Okay, we've talked about the reality of it before and some mentioned to get vocal, we NEED TO DO IT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, if it's not already.
Oklahoma City parking trust policy threatens hall’s location
Published: February 3, 2009
Ample vacant space is the norm at the city’s Santa Fe Parking Garage. Photo by Steve Lackmeyer, the oklahoman
When city fathers were dreaming up plans for a new downtown, the International Photography Hall of Fame was a big part of their vision. They hired internationally renowned architect I.M. Pei in the 1960s to draw up plans that included a Tivoli Gardens-style park — what we now know as the Myriad Gardens.
And a look back at those old plans shows the International Photography Hall of Fame in the heart of it all.
Plans change, of course, and while the organization did eventually make Oklahoma City its home in 1983, that home ended up being in the Omniplex (now known as Science Museum Oklahoma).
The organization has spent the past two years trying to find a new home downtown — and was very interested in ground floor retail space at the Santa Fe Parking Garage.
At first glance, the arrangement sounded promising. The International Photography Hall of Fame had the money for renovations, but was in need of space that would either be free or very, very cheap.
The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA), meanwhile, had space that had gone empty for a number of years.
A deal between the two could have brought some life to one of downtown’s darkest retail corridors and added another attraction to draw visitors to the heart of the city. And yet no deal could be struck. Now the Photography Hall of Fame tentatively has decided to relocate near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
The folks at COTPA refused to budge from their policy of asking a minimum of $5 per square foot for this space, even though the garage’s ground floor hasn’t exceeded 50 percent occupancy in at least a quarter century. Spokesman Michael Scroggins defended the policy Monday, saying it was intended to stay consistent with COTPA’s requirements to not offer free parking spaces and thus not jeopardize agreements with bond holders.
The retail space, however, is not subject to any requirements with bond holders. If it were, I’d wonder how happy they would be with COTPA’s success rate at leasing. COTPA is a trust working on behalf of City Hall. Mayor Mick Cornett’s office confirmed that he was apprised of the talks, but he backed COTPA’s stance based on its belief the space was set to be leased fully.
Scroggins said Monday that "interest is high” in the space, thanks to the opening two years ago of the neighboring Skirvin Hilton Hotel. But occupancy at the moment is going down, not up, with the pending departure of two of the retail plaza’s three tenants.
COTPA, like all city trusts, was formed to serve the city’s interests. Whether they do so in this matter will be judged by others — but now that the failed deal is public, it will be interesting to hear what that judgment might be.
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