OKLAHOMA CITY | Projects & Construction

[Peerson]

Just a cool "downtown at dusk" photo:



https://insta-stalker.com/profile/okcdronephotovideo

[Peerson]

Dang... it's kind of a bummer when a new page break occurs.
New viewers to a thread might miss previous posts that could have been of interest...

For those who might care to look back, here's a brief outline of the previous 2 pages.

pg 25

Dwellings at SoSA (downtown condos)
The Big Friendly (new brewery and taproom in the Wheeler District)
Classen 16 (residential complex along Classen)
Arrive Hotel (proposed boutique hotel in midtown)
700 West (affordable housing complex for downtown)
Make Ready (offices for startups and entrepreneurs)
800 trees planted (beautification along riverfront)

pg 24

Left Frame Lofts (construction photos and listing)
The Bower at 4th & Lee (downtown condos & townhomes)
Classen Inn Motel (renovation)
The Boulevard (mixed-use building in midtown)
Miller Johnson Building (new office building)
11 NW 8th (extensive warehouse renovation)
Social Capital OKC (new beer garden next to Scissortail Park)
Bricktown Beach (summer tradition)
OK Humane Society (proposed campus in lower Scissortail Park)
Wheeler District (new planned district along the river)
Central Exchange (warehouse & garage renovation)
Parlor OKC (new food hall)

[DetroitSky]

Peerson, thank you for all of these updates. Looks like a lot of good things are happening in OKC.

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by DetroitSky

Peerson, thank you for all of these updates. Looks like a lot of good things are happening in OKC.

You're welcome.

Yes, lots of good stuff going on. Wish we had some tall towers coming as well, but... that's not in the cards at the moment. *Sigh*

[Peerson]

Boulevard Place

New mixed-use development for the corner of Shields and OKC Boulevard

Here's a current shot of the convention center and convention hotel under construction.




The lot on the corner still contains rubble of an ongoing (but nearly finished) demolition of some old OG&E buildings.

The space is being cleared out to make room for an 8 story mixed-use residential building along the street fronts, and a parking garage tucked in behind it.


8 story mixed-used building

Renderings:








This structure will come in at over 260,000 sf.
The ground floor will have 22,000 sf of retail space.
The remainder is for apartments, with a total of 241 residential units.


Convention center parking garage

The parking garage will serve the convention center and convention hotel.

Specs:

floors: 6 (plus a basement)
capacity: 1100+ cars
size: 412,645 sf

Rendering:




The colors, lighting, and general materials used in the garage are still being decided upon.
It is intended that the exterior walls visible from the street will be covered with some kind of public art, likely using colored glass tiles.

Technically, the convention center garage and Boulevard Place are two different developments.
But they are being designed in coordination to fill that corner lot and to complement the convention center and hotel functionality, so I've put them together here.

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44761

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44229

[Peerson]

Omni Hotel - interior



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=35905&page=79


Recently, The Alliance OKC posted an article with some renderings of interior spaces for the Omni convention hotel.
I'm not sure if these designs are set in stone, or are just working ideas. But here they are:

lobby



dining concept



steak house



sports bar



guest room



guest bathroom



coffee bar



bar & lounge



banquet room



https://www.theallianceokc.org/singl...oma-City-Hotel

[NYC2ATX]

I don't know if it's been mentioned recently, but what will replace the Cox Convention Center when the new facility is completed?

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by NYC2ATX

I don't know if it's been mentioned recently, but what will replace the Cox Convention Center when the new facility is completed?

Aah, that's a really good question. And the short answer is likely "Nobody knows".

Some have suggested that we leave the Cox Center up so that we have two venues running in parallel -- with Cox handling smaller events. But that's not a popular take. Most assume it will be torn down. Many city officials, including the current and former mayor, have made references about replacing it.

Given that it's coming down, should the street grid be restored? The construction of the Cox center in the 70's covered over a stretch of California Avenue. Some think that we might as well take advantage of the super block already there and build a huge contiguous development there a la Epicentre in Charlotte. But again, that's definitely a minority opinion.

The city commissioned a study back in 2014 about best use of the Cox space. The study recommended restoring the street grid and putting high rise offices there.
Pete at OKCTalk posted some graphics from the report:



The 4 buildings marked 09, 10, 11, and 12 are lying in what is currently the Cox space.

Note to those visiting this thread: the graphic above is ONLY A STUDY done several years ago.
It is NOT development in the works (I wish... that would be my dream to see so many new tall buildings sprout up there).

