Alley's End (4th & EK Gaylord)

[bchris02]

My bad. I was walking by last night and have never noticed it before.

[catch22]

To answer your question it doesn't mean there are firm plans. They are basically "saying" they are pre-leasing just to see who calls and what they want. Then they can formulate a business plan based upon the interest shown.

It's almost like a de facto market survey.

[Pete]

OCURA will soon put out an RFP for the land the City owns as shown below.

I'm sure the Landrun people have already talked to them about acquiring this, but an RFP is required.

[_Cramer_]

It's just such an odd piece of land. However, has great exposure to drivers. Could be interesting..

[Plutonic Panda]

Great site for a 40+ story building. Also a great site for a pharmacy of some kind at the bottom. Would prefer to see a local guy set up shop, but I wouldn't be upset with a CVS or Walgreens. There is a Walgreens underneath my apartment in Hollywood that has a full on sushi bar and everything really cool.

[warreng88]

Great site for a 40+ story building. Also a great site for a pharmacy of some kind at the bottom. Would prefer to see a local guy set up shop, but I wouldn't be upset with a CVS or Walgreens. There is a Walgreens underneath my apartment in Hollywood that has a full on sushi bar and everything really cool.

No way we are going to see a 40 story building right there and I think it would stick out too much anyways. 10-15 would be about right, but I suspect we will see more along the lines of 3-5...

[OKCisOK4me]

Great spot for residential.

[Plutonic Panda]

No way we are going to see a 40 story building right there and I think it would stick out too much anyways. 10-15 would be about right, but I suspect we will see more along the lines of 3-5...

I don't think 40 stories in the CBD is too ambitious. Then again, this is Oklahoma City. OKC seems to have abnormally low standards so I'm not holding my breath.

[Uptowner]

It would be a cool place for a park. Considering the city owns (or at one point owned) most of it. Like a real park, with a couple basketball courts, cross-fit weirdness, swings, and a water feature. For all the people who are going to move into PluPan's eventual 40 story tower.

Sandridge just sold all it's surface parking in the vicinity including 4th&Broadway and the lots to the north. How about that for the 600 unit condo?

[bchris02]

No way we are going to see a 40 story building right there and I think it would stick out too much anyways. 10-15 would be about right, but I suspect we will see more along the lines of 3-5...

15-20 is about right. Little Rock had three of them built in the 2000s so there is no reason OKC couldn't support something on that scale.

[warreng88]

I don't think 40 stories in the CBD is too ambitious. Then again, this is Oklahoma City. OKC seems to have abnormally low standards so I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think so either, but the way the land is laid out, I don't see it happening. I would like to see it, but I think the land to the east would have to be obtained for a parking garage and amenities. Not sure who that is owned by right now. Probably the YMCA for across the street.

[Rover]

I don't think 40 stories in the CBD is too ambitious. Then again, this is Oklahoma City. OKC seems to have abnormally low standards so I'm not holding my breath.

Height has nothing to do with standards...only your personal expectation.

[Pete]

Ironically, the Land Run "available" sign is actually on the OKC property.

[dankrutka]

Height has nothing to do with standards...only your personal expectation.

Bingo. Can we get over the idea that taller is better? It's rather ignorant of good urbanism to say that if its not tall then that means OKC has low expectations. I actually think a mixed use residential development that's 6-8 stories would be great for that site.

[Laramie]

Just took a double take of the map Pete posted for this site; that includes the parking lot for the downtown YMCA (1 NW 4th St,).

[Plutonic Panda]

Height has nothing to do with standards...only your personal expectation.

I disagree.

[Plutonic Panda]

I don't think so either, but the way the land is laid out, I don't see it happening. I would like to see it, but I think the land to the east would have to be obtained for a parking garage and amenities. Not sure who that is owned by right now. Probably the YMCA for across the street.

Yeah a parking garage would be tricky to get here.

[Architect2010]

I disagree.

That's obvious....but he's right. Standards do not equate to height. Especially when demand and available land (density) does not necessitate height.

