Comments on: MAPS 3: The Renderings

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:23:16 +0000

Jill wrote: “The plan for the convention center I liked actually had apartments with balconies overlooking the park”

I think I saw the same one and liked it best over the other options (think it was in one of Steve’s blog entries, but can’t locate it now). What I liked best about it was that it didn’t look like your typical convention center.

Steve, can you provide a link or repost those renderings here?

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:55:58 +0000

In the Dallas Morning News today there is a nice article about the Trolly system that is celebrating their 20th anniversary with 350,000 annual riders. The rail system has 4-trolleys and is a great asset to Dallas.

I was looking at the OKC trolly pictured and it looks like the fairgrounds monorail train. How a historical trolly system be operated in the innercity like OKC used to have.

By: Curt

Curt — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:17:02 +0000

The mill should not be more than $30 million. If they don’t sell it to the city today, they will have to wait 30 years to sell it.

As for the park. I wish they would have designed around the existing buildings. The design calls for destroying the Film Exchange building and the neighboring building that could be where the restaurant is that they are wanting along the main path. They also don’t design with Union Station. The design just has it sittin there. They should have incorporated our existing architecture and made a park that blends the old with the new. It is possible. I don’t know if that firm even went to the site by the design.

By: Casey Cornett

Casey Cornett — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:10:54 +0000

I also would rather see the convention center in the Coop spot…what dollar amount does every think is too high? If it is the $70-90mil that Terry stated does everything still think the city should purchase it?

What amount is too high? If the price is too high, is the location next to the park an acceptable one or you think there is a second location better than adjacent to the park?

Just asking the these questions because the location of the convention center seems to be a hotter topic than the actual convention center itself right now…

By: Blair

Blair — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:54:21 +0000

Thanks Terry! I figured you had a legit source; I just haven’t heard anything in that ballpark. I am not sure which figures to believe, but hopefully we will get the actual numbers before taking steps towards choosing one site over the other.

Hope things are good in your neck of the woods.

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:21:30 +0000

Terry, I keep hearing from the mayor there is no preferred location yet for the convention center and that the Producer’s Coop location could still happen. But merchants and property owners in Bricktown recall hearing similar reassurances that their pitch for a canal extension would get a fair consideration as well. I know several people in Bricktown who are very skeptical and worry that Cornett is seeking to create a rival commercial area in Core to Shore that could hurt Bricktown.

By: Terry

Terry — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:17:14 +0000

Blair – I’d actually heard, 2-3 years ago, the figure to be even higher, approaching $90m, but heard it to be down to this figure a couple of months ago. I can’t say these are accurate numbers, not being in that business. But they were said to me by people who I know are heavily involved with C2S, whom we both know.

You and Steve (good point)are exactly right, though, in stating we need cost anlaysis figures for both the Coop and the OGE substation. I’m not sold on either site, could argue for/against both locations. I think, if the chosen site is that on Robinson, the design of the Cvn.Ctr could be so it mitigates negative impacts on the park, while providing with a bustling use.

Also, with the transit element, having it placed here would seem to aliviate some of Bricktown’s concerns about the 3-4 block distance between them.

Either way, it should be a lively topic.

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:21:45 +0000

I’m not paying much attention to these renderings, in terms of specific architectural details. I’m assuming (should that be a correct assumption?) that an architect hasn’t even been engaged yet, and the convention center would likely look far different. The plan for the convention center I liked actually had apartments with balconies overlooking the park attached to the center on the west side. I have looked at the sites in question, however, and think the Co-op makes the most sense. If the city were to buy it, I wonder if we couldn’t somehow also combine our transit hub with the convention center, thereby making it unnecessary to buy land for the hub elsewhere and making it very easy for conventioneers to move around the city.

By: annonymous

annonymous — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:59:39 +0000

i am a little confused here, is the central park for the citizens of okc or the ones that attend some crappy convention? having the convention center right next to the park is asinine, don’t you think?

By: Blair

Blair — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:58:04 +0000

Terry – $70 million? Where did that figure come from? For some reason it seems that the estimated costs of the Cotton Gin site are growing at an exponential rate (it was only $25 million two years ago).

Either way, we would need cost figures on both sites to make a comparison. Further, we have to factor in the detrimental effects the convention center will have on the park. For the park’s sake, we would be far better off developing the surrounding blocks with some type of mixed-use.