So what will the city actually do?
I looked for more recent info and came across this discussion (in September 2018) about the Cox site from reporters at KGOU:

https://www.kgou.org/post/developers...n-center-space

Highlights:

One developer told us the best way to realize the center's full redevelopment value would be to cut the space into quadrants to match the downtown street grid. And no matter what they decide to build there, officials tell us the project will need to include more parking spaces as well.
. . .
Well the land has been deemed by the city as a high density space with no specified use. And Kathy O'Connor, president of the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, told Bryan her group has actually developed a conceptual plan for the site and that plan calls for the construction of high rise office or high rise residential use. And she did agree it would make sense to match the city's street grid for that project.
. . .
Well ultimately it's the city council's decision. But officials speculate it may be at least five years before we know what the city will do with that space because that's when they expect the center's obligations to provide event space will begin to run out. O'Connor also said the alliance will start looking more closely at the site in a year or two.

So it's likely (nearly certain) that the old convention center will be torn down. It's likely (though not a certainty) that the old street grid will be restored. The city will probably divide the lot into 4 quadrants and issues RFPs for development for each of them. But it might be several years after the new convention center is up and running before this kind of action occurs. But it's all speculation.

In other words, after all this rambling, I would still say the answer is "Nobody knows".

[Peerson]

In regards to the post above, here are a couple of photos that show just how much space the super block occupied by the Cox Convention Center is currently taking:






Clearing up that area opens up enormous amounts of downtown space.
Expensive, highly desirable space.

[gillynova]

Peerson for MVP for the Oklahoma City thread. Keep it up man!

[Peerson]

BancFirst Tower

The Chase Tower, at 500 feet, was the tallest building in OKC for several decades before the Devon Tower was built in 2013.

Built in 1972, it was originally known as Liberty Tower (for Liberty bank).
It later became the home for Chase Bank until 2004, when it was purchased by James Cotter, a Texas real estate developer.
Technically its name has been Cotter Ranch Tower for quite awhile, although almost everyone in OKC still refers to it as the Chase Tower.






https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=19447&page=13




https://live-mtc-www.metrotech.edu/c...e-cotter-tower




https://www.flickr.com/photos/willia...57636160806774


The last few years it has fallen into a state of disrepair.
There have been problems with electrical, plumbing, heat and A/C, as well as numerous glitches with the elevators.
Tenants have complained about the situation and a number of them finally left.

Additionally, the exterior lighting has been used sparingly, if at all -- the building has looked quite dark at night.
In the past, it was nicely illuminated. In short, the building has not been properly maintained.

In early 2017, James Cotter died. His heirs apparently battled over the will.
The estate went into bankrupty, resulting in the building being up for sale.

Last July, it was announced that BancFirst had purchased the iconic OKC tower.
So this building will have yet another new name -- BancFirst Tower.
The new owners indicated that all the internal maintenance issues would be resolved.

Changes

The building is to receive a new crown added the roof with the BancFirst logo.
The lobby will be completely redone with new ceiling, flooring, and finishes.
Also, the grounds around the building will get extensively renovated with new paving, landscaping, and seating areas.

Here are the renderings for the planned improvements:
























https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=19447
http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r...llest-building
http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r...for-bankruptcy
http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r...-tallest-tower

So far, no work has commenced yet on the new crown or the exterior landscaping.
Reportedly, the new owners are occupied with the internal fixes to electrical, HVAC, etc.

This building badly needed a refreshing.
Very good news for downtown.

[Dale]

Two different versions of the top there.

Do you know which one is current ?

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by Dale

Two different versions of the top there.

Do you know which one is current ?

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing this one:



Because that image was released in September, when all the others were released in July when the announcement was made. Probably an adjustment made to make it easier to install/maintain the lighting. We'll know once it goes up.

That new signage and lighting should look fantastic in the skyline. My only nit with the design is that the screen extends far enough downward that it covers the rounded arches at the top of the long vertical mason lines of the exterior. I consider that an architectural detail and would not cover over it. Most people would never notice it, especially from street level, so it's not that big of a deal.

My other small concern is the column wraps. If done properly these could look great, especially with quality materials. But I've seen column wraps on buildings that noticeably look like add-ons -- especially if they crack over time. Given the amount of money being spent on the renovation, I'm assuming that these will be done to a high level and look great.

The column wraps also hide the smooth arching curves at the top of the original columns. That matches the hiding of the arches at the top, so they may be going for something thematic here. Apparently they want to put a bit of a BancFirst stamp on the appearance, and that's fine by me.

Overall though, this is fantastic news. This building is too prominant and significant to fritter away in neglect.

[Dale]

Hope so as it really draws attention to the top and provides for a better foil to Devon.

[GoldenBoot]

How much actual height will this add to the tower?

[JoninATX]

Peerson, do you know if the city has plans to develop that parking lot between Myriad Botanical Gardens & The new Scissortail Park? If not I think they should extend Scissortail all the way to Myriad Biotanical Gardens and have one massive park.

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

How much actual height will this add to the tower?

Not much. If the second rendering is correct, then probably about 15 feet, since the letters in the BancFirst logo are described as being 14 feet high.

It's not significant. Having the top of the building well lit would be though.

