What's Being Built? (SW Corner of Lindsey and I35)

[HFK]

I've noticed that all of the land on the SW corner of Lindsey and I35 has been cleared, from I35 to the Bank (quite a large lot). has anyone heard what's being built there?

Thanks

[BaconCheeseburgerDeluxe]

That is the new home of Mark Heitz Chevrolet.

Planning Commission gives approval to new Heitz

The Norman Transcript

By Carol Cole

Transcript Staff Writer

The Norman Planning Commission voted Thursday to recommend rezoning to permit a local Chevrolet dealership to move from West Main Street to the southwest corner of Lindsey Street and Interstate 35.

Mark Heitz Chevrolet has purchased about 10 acres between 28th Avenue SW and the right-of-way on Interstate 35, south of West Lindsey Street.

Heitz will expand the dealership, with a request from General Motors Corporation to have a larger inventory on the lot. The current Main Street site is about 6 acres, with the West Lindsey Street site about 10 acres. Rezoning of the property would be from R-1 or single family dwelling district to C-2, general commercial district.

Planning commissioners also voted to recommend public rights-of-way be closed on Briggs Street between 28th Avenue SW and Interstate 35. The street is surrounded by land owned by the dealership.

"It's a street to nowhere," said Tom McCaleb of Spears and McCaleb, engineer for the applicant.

McCaleb said the applicant is going to try to save some of the big trees on the site.

"We are going to try to exceed the landscaping ordinance," McCaleb said.

According to notes from predevelopment discussions, the dealership has been in an ongoing conversation with owners of Turtle Creek Mobile Home Park west of 28th Avenue SW, but the owner is unwilling to sell. However, about 80 percent of the Turtle Creek site is in the floodplain and would likely not be developable.

[Martin]

that corner looks like crap now that all the trees are gone... -M

[Cornbread]

Take out the trees put in the cars. Norman is turning into a big eye sore.

[bombermwc]

Hmmm. I thought that was going to be the MG tower. I wonder where it's going then...and why it hasn't started.

[mranderson]

Hmmm. I thought that was going to be the MG tower. I wonder where it's going then...and why it hasn't started.

It takes time. You have site selection, environmental impact studies, archetectual design, funding (if not in place), and more. Major investments do not just appear overnight. I bet we do not even hear where MG's headquarters is until late this year at the earliest. And the prooving grounds is to be near Westheimer, from what I understand.

About those trees? Granted, I love trees. However, I can not stand outdated locations which are way too small as Heitz is now. It has to go someplace, and sometimes we must sacrafice things for progress.

[Martin]

i really don't equate another car lot with progress. -M

[soonerliberal]

I was under the assumption that was the site of the new 14ish story Norman tower. I think Mark Heitz is supposed to be farther west.

[Martin]

...i think that the tower is going in on the northwest corner. -M

[mranderson]

i really don't equate another car lot with progress. -M

Humm. It seems to me, the more cars a dealer sells, thus outgrowing their location IS progess. The dealers usually reflect the size of the city or town they are in. If Norman is growing, and Heitz (or any other dealer, for that matter) is growing, that would be progress.

[Martin]

sure, that's progress for the dealer and that's good but I don't think that it's progress for the city. i'm not saying that heitz should be barred from building, but i don't think that having more car lots makes norman a better place than it was. -M

[BG918]

What will happen to the existing Mark Heitz on Main? What would even be a good tenant for that site?

[HFK]

That section of Main seems to be imploding a bit, beginning with Target. However, as vital as Norman is, it's probably not accurate to describe any part of it as 'imploding'...

I do think that it's fair to say that the I35 corridor is sucking a bit of the life out of some of the older business sections.

[BaconCheeseburgerDeluxe]

Hobby Lobby is supposed to be moving into the old Target store. Last time I was down in norman, it looked like renovations where underway for the new Hobby Lobby store.

I think one of two things will happen to the old dealership, it will operate as used car lot or another new or used dealership will buy it. If it is not used as a car lot someone will probably buy it, demolish it and build something else there.

[soonerliberal]

Hobby Lobby is supposed to be moving into the old Target store. Last time I was down in norman, it looked like renovations where underway for the new Hobby Lobby store.

The exterior portion of the new Hobby Lobby seem to be nearly complete. The front sign is up and the new facade looks very presentable. The exterior of the Mardel half of the building is still under construction, but should be complete soon.

[BG918]

It will be interesting to see how the the Hobby Lobby and Mardel properties in downtown are redeveloped, that is a prime location in between Flood and University on Main...

[Spartan]

Hmmm. I thought that was going to be the MG tower. I wonder where it's going then...and why it hasn't started.

OKC will be getting more of an MG Tower than Norman will.

For now MG will just be using existing space in Norman, moving in with one of the schools, but I have word that MG will be building office space that will look akin to the new Weather Center when the time comes.

[dirtrider73068]

From what I understood Mark bought the trailer park too, its all suppose to be his to have a huge lot so as you exit and go onto lindsey you see nothing but cars.

[Spartan]

It's better than swampland with tires and metal pieces sticking out of the grass and a trailer park, West Norman's only.

[Martin]

spartan, you could barely see that trailer park with all the trees that used to be there. maybe you have this intersection confused with somewhere else. -M

[venture]

To me it would have been preferable to keep all the car dealerships north of Main street along 35. Letting the "Mile" sink further south is not what is needed. We already have them north of Robinson now...what's next?

The old Hobby Lobby site could probably be redeveloped like the retail/housing development off SE 12th and Lindsey. It would be a nice shot in the arm for that area to get some people in there. Of course the other big thing would be over-street walkways/skywalks. Not ghetto ones like what we have over the interstates, but probably a scaled down version of what you see along the strip in Vegas. This would help cut down on the foot traffic crossing the street right there by the high school, but also encourage people to live there and utilize the local retail establishments.

Just a thought.

[roontburger2006]

^The walkway thing sounds like a good idea if I'm understanding it right.

Also...I'm kind of bored with car lots too..I'd rather see something interesting there. You guys are right, everything is going even more towards the highway...and even though I wish more stuff would come up to make downtown and campus corner more interesting, its just more obvious to put business right on I-35 if you can.

So I'm wondering too what they'll do with the Mark Heits on main. Maybe with the new hobby lobby and Mardel looking nice we could hope for them to tear the old Mark Heits down and build something nice. Any ideas on what kind of something they could put there?

[Dekoung]

I like a previous poster wish all the dealerships would be north of Main. I have never been able to figure out how all these dealers stay in business. i will wait for another poster to make a joke here about relationship with the U's athletic dept. jk

I had heard at one time that a Staples was going into the old Hobby Lobby but guess not since there is a for lease sign there. Bet Copelin's is breathing a sigh of relief.

Hmm, i wonder how many posts I ahve now since i'm trying to achieve the mandatory five for noobs.