Omni Hotel

[Laramie]

Again, the recommendation wasn't a full feasibility study, it was a market study to analyze the feasibility of a convention center hotel downtown.

Texas consultant Jeremy Stone, hired by The Alliance for the Economic Development of Oklahoma City, told the council his research shows the city can support a 735-room, $200 million conference hotel as part of development of a $250 million convention center south of the Myriad Gardens.

http://newsok.com/article/3915573

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cchotelstudy.pdf

We'll get no less than a 600 room convention center hotel.

IMO, they should have hired a consultant to do a full feasibility study (with five year projections) to look at financing & projections for the 735 rooms suggested by Jeremy Stone.

Wouldn't be surprised if Omni doesn't attempt to add a resident piece to the convention center hotel as they did with Louisville.

If the city could come up with $90 - $100 million in subsidies, anything is possible--let's see if we can secure the $85.4 million first. Biggest drawback at this point is the badly needed parking garage to support the convention center & hotel.

[mugofbeer]

I would love to see the botel combined with apartments. What a great location and view!

[Pete]

Condos on top would be awesome and could take advantage of the parking, services and pool.

[Pete]

The Lost Ogle posted a clip of Ed Shadid's stinging comments about how all this has been handled:

http://www.thelostogle.com/2016/09/2...-center-hotel/

[Teo9969]

With no real high-rise condo stock to compare, I understand why the component is a long shot for this project.

It just sucks that we all *know* that some condos will work out when it's finally done, we just need someone to step out and take the "risk".

[bradh]

The Lost Ogle posted a clip of Ed Shadid's stinging comments about how all this has been handled:

http://www.thelostogle.com/2016/09/2...-center-hotel/

Yawn, I won't even watch. The guy has zero political capital remaining in this city, and doesn't give a damn about working with anyone but himself. He can't see the forest for the trees.

[jerrywall]

The Lost Ogle posted a clip of Ed Shadid's stinging comments about how all this has been handled:

http://www.thelostogle.com/2016/09/2...-center-hotel/

Jeeze.. this just highlights how no one at TLO had any idea how economic development works...

So, the taxes the hotel generates will go directly back to the hotel, as opposed to funding police, fireman, schools, libraries, etc. That’s a pretty cool deal, especially if you own the hotel!

Um, yes. It's good when economic development projects pay for themselves. You know what will go to funding police, firemen, schools, libraries, etc? The revenues generated by CONVENTIONS YOU FING MORONS... (deep breath).

A convention of just 2k+ attendees can have an economic impact on a community of over a 1/4 of a million dollars or more. This convention center and an attached hotel brings the potential for many such conventions, and ones that are much larger. Downtown OKC is WAY below the needed number of rooms for events. We moved SoonerCon out of OKC for this very reason, and we were only a 1200 attendee event at the time. We just couldn't get the rooms. It's funny, because the downtown Sheraton has been trying to lure us back. They told me "we added a new ball room and updated the lounge and lobby". My reply? Did you add 5 new floors of rooms to your hotel, because otherwise....

[Teo9969]

I didn't read the article, but the only way you can listen to what Shadid is saying and not be sympathetic to his frustrations is if you believe that the citizens are dumb enough to pass on an opportunity for growth because it costs too much up front.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I myself don't see it that way, but that's why PR is a major business in the US and something that we need to do a better job of. Perhaps the constituency has some flaws in their thinking that can hold back the overall trajectory of the city, but that fear needs to be dealt with professionally instead of taking the easy/arrogant way out by not involving the public at all.

[Bellaboo]

I read the ogle a few times a few years ago..... enough said.

[baralheia]

I'm a regular TLO reader... Their articles are all supposed to be satirical - and most of them are funny to some degree. Unfortunately, sometimes they miss the mark when it comes to topics like this. It's more like a blog and not really a news site, tbh. Maybe someone needs to make an intelligent comment on their article explaining why the CC is a net positive for OKC? Not saying everything surrounding it has been handled in the best way, but still.

[Urbanized]

In the interest of fairness, anyone who watches Ed's statement should also let the video roll beyond that and hear the Mayor's questions of Cathy and her responses.

[jerrywall]

I'm a regular TLO reader... Their articles are all supposed to be satirical - and most of them are funny to some degree. Unfortunately, sometimes they miss the mark when it comes to topics like this. It's more like a blog and not really a news site, tbh. Maybe someone needs to make an intelligent comment on their article explaining why the CC is a net positive for OKC? Not saying everything surrounding it has been handled in the best way, but still.

I would, but any time I've tried to make a reasonable comment on one of their articles disagreeing with them, it amazingly disappears. Like spitting in the wind, and not worth the effort.

