OG&E Energy Center

[bchris02]

OKC is definitely growing but..............do you think we can support one more entertainment district? If you include Paseo and the Plaza, it makes eight. This is just a question not a statement.

I think in a city the size of OKC there will end up being winners and losers and there is only so much that can be supported, but lets also keep it in perspective. The metro area only has two districts that are full-on entertainment districts with critical mass, and they are Bricktown and Campus Corner.

Places like Film Row have potential down the road but are still very, very early in its revitalization timeline. If Hall Capital and the 21c area develops the right way it could become OKC's second full-fledged entertainment district.

Midtown is a bit farther along than Film Row but its also still pretty early in its revitalization timeline. By 2025 it should have developed into a strong mixed use neighborhood.

The Plaza, the Paseo, and Deep Deuce are neighborhoods with a few bars and restaurants, hardly what I would call entertainment districts. Major cities should have many that are primarily supported by people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. The more of these OKC has the better.

[Bellaboo]

Wow, did we really just wrap all the way back around to "the Myriad Gardens is dead after 5"? That's as ludicrous now as it was the last time we went over this.

I walked through there the other evening after five and it was thick with people.....I cut through over by the tube to avoid a lot of them.

[Stickman]

KINDA worry about saturation, I want the current establishments to be successful. Leases aren't cheap for these proprietors.

[bchris02]

KINDA worry about saturation, I want the current establishments to be successful. Leases aren't cheap for these proprietors.

I completely agree with you. That's why I am worried about Core 2 Shore personally. I think it has the biggest potential to be a failure out of everything in play right now, and the resources the city is/will be sinking into it would be much better spent elsewhere.

[Pete]

Well I'm counting eating and drinking neighborhoods.
Deep D
M-town
Plaza
23rd
Paseo
Film Row
Brick-T
Auto-Alley
I did not count Western as I consider to far away.

There is certainly some competition but we also have droves of people moving downtown, lots more hotels on the way and people in general wanting to go out in the core.

I've come to believe the success of each district has much more to do about the leadership and vision of key developers and businesses than anything else.

Just look at the Plaza. There is no reason it should be so far ahead of some of these other districts other than the people that got behind it in different but also somewhat coordinated ways.

Each could be completely great and not necessary step on the others as long as there are the right forces behind the development and promotion. At some point the various organic forces have to coalesce otherwise and only when that happens do you get a fully realized district.

[Stickman]

It's a big undertaking but could possibly be a game changer. I do worry about maintenance costs. Remember when the MBG was tagged? This park will be considerably larger.
Hey..........I'm all for growing
I will stay on the topic. Ate a LaLunas with friends Saturday, no concerts or game and the streets were busy.

[jccouger]

There is certainly some competition but we also have droves of people moving downtown, lots more hotels on the way and people in general wanting to go out in the core.

I've come to believe the success of each district has much more to do about the leadership and vision of key developers and businesses than anything else.

Just look at the Plaza. There is no reason it should be so far ahead of some of these other districts other than the people that got behind it in different but also somewhat coordinated ways.

Each could be completely great and not necessary step on the others as long as there are the right forces behind the development and promotion. At some point the various organic forces have to coalesce otherwise and only when that happens do you get a fully realized district.

I also think the plaza is successful because it targets a specific demographic.

[Stickman]

Bob Howard had a lot to do with the success.

[Pete]

I also think the plaza is successful because it targets a specific demographic.

Right, but you have to have something to target them with.

That has to come first.

[Dustin]

Yay! A new building with STONE! It looks amazing!

[BoulderSooner]

Yep. The City better decide quickly what they want MBG to be like after 5pm.

Maybe they want it like it is now. Full after 5 on any nice day. I know you can't see that from Florida

[jccouger]

Right, but you have to have something to target them with.

That has to come first.

Touche'. That can only be achieved when you have an entire district of property owners on the same page & a willingness to create a sense of place.

[Stickman]

Agree, you don't have to go far to see failure, just look at Stockyards City.

[Dubya61]

Agree, you don't have to go far to see failure, just look at Stockyards City.

Not sure Stockyards City should be counted as a failure.

[Just the facts]

Maybe they want it like it is now. Full after 5 on any nice day. I know you can't see that from Florida

We must have a different definition of full because it's a nice day after five and there are 14 people here besides me. anyhow, this concludes my comments on this portion of the topic.

[Spartan]

Kerry weren't you in OKC recently? I don't think people can throw that at you anymore..

[Just the facts]

Kerry weren't you in OKC recently? I don't think people can throw that at you anymore..

I am here now - and will be for most of the next 6 months.

[KayneMo]

I absolutely love it. Can't wait to watch it's progress through construction to completion!

[UnFrSaKn]

I agree that the building materials blow me away. I love it! It just suits my taste of old building styles. This might be my favorite new building when it's completed. It really does put 499 to shame. This is more like something I would expect from Pickard Chilton, not the Lever House knockoff building they are planning to build.

[David]

We must have a different definition of full because it's a nice day after five and there are 14 people here besides me. anyhow, this concludes my comments on this portion of the topic.

So you are saying you carefully counted and there were 15 people total using the gardens? If you are going to quote numbers I'd like to know how you got those numbers.

[Just the facts]

The building materials and style remind me a lot of One Atlantic and The Atlantic buildings in Atlanta. They are 2 of my favorites.

[BDP]

Not sure Stockyards City should be counted as a failure.

No doubt. It was the first Main Street program success in the state and up until a few years ago was probably the only walkable urban shopping district in the city. It may have some limitations as a result of its building stock, but the Stockyards actually shows that you don't need a sea of front door parking to have a successful district in Oklahoma City. You just need contiguous store fronts in a walkable layout.

[Stickman]

Okay....Okay . I will take back the Stockyards. Just meant it has progressed at a much slower rate. Should have used Capitol Hill as an example.

[baralheia]

Just throwing my 2c in... I absolutely love the choice of building materials and style. It looks like a modern interpretation of something like the First National building, and I dig that a LOT. Very excited for construction to commence.

[David]

Oh absolutely, the design really is top-notch.