OKC Central: The Weekly Show
Well, it’s a done deal; I shot the first segments this morning for an upcoming weekly video show that focus on development downtown and in the innercity. While I was uncertain about this going into it, I’m beginning to think this could be a good addition to my coverage and hopefully one you’ll enjoy.
I’ll tell you more as we get closer to the show’s launch.
On an unrelated matter … people will mock me for saying so (I would have myself not too long ago), but I’m beginning to think that as Rick Dowell continues to talk about building a 30-story residential tower, by the way he does deals, it could actually happen.
I’ll share more about this and more over the next week.
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Comments
^^ Cottonesque? I would never use that to describe Mr. Dowell- Cotton was all publicity and zero financing, and I think Dowell might be quite the opposite.
Good luck with the videos! They’ll be great.
Steve -
Look forward to seeing the show! Also wanted to give you props for the article on downtown retail:
http://newsok.com/downtown-retail-hub-would-require-loyalty/article/3345899
I posted the following comment below the article (before the crazies arrived):
“McCauley suggested focusing on one or two areas — likely Bricktown or Automobile Alley.”
In my opinion, the prospects for retail on Automobile Alley would be greatly enhanced by improved pedestrian connections to the CBD and residential neighborhoods east of the railroad. It can easily be done, just a question of whether we have the vision to do what is necessary.
Here are some related thoughts on the matter:
http://tinyurl.com/retail-on-automobile-alley
I would love it if you could get the thoughts of the business and property owners along Automobile Alley about what they think needs to be done to make retail possible.
Have a great weekend!
Dowell is nuts… I’ve dealt with him, and watched co-workers deal with him, and he’s all over the place. That said, he knows his crap and reportedly has a ton of money just sitting around.
I agree with Shane – there is no comparison between Dowell and Cotton. And while everybody was gushing over the Cotton Exchange, I immediately voiced some skepticism.
Dowell doesn’t have pretty renderings and a slick team at his disposal – he’s a unique character, academically brilliant, and a proven success at redeveloping neglected properties.
I wasn’t comparing Dowell to Cotton, I was comparing projects. A condo tower and the corner lot in Bricktown are two MAJOR pieces of the downtown puzzle and I tend to be skeptical of any projects proposed.
Paige, everything full downtown? The Hill and Brownstones at Maywood, Central Ave. Villas are barely selling. Overholser Green may never get off the ground, and has already delayed because of the economy, etc. The only thing full is the lower end of rentals, which is what we need more of, lower/moderate end rentals and owner occupied. The high end is what jump started the downtown development, but is not selling well and holding off prospective builders right now.
Shane, you hit the nail on the head. Dowell is quite the opposite of Cotton. I’ll be interested to see if he jumps in while the economy is slow and things are cheap. For our sake, I hope he does.
I was going to bring up the “Everything is full downtown because it’s an awesome place to live!” issue, but Steven already did.
I think it should be at least partially for lease if he does build a tower. The for lease projects are indeed full, while the high end for-sale condos are struggling a bit.
The more residential downtown the better. Everything is full downtown because it’s an awesome place to live!