Originally Posted by
hoyasooner
This is the problem as I see it. There is not enough coordination here. We have grand ideas: a new convention center, a downtown streetcar that merges with a future commuter rail line that services much of the metro area, a transportation hub that links together rail, streetcar, and buses, new hotels, all while preserving historic neighborhoods and pushing greater urban density. Good stuff.
The issue is that something has to be put in first, not everything can go in at once. We don't have the money to do it all now. And right now, nothing is set in stone. We don't know where the streetcar will go. We don't know where the convention center will be. We don't know if funding is even going to be available for commuter rail or a transit hub. Some people want to plan this out like it's SimCity, and all the pieces fit together perfectly and it's organized and clean and there's no wasted space, and old buildings are renovated, and everything is great. And that's okay, I like the plan. On the other hand, you have people like Kerry, who isn't concerned with getting everything perfect, and just wants to see the city make progress, and if things don't fit some perfect plan, then so be it.
The issue I have is that I haven't seen this "perfect" plan. There are a lot of good ideas, but the Skirven plan is the first one I saw that I said "this is a legitimate plan by a legitimate group, and it could work". Now, it doesn't get into commuter rail, it doesn't touch on the streetcar, it isn't some grand master plan. It just deals with the convention center and hotel, and it's still the most developed plan I've seen so far.
We are down to crunch time. If there's a plan out there, we need to see it, right now. It needs to address our current needs, our current level of funding, it needs to be organized and clear, and if there's one particular thing that can only go in one particular place (like a rail line to Midwest City or the Zoo), then it needs to be made crystal clear that that portion is immutable. We cannot wait any longer because people are ready to start picking construction sites. As much as people are bitching about the Skirvin trying to influence the choice of convention center site, this is exactly what you should be doing right now. The best site for any individual portion of the overall MAPS3+ scheme may not be the best site once you consider every other thing we want to include. X location may be the best for a convention center, but then you can't build a transit hub later. Or Y route might be great for a streetcar, but then it can't tie into commuter rail in 20 years.
If we build things piecemeal, we will get a lot of good stuff that this city has needed for a long time. But it's not going to be your SimCity that fits perfectly. I guarantee you there will be things 20 years from now where we say "I wish we'd put this in a different location." If you want it to fit together perfectly, you need a plan with a Powerpoint presentation and a big glossy color map to show normal people where everything goes, and an explanation as far as why everything needs to go there. You need economic data. You need photos. You need info on right of ways and existing rail lines and federal funding, and it all needs to be so clear that any moron on the street can see it and understand where you're going. Otherwise, settle for piecemeal. Remember, the people who make the final decisions will not spend nearly as long looking at the issues involved as you do.
Whew. End rant.
And personally, I think the Santa Fe parking garage would be a decent spot for a transit hub. Tear out EK Gaylord, or build the transit hub over it. It's a large, pre-existing building, the streetcar can run right up to the Skirvin and connect with passenger rail. You don't have to built it right now, and you're not really "saving" space for anything because there's already a building there. You don't have to worry about destroying historic buildings because it's an ugly son of a bitch that we'd all rather be gone anyway. And you can build a parking garage anywhere.
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