Convergence (formerly Innovation Plaza)

[WheelerD Guy]

Can they please!!! stop trying to combine with Automobile Alley and Oklahoma Health Center!!!

It's a HUGE copout in my opinion for them to keep trying to combine the three areas - doing so then they wouldn't need to densify the Innovation District lands but could claim to be walkable (because AAlley already has density. ...)

I think the Innovation District can survive on its own making it's own imprint BETWEEN Automobile Alley and OHC. Make that dense, walkable and then it would "naturally" connect to the already dense/expanding AAlley and could help bring density to OHC. Plenty of opportunity for dense development already in the Innovation district area between the two established districts. Innovation District should be it's own neighborhood or subdistrict without leaching onto AAlley (especially).

Not totally sure it matters whether they are connected or not. Bigger key is making sure that the new urbanist principles are closely followed. And, the city already has too many “districts.” This isn’t Manhattan, lol.

[Pete]

They are trying desperately to create a district out of an endless sea of disjointed office parks, ridiculously wide street voids, and medical facilities with massive set-backs.

And attempting to appropriate the relative density and success of Auto Alley.

They aren't fooling anyone.

[HOT ROD]

Not totally sure it matters whether they are connected or not. Bigger key is making sure that the new urbanist principles are closely followed. And, the city already has too many “districts.” This isn’t Manhattan, lol.

they wont need to follow urbanist principles if they can simply "add" AAlley to the ""Innovation District"" boundaries, thereby eliminating the need for retail and residential connectivity to which AAlley already has and arguably is the strongest in all of downtown.

We've seen this story before where an OKC booster/insider has a great idea but half steps and leaches off what already exists creating a suburban or even rural model inside of the central city (looking at you Hogan/Lowe Bricktown). However, if they're forced to work with the boundaries between OHC and AAlley that has more or less arisen due to the destruction of deep deuce and the implementation of I-235; then they will be forced to implement a walkable district - filling in that gap - without leaching onto AAlley to claim urbanism but instead would complement it if not complete that side of downtown.

Nothing wrong with OKC having many districts downtown, which should enable dense urban development within their boundaries. it isn't Manhattan but downtown is the most dense area of urban development of the state of Oklahoma and should therefore strive to be manhattan-like or at least pro-urbanist within every development District. ..

[riflesforwatie]

The Oklahoma Health Center has already decided what it wants to be. They want the glow of being a part of the downtown core without putting any of the work in to actually make that reality. As long as that is strictly for marketing purposes and the Oklahoman's business pages I'm not sure it's worth worrying about; it's not like anyone actually driving (or walking, lol) through is going to get Automobile Alley confused with OHC's Anytown Suburban Office Park.

On the other hand, if they start mixing AA and the OHC together for the purposes of reporting various statistics (# of households, % of activity that is retail or foodservice, etc.) that becomes more of a concern. The proposal to cap any part of I-235 was and is a pie-in-the-sky effort, but if it somehow gained momentum and sucked potential public resources away from redevelopment in areas like JFK, Culbertson East Highland, or the area immediately east of Bricktown, that would be very troubling.

[HOT ROD]

im sure they'll market it that way, stealing from AAlley.

[Pete]

Building permit applications have been filed for the hotel, office and parking structure.

Innovation Hall would be built later.

[Bellaboo]

Nice ! Let it happen.

[BoulderSooner]

who is the developer??

[Pete]

who is the developer??

Robinson Park (Mark Beffort's group) and Gardner Tanenbaum.

[Pete]

This is going to look amazing from I-235.

[Jake]

Excited for this!

[Bellaboo]

This is going to look amazing from I-235.

The GE Global Research center was an impressive build.

This will be 10 X more.

[catch22]

This is going to look amazing from I-235.

Are there any renderings from that perspective? Maybe one of our resident artists can whip one up.

[Pete]

Are there any renderings from that perspective? Maybe one of our resident artists can whip one up.

This one is close:

[Anonymous.]

This hotel and specifically the penthouse on top will easily have the best view of the skyline in the entire city. Sunsets from there will be amazing.


So excited this is actually happening!

[5alive]

A++++++++++++++

[Martin]

wow, that is going to be impressive... i used to work just south of that but we moved our offices last year. i miss working up there but we save a ton of money on our current lease. i'm really surprised that they're closing off stiles... but honestly, i think it's the only way to make the land between the existing traffic circle and the harrison exit off ramp viable for any development.

[Martin]

This hotel and specifically the penthouse on top will easily have the best view of the skyline in the entire city. Sunsets from there will be amazing.

agreed... i think harrison and walnut is pretty much the best view of the skyline around... and this should be on that same angle.

[catcherinthewry]

Wow. I didn't expect anything this soon. Nice surprise.

[shawnw]

What the chamber wants, the chamber gets

[David]

So is this going to completely get rid of Stiles Circle and Stiles Avenue south of 9th St? Trying to figure out the changes to the local street layout.

[G.Walker]

Nice, they are not wasting time.

So I'm guessing the 2nd office building is going to happen with the Innovation Hall in a later phase or on demand?

[Anonymous.]

Why does this offramp need to exist anyways? There is sufficient ramps at 4th street and 10th street that both meet this need. Let's just double-exit-lane the 10th street exit with an easy widen plan. Then all of this space can be developed, and hell even spur the capping of I-235 here.

[HangryHippo]

why does this offramp need to exist anyways? There is sufficient ramps at 4th street and 10th street that both meet this need. Let's just double-exit-lane the 10th street exit with an easy widen plan. Then all of this space can be developed, and hell even spur the capping of i-235 here.

preach!!

[Plutonic Panda]

I have said this about these ramps for some time. As pro car as I am there are about 2-3 different off ramps they could remove that would benefit the area so much. This is one of them.