Although some of your points are well-taken, the only spooky railroad overpass you have to cross to get to Bricktown from the area behind the Ford Center is the same one you have to cross from the Myriad to Bricktown. The massive multi-lane arterial in question needs to be south of the proposed site for the convention center. That’s my point in fact. Guess I write notes that are too long. If we do end up with the convention center behind the Ford Center, it is imperative to make the walk attractive and user-friendly. That’s my point against the boulevard as currently proposed and why I believe it has to be a smaller road if we think there’s any chance for a CC south of the Ford Center to succeed.

I agree that Chicago and New Orleans compared to OKC are apples to oranges, but we need far more than a 0.2 difference in walking distance to be competitive, or we already would be.

But this is just as important: are we really going to spend a MASSIVE chunk of the MAPS 3 budget on a building, yet change the formula that made its predecessor successful? Based on trying stabilize/develop a blighted part of town? “Here’s a convention center. That should help!”

The Cox Center consistently outperforms reasonable expectations for a building of its size, configuration, age and amenities. Why? Well, people in the convention business will tell you it is because of its proximity to hotels and Bricktown. It’s not just close, it is RIDICULOUSLY close.
That is what tips some events in OKC’s favor. You hear it time and again when asking convention-goers why they like OKC: “walking distance to Bricktown,” “close to hotels,” “you don’t even need a car in OKC.” Seriously, they really do say that last one. Often.

These are deciding factors that help OKC be competitive in the convention business.

Chicago? New Orleans pre-Katrina? Seriously? Those places are/were the selling point in their own right. You don’t have to get people sold on the idea of going to Chicago or Bourbon Street for a conference. Convenience is an afterthought. Not so with OKC. It’s an apples/oranges argument.

So while I applaud Jill for getting out and walking a couple of miles every morning — though I will point out that part of her route doesn’t by nature include crossing 3 massive multi-lane arterials and walking under a spooky railroad overpass — I don’t think we can expect the same cavalier attitude from most convention-goers.

Forget about Bricktown. Sure, it’s correct to be concerned about pulling away business from a critically-important district that is heavily dependent upon said commerce. But the real question is: are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars building a brand new facility that doesn’t work as well as its predecessor? Why in the world would we give away the competitive advantage we currently enjoy as a convention city? And exactly why would we even consider fixing something that ain’t broke?

“At Tuesday’s city council meeting Cornett reiterated his belief that only two viable sites exist for a new convention center — south of Ford Center where the city is already buying land, and on the Southwest Producer’s Coop mill site, south of Lower Bricktown, which is being offered for sale for $121 million.”

Read more: http://www.newsok.com/oklahoma-citys-bricktown-association-calls-for-openness-on-convention-center-site-selection/article/3472888?custom_click=headlines_widget#ixzz0sWhvmR48

We aren’t talking about the Cotton Gin site, but the lumber yard north of it. That site is what we are talking about. Big price difference!

And, I agree with the car versus on foot statement you made, as distances do seem different in a car versus on foot. However, I also noted in my previous post that I was comparing that distance against the distance I commonly walk to Bricktown to go to dinner or get coffee and the CC to Bricktown distance was shorter. If you put the entrance to the CC on the east side they’re probably comparable distances. I think nothing of a walk into Bricktown and I doubt anyone else in Maywood or Deep Deuce does either, as I see people walking from one to the other all the time.

I also agree that the easier we make the walk to Bricktown, the more likely people are to make it. But, I also think we are underestimating how far many people will walk. I know when I go to conventions I do a lot of walking, and expect to do so before I leave. The whole key is to make the walk logical, user friendly and attractive, hence my big issue with the boulevard.

I’m not dying to see the convention center adjacent to the park. I just think, now that I’ve looked at it closely, that the site isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was originally, and it might end up being the least expensive option, which should be worthy of some consideration.

I don’t fault you for using your car to measure the distance, but when in a car it can make the distance misleading. By car, it doesn’t seem that far. By foot, it suddenly seems a lot farther.

The purpose for the walk can also impact how far it seems and if it is worth doing or not. The same distance walked to work seems intolerable but to go to an entertainment event, not so much. If you are needing a quick bite on your lunch hour or convention break, distance is important because of travel time involved.

Everyone, keep in mind that the new C.C. will have eating places incorporated into it (just as the Ford and Bricktown Ballpark) so we won’t have 10,000 people (or whatever the number ends up being) making a mad dash for Bricktown. Some will, some won’t. However, the easier you make it for someone to do something, the more likely they are going to do it (teenagers being the obvious exception…LOL)

That’s why I think, if we’re going to pick our battles, the boulevard is a better target. It has the potential for a much greater negative impact on the area than putting the convention center a couple of blocks further west, IMO.