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

Peerson, do you know if the city has plans to develop that parking lot between Myriad Botanical Gardens & The new Scissortail Park? If not I think they should extend Scissortail all the way to Myriad Biotanical Gardens and have one massive park.

You've asked a really big question (whether you knew it or not)...

That's the Fred Jones site -- called that because there was a huge Ford dealership at that location for decades.
Kind of a local icon actually. But it was closed down years ago.

Or it's referred to as the Bob Howard site because he's the one that currently owns the property.
Actually, I think he's part of an ownership group, but he's the main guy.

This was actually the city's original choice for where they wanted to build the new convention center.
Here's a map that shows the choices they were looking at:



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=26179&page=78


The #1 choice was the Fred Jones site, the one you asked about.

The city was unable to acquire the site because REHCO (the management group that Bob Howard leads) wanted too much money for the land.
They were no dummies, they knew how pricey those downtown lots had become.

The city considered eminent domain, but ending up backing down because they knew the market appraisal for the land would have been close to what REHCO was demanding, and it would have blown a huge hole in the budget that MAPS3 had alloted for the convention center.

So they ended up going with the #3 option instead (the #2 Bricktown location became unviable for reasons I forget)
A lot of people on the forums groaned loudly, but I was happy with it. I always thought the location south of Chesapeake Arena was a good spot.

But what of the Fred Jones site? What will be developed there?

Some have suggested, like you, another park (or an extension of MBG).
That way the Myriad Botanical Gardens would flow right into Scissortail Park, and you'd have one great expanse of parkland.
But I don't think that's going to happen.

I couldn't remember if there had been any recent news in regards to this site, so I looked through the OKCTalk forums to see.
Well, no, not really. The latest info seems to be some comments from Pete about a year ago:

I wouldn't be surprised to see that property remain vacant for quite a while and not just because MidtownR is methodical and seems to have no clear plan here.

But because what type of commercial development would would be viable in the near future?

Hotel? There are tons of them all over downtown, a bunch more coming and 2 new heavily subsidized nearby properties (Omni and First National) set to bring tons more rooms onto the market.

Office? Way overbuilt right now in downtown and not being absorbed quickly at all.

Retail / restaurants? Only as part of a much larger development.

Condos? Bob Howard has said many times he doesn't want to build for-sale housing.

Apartments? Maybe, but that's a huge piece of property in a key area to waste on just apartments.

Also, Howard & Co, make good money off parking and that property was paid for a long time ago.

I could see the waiting being 10+ years rather than 2 or 3.

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=23785&page=16

and this:

Reminder that the owners fought tooth and nail not to let the city acquire this property for the convention center, taking them to court.

They also refuse to sell any of their properties (and Bob Howard has said he absolutely will not consider that) and they own a ton that remain un- or under-developed throughout the urban core. They also recently chose to move a huge business out of the core to the far north side of town creating much more vacant property with no real plan to develop it.

Everyone wants something great at this location but considering this ownership group has been sitting on it and a bunch of other properties for a long time and tends to move very slowly -- and has never come close to developing anything on this scale -- people are right to be concerned that this spot could sit vacant for quite a while. It already has.

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=23785&page=17

He's pretty pessimsistic about anything happening any time soon.

[patriotizzy]

Originally Posted by Peerson

In regards to the post above, here are a couple of photos that show just how much space the super block occupied by the Cox Convention Center is currently taking:






Clearing up that area opens up enormous amounts of downtown space.
Expensive, highly desirable space.

Public plaza? A good one though, not a poopy one like Pershing Square.

[Peerson]

West Village

West Village is a great new mixed-use development along Sheridan. It's largely residential with 345 units.
It opened late last fall.

The Hall family, who owned the old auto assembly plant that was converted into the 21C Hotel & Museum, had ambitious plans for the whole area surrounding 21C:



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39529&page=9

Looking at the buildings along Sheridan in this diagram, we see building C, which is an apartment complex with an attached garage that extends nearly to Classen.
To the west is The Jones Assembly, an entertainment venue, which was the first development to be finished.
Building D is West Village.

Construction began in 2017.


(photo from September 2017)

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39529&page=16


It was essentially complete by November 2018.















https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39529&page=26


Aerial showing the full complex out to Classen:




Murals are being painted on the south and west faces of the garage:




The mural on the west face of the garage is nearly complete:



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39529&page=28

Stitch cafe, which already had a location in Bricktown, opened a new one in West Village in early 2019:



http://www.theideacollective.co/stitch-cafe-okc

They offer free delivery to residents of West Village.


A plant shop operates in the corner atrium area:



http://www.theideacollective.co/the-plant-shoppe-okc

more info here: http://okcretail.com/news/2018/12/07...cal-businesses


Here's a pic from a couple of weeks ago, looking down Sheridan:



https://www.flickr.com/photos/katsrcool/32789822127/