Comments on: More Intrigue on the MidTown Mercy Hospital Property

By: Wylie H.

Wylie H. — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:49:05 +0000

This process seems really opaque and bewildering– keep your eye on it, Steve!

By: Michael Herndon

Michael Herndon — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:16:55 +0000

If anyone is concerned about the height of a structure in Midtown then they should open their eyes a bit. Midtown is an urban environment. I’d bring on all the midrises in the world if we could.

By: Sundra Flansburg

Sundra Flansburg — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:36:33 +0000

Thanks for your call for more transparency in the decision-making process Steve. I’m a Mesta Park resident and member of First Unitarian (the church facing the property on Dewey). I, along with a number of people affiliated with the Oklahoma Sponsoring Committee (OSC) went to view the proposals down at Urban Renewal over the past month. OSC is a coalition of about 23 congregations and nonprofits that have come together to work towards making OKC a better place to live for ordinary families. Part of what we were looking for is how friendly some of these proposals would be toward seniors, since there are no Mid-Town options for many people in our congregations who have lived in Mid-Town for decades, and thus their lives are here. Currently, many feel like they have to be uprooted and moved outside of where everything happens, including their neighbors and church. We would have liked to see more universal access features on at least some of the units proposed. But I know I felt, as I learned more about how these processes work, that above all the decision-making needs to be open (transparent to citizens), especially so because we’re talking about public institutions and public money involved. We’re happy to see more reasonable rental price ranges, and the green aspects highlighted well in several proposals. Parking is something we are very concerned with, and for that reason are worried about a few and like that aspect of Cornerstone’s proposal (40 spaces open to general public). As that’s a property bordering historic neighborhoods (and yes, MESTA PARK is right there too) – the height of the Wiggins proposal at 5 stories is a worry. To us, there are many issues to consider thorough, and I agree with everything that is at stake, every developer needs to be heard by the committee. And I agree with you again, that this should not be closed door. Open decision-making should allow for you and other citizens to respectfully hear the process and understand how the decision is reached.

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:48:28 +0000

Looks like we have an answer on the Mayo 420 Apartments, thanks to Michael Bates, host of http://www.batesline.com in Tulsa (a site that features some of the best urban planning discussions to be found online in Oklahoma).
He provides a link to a story that appeared earlier this year in the Tulsa Business Journal. Here’s an outtake:
“Owned by the Mayo 420 LLC and managed by Wiggin Properties LLC, the building offers 34 one-bedroom units and 33 two-bedroom units ranging in size from 600 to 2,000 SF on floors 2 through 10. Wiggin Properties Vice President Emily Rohleder said she began leasing properties in June. Today, all of the one-bedroom units are leased, and the remaining finished units are going quickly.”
Read the whole story at http://tulsabusiness.com/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=90&ArticleID=52159

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:08:49 +0000

Mark, I can tell you that the Park Harvey and Legacy projects both have similar density and I’ve not seen any major traffic issues with either.
Shelly, one other note: during a recent visit with Ellard I was told the Sieber is fully leased and that a deal is in the works for the first floor restaurant space.

By: MarkXian

MarkXian — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:05:26 +0000

As minister of the church across the street from the old Mercy Site, I am following this process closely particularly as it reflects parking and traffic flow. I question the suggestion (which was not in the design requirement of the RFP) that no entrance to the project be planned from 13th Street and the suggestion that the 12th street renovation not be detrimentally effected. Does that mean all the access off Dewey and Walker? If the highest density project 270 units–which could easily be 350 resident cars is all funneled onto Dewey and Walker it will severely harm our access and I believe endanger possible pedestrian traffic from the development to Villa Teresa. I wonder if 250 plus units will generate more vehicular traffic than the area can support. Do we have comparable urban transition projects to use as models to understand the traffic flow?

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:59:12 +0000

You’re making a mistake if you suggest that I’m saying Ellard is being overlooked. Indeed, one could argue that if density and achieving a high number of units is the goal with this site, she clearly fares poorly in this category (but I didn’t see that in the RFP).
Instead, what I’m questioning is whether this report was written to UNFAIRLY SLANT IN FAVOR of one party over the others.

By: shelly

shelly — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:55:04 +0000

From the tone of this article I hear a Ellard mentioned as someone that is being overlooked. I have met Marva and she is a wonderful person. But let us look at the Sieber. The ground floors are still vacant. The rent is very high and there is not much parking. I can see the board being reluctant. Saying that some of the other plans do sound much too urban.This IS Midtown, not Heritage Hills. Retail should include dry cleaners, beauty/barber shops and other service merchants. But to do this there must be a bit of thought. This is all new to OKC and it is going to take a thought or two. Good luck to all involved.

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:27:01 +0000

Mike I’m not able to find any reports on the Mayo 420′s performance. As for the risk of selling to an out-of-state group, to be fair that can occur with any of these developers – “flipping” to another buyer is, after all, a routine way for real estate professionals to make money.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:18:12 +0000

Before Wiggin is considered AGAIN his Mayo Building residential project should be looked at more closely. Is it at optimal occupancy and financially viable? I’ve heard that it is not.
As far as I know that is the only multi family project he has done.
He’s had over FOUR years to come up with a viable plan.. what’s different now? Obviously, he didn’t have the financing to do the first or any other residential alternative.
The report states that HUD is the most likely financing vehicle. Wiggin has never done a HUD project. Does anyone actually think HUD would let him learn on a $40 million project?