[pickles]

I'm a regular TLO reader... Their articles are all supposed to be satirical

I don't think this is lost on anyone.

There is good satire and there is bad satire. There is good comedy and bad comedy. There is clever smarm and non-clever smarm.

[Teo9969]

In the interest of fairness, anyone who watches Ed's statement should also let the video roll beyond that and hear the Mayor's questions of Cathy and her responses.

Fairness toward what exactly? If the justification for informing the public the least amount possible on a $85M+ project is "because we did this before with another project that has some similarities", then, in fairness, the reasoning is a large pile of crap.

I'm saying this as a person who is 100% in favor of the subsidy for the hotel (would even be fine with a higher subsidy - within reason) and who believes we're making a wise investment. Given that we all know that Shadid is on the record as being anti-hotel, I understand why everyone is dismissing his thoughts w/o even listening to them...but in that particular clip, there's nothing he says that is anything other than fair. If the city can't figure out how to sell the project to the citizens, then we are clearly lacking understanding of the matter within the city.

However, given your specific adeptness (as an observer) at explaining why we *need* to subsidize the hotel, I'm confident that lack of understanding is not the issue. Expediency, however, is. Is expediency in this case understandable? Yes. Acceptable? Less and less so for a city that intends to improve its position in the world.

[Urbanized]

I'm saying that Ed's comments were linked with the intention that they be listened to, and as long as someone listens to those comments it is only fair to also listen to the comments that came after, for perspective. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not a fan of forming opinion in a vacuum.

[BoulderSooner]

We elect the 9 members of the council to make decisions for the city and they approve over a billions dollars a year in funds.

Every time the city spends money. It doesn't need a public vote.

That is what the council is for. So to say we should ask the citizens to vote on it is disenginuis

[Teo9969]

We elect the 9 members of the council to make decisions for the city and they approve over a billions dollars a year in funds.

Every time the city spends money. It doesn't need a public vote.

That is what the council is for. So to say we should ask the citizens to vote on it is disenginuis

At no point did Shadid actually say "we need to bring all spending to a vote". But if the city approves $1.2B in expenditures, I think spending between 7% and 10% of that budget on a single project probably deserves some amount of public input. Or, is it your honest opinion that an $85M+ project merits nearly zero public dialogue?

[Pete]

Just to clarify, my understanding is that to even approach the needed $85MM they will try to raise both the hotel/motel and rental car taxes.

Both of those things would require a vote of the people.

[BoulderSooner]

At no point did Shadid actually say "we need to bring all spending to a vote". But if the city approves $1.2B in expenditures, I think spending between 7% and 10% of that budget on a single project probably deserves some amount of public input. Or, is it your honest opinion that an $85M+ project merits nearly zero public dialogue?

All items before council have (or allow) public input. And this is no different

And the reality is the 1.2 billion is per year. This 85 mil will be over a term of 15-30 years. So more like 1% or less

[OKCRT]

With no real high-rise condo stock to compare, I understand why the component is a long shot for this project.

It just sucks that we all *know* that some condos will work out when it's finally done, we just need someone to step out and take the "risk".

They have a chance to do something special here. Spend a little more and do it right. Build about 750 rooms and some upscale condos atop and give us a 30 story jewel. In the long run what's the difference between 85-125 mil? It will pay for itself.

[Laramie]

The City values the importance of public input; however, what's the point of elected officials if you're going to allow public input to micro-manage specific projects once you've selected a developer to move forward.

Remember when Mayor Ron Norick crafted the original MAPS, had he solicited public input they would have never gotten the initiative on the ballot.

Sometimes, you have to take a small group of representatives and hash these things out or you will never get anything accomplished.

We've elected these representatives to do the job they were elected to do. Allow this process to play out.

[SOONER8693]

They have a chance to do something special here. Spend a little more and do it right. Build about 750 rooms and some upscale condos atop and give us a 30 story jewel. In the long run what's the difference between 85-125 mil? It will pay for itself.

If we were a city in Texas, I would feel confident what you have proposed would for sure happen. Oklahoma, unfortunately, not happening.

[G.Walker]

After reading Steve's latest article re the convention center hotel, the designs are not final. The public will have a chance to provide input in regards to the design.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-seek...rticle/5520515

"O'Connor also expects a series of open house meetings with the community will be hosted by Omni as it begins to advance design from what so far has been a series of conceptual drawings aimed at determining a reliable cost estimate."

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^
Lots of questions being asked in this thread are addressed in that article. It's worth reading.

[kevin lee]

In other words, every poster that complained about the design or height of this project, needs to make these first meetings and voice your opinion (if logistically possible). If you can but don't, then you should refrain from complaining about these issues because you did nothing to make your point heard. Just my opinion.