[bchris02]

I agree that height and good standards aren't always the same thing. However, I can really understand the desire for a high-rise residential tower in OKC. It would offer a type of living that currently isn't available here yet is in most of OKC's peer cities as well as smaller cities. If the Metropolitan is able to charge nearly $2000/mo in rent overlooking a junkyard, imagine what could be done with a 25 floor tower overlooking Bricktown and/or the CBD. Hopefully once the uncertainty surrounding the oil market decreases, a developer attempts to take on something of this scale.

[Plutonic Panda]

That's obvious....but he's right. Standards do not equate to height. Especially when demand and available land (density) does not necessitate height.

I'm not trying to say a building isn't a good building if it isn't tall, just that OKC never seems to get any nice tall buildings. Nashville just had a new 40 something story proposed on top of everything else they have going. Even the Devon Tower was scaled back. It never seems to fail. Sorry, if OKC can't support a 40 story tower in the CBD, then this city isn't as hot as some are making it out to be.

Anyways, I didn't mean to sidetrack this thread. Hopefully something nice will be built there, even if it isn't tall, I'm betting it will be something cool.

[Laramie]

I'm not trying to say a building isn't a good building if it isn't tall, just that OKC never seems to get any nice tall buildings. Nashville just had a new 40 something story proposed on top of everything else they have going. Even the Devon Tower was scaled back. It never seems to fail. Sorry, if OKC can't support a 40 story tower in the CBD, then this city isn't as hot as some are making it out to be.

Anyways, I didn't mean to sidetrack this thread. Hopefully something nice will be built there, even if it isn't tall, I'm betting it will be something cool.

Agree 100%.

Stop wasting our future land acquisitions on the nickel & dime developments. Something like the GE Global Research Center, yes; that a wise choice. If we continue to build small; what will happen when someone wants to build something comparable to the Chase (Cotter Ranch Tower) Bank, Oklahoma Tower or Devon Tower in downtown OKC.

[bchris02]

Agree 100%.

Stop wasting our future land acquisitions on the nickel & dime developments. Something like the GE Global Research Center, yes; that a wise choice. If we continue to build small; what will happen when someone wants to build something comparable to the Chase (Cotter Ranch Tower) Bank, Oklahoma Tower or Devon Tower in downtown OKC.

I am certain one of the things working against height at the moment in downtown OKC is the vast amount of undeveloped land here. Most other cities don't have near as much vacant land as OKC so height is more attractive to developers. Until downtown starts running out of greenspace and surface parking, most proposed developments will likely continue to be low-rise. With that said, 4th and EKG is a location that I think a tower would be optimal. Imagine the views from all sides from the upper floors. CBD to the west, Bricktown to the east, Auto Alley to the north, and the Peake/Skydance Bridge to the south. It would be amazing.

[Laramie]

I am certain one of the things working against height at the moment in downtown OKC is the vast amount of undeveloped land here. Most other cities don't have near as much vacant land as OKC so height is more attractive to developers. Until downtown starts running out of greenspace and surface parking, most proposed developments will likely continue to be low-rise. With that said, 4th and EKG is a location that I think a tower would be optimal. Imagine the views from all sides from the upper floors. CBD to the west, Bricktown to the east, Auto Alley to the north, and the Peake/Skydance Bridge to the south. It would be amazing.

Might be why you see so many parking garages built. Good investment for future growth.

[2Lanez]

Great spot for residential.

It would be a cool place for a park. Considering the city owns (or at one point owned) most of it. Like a real park, with a couple basketball courts, cross-fit weirdness, swings, and a water feature. For all the people who are going to move into PluPan's eventual 40 story tower.

Sandridge just sold all it's surface parking in the vicinity including 4th&Broadway and the lots to the north. How about that for the 600 unit condo?

Either is going to feel like it's on an island without some serious streetscape changes. The railway and how wide EKG is there don't do that location any favors. Even crossing 4th from where the parking lot is to the YMCA feels like a death trap.

[OKCisOK4me]

Either is going to feel like it's on an island without some serious streetscape changes. The railway and how wide EKG is there don't do that location any favors. Even crossing 4th from where the parking lot is to the YMCA feels like a death trap.

Future streetcar extension...plenty of walkability in the area. The only people that need to worry about driving their cars from this point are the grocery shoppers, suburban workers and vacation go getters...