The vote is over, and now the prognasticating has begun. The sports guys at our shop are obviously quite giddy over the prospect of having the NBA to cover here in Oklahoma City. You can listen to their discussion of when the SuperSonics might arrive by listening to today’s podcast.
Back in Seattle, the talk has yet to budge much from vows that the city will fight the team’s relocation until the bitter end. The sports guys at www.newsok.com argue this all about money and speculate the team could arrive at Ford Center later this year.
Regardless, it’s interesting to glance at what the new downtown boulevard will look like once it is completed in 2014. The above image shows the Ford Center as we know it today. Now we know it will look a bit more spectacular, and don’t be surprised if it also looks different from the sketches that were floated during the campaign.
Keep in mind, the buildings you see in the distance in the sketch above do not exist - yet. Will a jazzed up arena and new boulevard really generate the sort of development envisioned above?
March 5th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Hell, ya. We ARE the Champions … of the World!
March 6th, 2008 at 10:47 am
With the vote passing by such a substantial margin, this is a really good sign. Assuming the city’s growth is more exponential than linear, I wonder if we are getting to the point of the “knee of the curve” in terms of the growth we are seeing and will see in the near future in the metro. It will be fun to watch.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Michael, my own guess, and it can be nothing more than that, is that the growth is a blend between exponential and linear, still quite good either way. Regardless, if you are who I think you are … ODTG … and even if not, it will be fun to watch.
I’ve in the process of taking a close look at the vote, precinct by precinct, and I’ll be posting in my blog about that when I’m done. But, even at 1st blush, even though the vote generally carried 62%-38%, significant pockets of the vote were not that way at all and I’m in the process of identifying those areas and it’s a bit tedious … and it’s always risky “generalizing” about areas in the city that bucked the “Yes” trend … but it would be wrong to think that they did not exist. They did.
Why? Anyone’s guess. Which ones? Easier to identify. I got precinct by precinct preliminary tallies from the County Election Board this morning, and I’ll have that analysis up later this evening, whatever it reflects.
The challenge, and the promise, involves bringing all involved, Yes and No people, together … and that comes from the City delivering on what most of us think and expect that it will do … and then, I think, many of the nay-sayers will come around which would be the best thing for the City.
Unity is good.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Hey Doug,
Can’t wait to see your analysis - I’ll bookmark your blog. Mine is www.unitedstatesofmichael.com.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Thanks, Michael … not the “Michael” that I guessed!
The vote tallies are here: http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-4-unofficial-returns.html … I’m still in the process of identifying precincts, though.