Comments on: Central Business District Parking

By: Chad

Chad — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:42:57 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree with Allison. I grew up in Oklahoma City but now live in Boston. Surprisingly, there is much these two cities share in common. Like OKC, Boston built a highway through the center of downtown–only to regret it later. Like Boston, OKC plans to move that highway to free up space for future development. The two cities enjoyed public transportation in the early part of the 20th century, but Boston managed to preserve and grow its rail system when OKC shifted from light rail and trolleys to buses and cars. The two cities even turned to I. M. Pei to revitalize blighted areas of town, though Pei’s magnificent Hancock Tower in Copley Square was a bit more successful than Pei’s efforts at urban renewal in OKC. But even Boston, with all its history and caution, went on a renewal rampage, razing an historically significant area (Scollay Square) to create a new brick plaza for City Hall. Of course, there are major differences between the two cities, not the least of which is their age: Boston is one of the oldest in America and OKC one of the youngest. But it would behoove OKC to look not only at like-sized cities such as Indianapolis and Kansas City for development clues but also at places like Boston which have experienced similar growing pains over the years. Boston has only a slightly bigger population that OKC, just 600,000 people! But with outlying suburbs it has a population of 4.5 million. Many thousands of people commute into the city each day; those who choose to drive rather than take the train or subway or bus (or even bike) must endure traffic jams and a parking woes. My wife and I only use our car on the weekends because we can ride the train to work and we have stores, banks, parks, a library, and restaurants within walking distance of our home. Boston has grown more (and more intelligently) this past century with public transportation than it otherwise would have. OKC city planners would be wise to take a “long view” approach and plan for the next century. New parking garages will help in the short term, but we need the long term, smart growth opportunities that only public transportation provides. Oklahoma City deserves it.

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:43:20 +0000

I think that if we are going to have big city skyscrapers, we are going to need a big city parking regime. We need a park-and-ride system from the suburbs and NW OKC… we need a light rail system… we need more incentives by downtown companies for taking public transportation. Houston, Kansas City, Chicago… all have public transportation to alleviate hundreds of thousands of daily downtown parkers. It would be great if, as a city, we implemented these new systems while we are growing, not when we have overgrown all of the downtown parking. thoughts?

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:54:39 +0000

Besides, from SF parking they can practically walk the underground the entire distance to most of their offices. So it’s easy convenient and nice weather every day of that walk.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:53:58 +0000

This is just a shuffling of parking spaces, not a reduction… Only means people who park at City Center West will have to find a new garage on the west side or in Santa Fe.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:50:23 +0000

What about the empty lot to the west of Stage Center? A parking garage could be built there for the new Devon Tower.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:49:51 +0000

I think Century Center Plaza is prime space for an anchor retail tenant, across from the convention center and all. I could see a Nordstrom or Saks going in there. I think the best bet is to add onto the City Center Garage.