Reno & Eastern Hotel

[Pete]

The Planning Commission voted last week to approve the rezoning of a property near Reno & Eastern to allow the development of a new hotel.

The number of rooms is not known but the structure will be 3 to 4 stories.

The hotel brand was not identified but the logo in the rendering (below) seems to be a Comfort Inn or Clarion; both are part of the Choice Hotel Group.

[Bullbear]

somewhere for folks from the bus station to stay I guess

[bchris02]

I am sure it will be a great option for people passing through on I-40 who need a place to stay for the night.

[Pete]

Represents a nice investment in the area.

Also will benefit from the American Indian Cultural Center when/if it opens.

[kevinpate]

Hopefully there will soon be plans fr the properties immediately to the south of this new hotel.
As a walkable location, um, er, nah. However, if it operates any reasonable form of shuttle into BT or DT, it will likely become a well occupied property.

It seems unlikely its location would let it command the rates of close-in properties. However, it if will deliver its guests into Bricktown and CBD, or other areas/attractions near the CBD, it should do quite well. Unless its guest base ends up being primarily families (seems unlikely), Lyft, Uber and taxis might do a decent business if any shuttle coverage seems too shallow for the guests.

[OKCRT]

They need to think about adding a streetcar route(2nd phase) close to the bus station right? That area wouldn't be a bad choice to stay for out of towners that can't or chose not to stay closer in to the action. But,they need some transportation to get downtown. That would be a pretty good hike.

[HOT ROD]

im sure the bus station will eventually come back to downtown and be co-located with the main transit center.

[kevinpate]

They need to think about adding a streetcar route(2nd phase) close to the bus station right? That area wouldn't be a bad choice to stay for out of towners that can't or chose not to stay closer in to the action. But,they need some transportation to get downtown. That would be a pretty good hike.

Further out than a 2nd phase I would imagine. The stretch between Eastern/Reno and BT is an industrial wasteland until you get out to this new hotel site, the bus station and the old inn that was rebranded as the Bricktown Hotel and Convention Center a while back. I've wondered at times how many folk have arrived and wondered wth? after not checking the address when they booked.

[JohnH_in_OKC]

im sure the bus station will eventually come back to downtown and be co-located with the main transit center.

I hope so too. I think that our old Cox Convention Center would be the perfect location for a centralized rail/bus/streetcar transit center with an extension of the downtown concourse (underground tunnel) underneath EK Gaylord Dr to connect intercity/intracity buses with Sante Fe station and Bricktown. This way we get to keep our very valuable alternate arena within the Cox Center and put all of our transit customers where they WANT to be. We also get to keep the Cox Center's parking for transit, the Renaissance Hotel's convention rooms, & for public events. This would likely be a MAPS 4 project, but the existing Cox Center would be a perfect "OKC Transit Center and Arena".

Once we extend EMBARK bus service to night hours, we can attract a lot of people, including myself, to take the bus to the Chesapeake Arena for Thunder games, concerts & other activities. I hate downtown street parking at night, but it's all I can afford (I'm retired).

[Pete]

This will be a Comfort Inn. $3.5 million building permit application just filed.

[Architect2010]

Pretty standard but something new in this area doesn't hurt. For once I'm glad there is a parking component and only because it will provide some much needed lighting in that area.

There are so many areas surrounding downtown where it's apparent the positive direction of the neighborhoods are going... With Reno between 235 and Eastern however, I haven't the slightest idea what this stretch might look like in 10, 20 years. It's apparent that growth might naturally follow this corridor outside of Bricktown and along the route to the AICC, but in the current form it is a complete disaster. The entire stretch is incredibly uninviting, there are environmental issues, a leery assumption of high-crime or danger, and the properties and land-uses in the area definitely add to that collective atmosphere.

Is there any hope for this stretch of Reno? Do we see any realistic development on a larger scale within the next 10 years? When and if the AICC is finished, I believe this will be a completely embarrassing corridor to have guests and tourists travel along. I can only imagine peoples' reactions when they arrive to the Greyhound bus station and get a glimpse of the surrounding area today.

[bchris02]

Is there any hope for this stretch of Reno? Do we see any realistic development on a larger scale within the next 10 years? When and if the AICC is finished, I believe this will be a completely embarrassing corridor to have guests and tourists travel along. I can only imagine peoples' reactions when they arrive to the Greyhound bus station and get a glimpse of the surrounding area today.

I hear you. The problem with that corridor is there really isn't any catalyst for large-scale development there. It is surrounded by highways on three sides and the railroad to the north. All of those serve as major barriers. It may be just me, but I think when OKC starts to eye the NFL in 20-25 years this will be the perfect area to focus on for the stadium. Development would then spring up around it and it would become its own self-contained district. I think the city should at least improve the road with lighting an landscaping to provide a better entrance into downtown. Today it's a lasting legacy of 1990s OKC.

[HOT ROD]

I think the legacy goes far beyond 1990s, try 1970s OKC.

[Plutonic Panda]

Is this still happening?

[Pete]

It's already under construction.

[Plutonic Panda]

OK cool. I just asked because I looked at the imagery from Sep. 25th and there was no activity but perhaps they've started since then.