awesome next to the pond. I'm really excited for the retail portion of this. Should bring some better retail than what Edmond currently has. Seeing as Edmond some of the most desirable demographics in the metro, I think we might get some high-end retail that hasn't came into the OKC market yet as long as this is done right. Something like this:

Spartan posted about this awhile back, but I couldn't find the thread.
Crocker Park Shopping Center > It's All Happening Here ? Westlake, Ohio

It is really sad that basically every metro outside of Oklahoma has really nice outdoor shopping areas like those pictured. But outside of Utica Square I can't think of any in Oklahoma. I sometimes think it may be our zoning, since our commercial areas tend to be shallow. Other times I think it is just because Okies don't demand it.

[Zorba]

Is the Hotel ever actually going to start construction? The dirt work out there started at least 2 years ago and still nothing. Every time it rains more of the dirt hill washes away.

[Plutonic Panda]

This really shows Edmond hasn't changed a bit.

City talks a big game, then it gets scaled down, then we wait forever to see crap built.

[jerrywall]

You always move so quick from support to flip the tables. Construction wasn't even approved until last October. It was supposed to start by now but as mentioned above, the financing issues in February delayed construction. I'd assume they are either resolved or close to resolved so expect some construction anytime...

[Plutonic Panda]

I supported it when I thought it was going to be nice. Like everything else, Edmond is incapable of doing something progressive and not a typical bland strip mall.

Construction was actually approved before that and the they decided they wanted to move the hotel away from the highway.

Of course they ran into financing issues. They always do. Same thing with the Covell underpass which was supposed to be done back in 2005 that took forever to get done after they started it and now the I-35 bike trail underpass has hit financing issues.

You know, I'd be more understanding if we were actually getting a cool hotel, lifestyle center, and other recreational ammentities, but coming from Texas where this street and highway would have been widened yesterday, It's kind of hard to keep excited about a typical cookie cutter six story medium tier hotel, a Braums, and a McDonalds.

If we get the movie theater as an anchor to the south side, I'll admit I was wrong and he excited for it.

Right now, we a conference center hotel & sports plex that should almost be finished as they were slated to begin construction over a year ago and we don't even have foundations poured.

[oklip955]

I made the mistake of driving by at 6 pm this evening. Traffic was backed up to I-35 on the west bound side with a group of maybe 30 bike riders in the east bound lane. It needs widening now and a traffic light at Covel and Sooner.

[jerrywall]

From today's edmond chat on newsok...

While you are sending in your questions, let me tell you about something I learned this morning that is causing all kinds of excitement in Edmond today. Developers have secured the financing for the city's new hotel and conference center. The public-private partnership has been on hold for about six months while the financing was worked out and the building was moved further west from Covell Road and Interstate 35. People have been waiting on this day for a while.

[oklip955]

I did see a couple of guys that where well dressed walking around the site about a week ago. I kinda figured something was up.

[onthestrip]

From today's edmond chat on newsok...

While you are sending in your questions, let me tell you about something I learned this morning that is causing all kinds of excitement in Edmond today. Developers have secured the financing for the city's new hotel and conference center. The public-private partnership has been on hold for about six months while the financing was worked out and the building was moved further west from Covell Road and Interstate 35. People have been waiting on this day for a while.

It took them that long to secure financing even with the very generous tax credits? Sounds strange. Id be livid about this deal if I was another hotel owner in Edmond.

[Zorba]

Still nothing happening at this site. Anyone have any idea what's going on?

[Plutonic Panda]

Still nothing happening at this site. Anyone have any idea what's going on?

funding problems. Pretty embarrassing when the city is having trouble getting a mediocre(at best) suburban hotel funded and really shows how far Edmond has to go.

McDonald's, Braums, and the speculated convenience store(I'm guessing is an OnCue) are waiting until construction starts on the hotel before they break ground.

I also believe the sports complex is starting this fall. This thing is like 4 years behind. I'll have to look, but I believe the original start date was like 2012 and has been planned since the late 90s.

What's even more irritating is the city seems to be giving up on quality commercial on the east side of the 35 and is moving towards large tract residential on 1/2 acre to 1 acre lots. That isn't even suburban.

Not trying to be a Debbie downer but the longer this plays out the more and more I fear this is going to be a typical half ass Craplahoman development because from what I see with news reports of Oklahoma possibly going into a mini recession we've seen how developments in Oklahoma play out. Developers won't hold onto the land until the economy gets better. They either cheap out or they sell to someone who brings in a lesser quality development.

The hotel will more than likely be built within the next 1-3 years but it's the other stuff I was excited for. So now we have two fast food restaurants already in OKC and a gas station but that was to be expected as you almost always have those things even in upscale developments I just hope some other really exciting stuff gets announced soon.

I bet we see someone kind of movement on the hotel before the years end.

[jerrywall]

Still nothing happening at this site. Anyone have any idea what's going on?

Not sure why construction hasn't begun, considering they announced in May funding was secured. There was a 6 month delay while plans change and funding was finalized, but I'm curious if something new has happened to delay this...

[Zorba]

I wish they'd at least start the OnCue. It'd be really nice to have a gas station on my way home from work or on my way out of town.

I just can't believe how much money was spent on all that dirty work, just for it to sit for two years and erode.

[Plutonic Panda]

We'll see if these funding issues have truly been resolved as this is like the 3rd or 4th time we've seen an article like this.

Agreements reached for development of Hilton Garden Inn - News - The Edmond Sun

[Zorba]

They have started pushing dirt again and now putting in real drainage/road bases. But it looks like they are doing it everywhere, except the hotel site. The have also cleared the NW corner of Sooner and Covell.

[Plutonic Panda]

Hopefully this will finally start getting built.

[Plutonic Panda]

Well, as I drove by this going back to California for a while, I noticed the hotel seemed to be underway. Now, if I'm reading it right, it appears this has hit another snag.

Both of these project delays are do to continued changes in banking regulations and finding subcontractors who have increased the bid process, Yowell said.
“The city’s investment today has been in the purchase of land and infrastructure that will increase the value of that land,” Yowell said. “And it will prepare the area for further commercial development.”

- Despite economy, Edmond businesses branch out - The Edmond Sun: News

If this has been delayed again, this is getting to be a joke and Edmond is yet again proving its incompetence when it comes to handling mid-sized projects. Calling this a mid-sized project is generous. I'd venture to say for Edmond it is a large project but that doesn't mean much.

If this hasn't been delayed and is still on, then disregard that. Hopefully they were talking about the previous delay.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'll post some stuff in the road updates thread when I can look at the bid letting more specifically on ODOT's website, but here is a piece from The Sun.

Covell Road widening project moves forward | Local News | edmondsun.com

The reason I place this here is because this impacts the development and the area and it says this

An effort to build the impending hotel and conference center has been delayed due to changing banking regulations, said EEDA Executive Director Janet Yowell at a recent meeting of the Edmond Economic Development Authority.

So I take it the hotel has been delayed yet again to them laying claim to changing banking regulations. I believe they have used about 1 or 2 different excuses and this is new to me. I am reaching a new milestone of laziness and I'm not even going to scroll up right now or go back a few pages to look for clues as to what exact words they used to explain the delays, but come. on. dude. How is a project this f#cking small getting delayed for almost 4 years. SMH.

Hopefully this will cause the city to open their eyes and make some changes.

[MCC]

Panda: Sometimes, when you say "Edmond", it is hard to understand who you are referring to. The City of Edmond government, Edmond's commercial enterprises, or the conglomerate of these that have to work together to make things happen?