Reach a parity in lease rates between what’s asked and what’s offered for space. Too many landlords are at $X/sf, where tenants are at <$X/sf, and they can't seem to get together. It's one of the few instances where – over the long-term – the free market system doesn't seem to work.

To answer your question, Steve, I'd acquire a property with good positioning for retail & office, and then provide seed capital for entrepreneurs to fill it. That way I have a greater understanding of the tenants, I play a role in the successful, ongoing management of their businesses, and am doubly-rewarded when they succeed.

I’d redesign all the landscaping to match the quality of the recently reopened Myriad Garden Park… and keep it maintained. I’d create an uninterrupted pedestrian link, at canal-level, between Bricktown and the new Convention Center…

Uhaul parking lot… mid-highrise mixed use. Super Target or something similar on the ground floor with mix of other retail. hotel and medium-higher priced apartments on the rest of the floors.

Of course this is in a perfect world and a perfect market that has this demand. But I can dream.

I would buy up all of the property owned by Stewart Steel Fabricators on Sheridan and level it. I would divide the property up so that all of the lot sizes wouldn’t be the same and open it up for redevelopment. Hopefully, all mixed use.

Outside of Bricktown, I would restore The Marion. The 10th Street corridor is coming along and I think The Marion could be its Skirvin. Maybe keep it a boutique hotel.

Fill in the gaps in lower bricktown! The grass next to Toby Keith’s is somewhat embarrassing. Also, the parking lot next to Sonic should go.

if i had the money, talent, etc….

i wouldn’t feel a bit of sympathy for the speculators who have created the present problem. this situation was frankly obvious a LONG time ago. i sure as hell wouldn’t offer them a private bailout when no governmental one is in the offing.

i would offer speculators no more than 60 cents on the dollar as to current market prices, and i’d stay real calm about it. if they got smart and sold, i’d first fill the upper story with apartments, THEN worry about renting out the ground floors. the exact opposite of the approach previously seen.

oops, “stories”.

Acquire the Redball building on Oklahoma and Reno, retail on the first floor, offices on the second and apartments on the top two.

Bricktown, Downtown, or Deep Deuce really could use an urban CVS or Walgreens. Most major cities have a large brand pharmacy in their urban core. Most new CVS’s in urban areas have expanded to become more of a large convenience store, including a lot of grocery and daily items. BTW.. I’m not talking about a 25,000 square foot store with a parking lot 3 times that size.

4 words ….. Rock Island Plow Building!

A world class corporate casino

i agree with tyler. i would create a world class casino connected to and the underground but more importantly i would expand and rebrand the underground as a mall with upscal and mid level stores and dining. i would also leave the options for further growth with the peake-center and all other major bricktown buildings. The infrastucture is already here for an urban retail oasis we just need to bring it back to life and commit to it.

After that i would work with the city in trying to build an underground trolly center (kinda subway ish but more san fran style all electric)

Number one: Move Rok Bar and Coyote Ugly to somewhere on Sheridan. They would fit better there near other similar establishments. Fill in those spaces with specialty retail. Skky Bar is fine where it is with its unique 4th floor location. Capt. Norm’s is also fine because of it’s laid back atmosphere. And Drinkz is fine because it’s just kind of tucked away. But Rok Bar and Coyote Ugly don’t send a very good message to tourists with families who are out and about on the canal in the evenings. There is no doubt Bricktown needs that nightlife, but I would rather see it up on Sheridan, away from the travelers.

Number Two: Get the House Of Bedlam debate solved. First off, eliminate any idea of putting parking on the canal. Build that three story retail building on the east side of the canal, and on the west side build a small L-shapped canal level shopping center along the Margarita Mama’s building and Wanda Jackson Way with small store fronts, the kind that might house a bookstore, clothing store, coffee shop, or… a cookie store. With the remaining square of greenspace here make a nice little canal front plaza with a fountain a couple of statues and some flower gardens and water jets.

Number Three: This one is very important! Renovate the Rock Island Plow Building. I think everyone can agree on this, however, my idea is a little different. I’ve heard every suggestion from condos to a mini-mall. I think the best thing for this building would be a museum with an Oklahoma CITY focus. This would also double as a tourist information center, although that is just a happy coincidence. Tourists will take a tour of the place, and since it is focused on the city rather than the state it would give them ideas as to what else they could explore. For instance, they may not have considered the Stockyards as a place to check out, but if they saw it here they might think “that’s kind of cool, let’s go see it.” Believe it or not, some travelers no nothing of the bombing, if they saw a smaller exibit here, they might visit the memorial and it’s own museum. This building is the gateway to Bricktown. For people coming into the district on Reno (the main entry), this is the first thing they see, it should give them a good impression.

Number Four: This one kind of expands on numbers one and two. Take a look at the canal and street levels on the northern end of the canal (California Ave.) There’s alot of empty space there. Perfect for additional retail development. What is the main attraction that brings people to Bricktown year round? Harkins. People go to movies even when baseball season is over or the NBA is in a lockout. And what do you find near virtually every movie theater? Places to eat (which we have), and places to shop (which we don’t). The north end of the canal is the perfect place for retail. Treat it like an outdoor mall. Indoor mall in Bricktown: bad. Outdoor “mall:” good.

Number Five: Put a new parking garage somewhere (away from the canal). I’ve never had a problem parking in Bricktown, but as we grow and bring more people in, it may become an issue in the future. So, let’s have some foresight and take care of it now. A parking garage should be somewhere away from the center of activity, so somewhere in the north. Perhaps take Main Street Parking and turn it into a garage instead of surface parking.

Number Six: (Ok, this one’s just for fun) Northeast Bricktown: level the steel fabrication area and build a small outdoor stadium designed for indoor sports. 8,000 seats or so. Get an IFL team (yeah, I know it failed miserably last time, but this is MY fantasy) and a MISL or PASL team (for those of you who don’t know, those are indoor soccer leagues). Start an MLRH (Roller Hockey) franchise and convince the league to move the championship here from the 989Roller Hockey Center. Also, even though I have little interest in it, it would be kind of cool to see a Slamball tournament there.

Also, we must build a giant, awesome, state-of-the-art, never before seen or thought of roller coaster, a 200 ft. tall ferris wheel, and a 100 foot tall talking statue of Will Rogers.

Ok, yeah, I know that was all really silly, but a guy can dream, right?