Drillers Ink Deal to Move Downtown

[swake]

I'm not saying the city and TDA are blameless. TDA has built too many sub par developments over the years and lets property remain unused for far too long when it's stated goal is "development". The city failed (apparently) to keep TDA informed that they had other uses for the land. So while TDA was working with Novus the city was working with the Drillers.

This is all part of working with the government, it's difficult, it's slow, it's many not good things. And it also can quickly become personal. The government means working with people that have no motivation other than to do their jobs (and often not even that motivation) and once you make it a personal problem (like with lawsuits) they aren't going to deal with you anymore. This is unlike working in the private sector where making money is the ultimate goal which means you can sue someone over and over and still do a deal if means making good money for both parties, government isn't like that. You make the wrong person mad in government and you find your application is lost, your file incomplete and your calls unanswered.

It would be best for the city to throw a bone to Novus, I just really wouldn't count on it now.

[carltonplace]

quote:Originally posted by Floyd
[br

It's done now.  The adjustments to the trust will make it likely to pass on Thursday; the TDA and newly-formed trust will settle out with Novus by making nice and giving him a sweet deal on an alternative property; and dirt will start moving this fall.  Play ball.

I hope so Floyd. I think Gaspar is correct when he says there are a lot of eyes on what happens to Novus now. It would be a shame if all of the potential and momentum that a baseball stadium brings to dowtown development is also the very catalyst for stalling further development.

Its time for everyone to bring their toys back to the sand box and play nice.

As for the TDA being "development friendly", I've never seen evidence of that unless the developer is TU or Tulsa Vision Builders. They need a serious PR facelift themselves.

[Wrinkle]

TDA was _supposed_ to be the background funding and management operation of projects decided upon by other entities, the EDC in particular, which was bypassed for years until re-established a few years ago.

Now, it just gets ignored. (Apparently, they've not achieved the 'right' board makeup yet).

TDA shouldn't be making deals at all as far as what the projects are.

As for the ballpark, the Mayor should've handed it off to EDC until the entire thing was worked out (with her input, of course). Once authorized, TDA should've become the 'developer' of a property owned and operated by TPFA (Tulsa Public Facilities Authority).

At least, that's the way it's designed and intended. Anything else is undue manipulation.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by swake

I don't get what the complaint is about the stadium and trust now. The trust term length is also being shortened if you read the article. More downtown property owners are being added, the mayors husband will not be on the board despite giving over $2 million dollars to the project.

I understand that there are hurt feelings over the Novus project, but all they had was a deal to negotiate, there was no real agreement to buy the land yet. And since the scope of development in the area was changing so radically I still say it was a good idea to step back and look at the whole area and what development is possible in the area around the stadium before making a deal with Novus. I think Novus would have had a good chance of seeing their project go forward once that reassessment had happened if they had been patient and cooperative, but instead they threw a hissy fit which in the end is only going to guarantee that they have no chance of ever getting a deal done with the city or the stadium authority anywhere, ever. Suing over conflicts of interest with donors (not investors, donors) to a city trust and filing injunctions to enforce an agreement to "exclusively negotiate" don't just border on the inane.

What they should have done is held a press conference to say that they understood the need to step back and look at what the area around the stadium needs and that they looked forward to working with the trust and hoped that their early recognition of the possibilities for development in the area would give them first position to be able to participate in that development. They should have said that they were very willing to adapt and even expand their planned development in order to take full advantage of the new possibilities now available with a stadium next door. They could have talked with the mayor and have stood with her and Chuck Lamson at the press conference saying they were the first developer that wanted to take advantage of the stadium and want to help rebuild downtown. Taylor is wanting to say that the stadium will help with revitalizing downtown, how better to show that than to have a willing and ready developer present at the press conference announcing the agreement?

If they had done even part of that would their development have gotten done? I don't know but the odds would have been pretty good that they could have done something somewhere in the area of the stadium. What they have now is no shot. They poisoned their own well.

Everything you said there is exactly what Novus tried to do. They did say they would work with what they wanted to do around the stadium, make design changes, expand the project, pay into the trust, etc. etc. They even offered to help bring businesses to the other potential developments around the stadium through their connections, just like they did bringing in the Atlas Live Hotel developers. They want to see downtown thrive and the development around the ballpark succeed. They reached out just like you advised... the people at the TDA suddenly started ignoring them, not returning calls, started changing the rules, etc, in an effort to get them out. It would have been wonderful if the TDA had initially said " Hey guys, lets all step back since this is a radical change and see what we can do". But thats not what they did.

[Rico]

Could this be trouble on the horizon......?

Or just another thing that could have been avoided if we did not have the "Hurry up and vote for this... or the opportunity will disappear"..... mantra...?  

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0908/550642.html

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by Rico

Could this be trouble on the horizon......?

Or just another thing that could have been avoided if we did not have the "Hurry up and vote for this... or the opportunity will disappear"..... mantra...?  

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0908/550642.html

\

Naaa, wont really do anything. May give some people room to holler and fuss, but nothing more. The ethics commission may make some recommendations for changes in policies and a pronouncement on their findings on this matter. It will be hard to say that the plane ride influenced the councilors vote. If he was against the plan, he didnt have to take the plane ride and it would have had the same result as him abstaining or voting no. The mayor didnt force him to take the plane and because he took the plane he then felt an obligation to vote yes. Doesnt even make sense.

[swake]

Drillers finally sign lease for downtown stadium.

The article talks about troubles with financing, but I'm betting that they can work that out with BOK's help. 2010 as an opening date certainly does look iffy however.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20081105_11_A1_hMayor575480

[Conan71]

Well, Double A, it would appear the Drillers have signed ****.

[carltonplace]

The lease has been approved by the trust.

[MDepr2007]

What's the hurry []

[TheArtist]

Would like to see them get going on this pronto for one good reason that it will cost less to do it now. For instance, a few months ago steel was over 1,000 dollars a ton, now its around 300. Many of the materials costs can be half or a third what they would have been. Sure those high materials costs were over the top, but by any measure they are very low right now.

Am still very anxious to see the detailed renderings. []

[inteller]

so is home plate going to point west facing mecca city hall?

[carltonplace]

The land for the statium and surrounding development has been secured, and ground breaking should happen before the end of the year: Tulsa World

The push for a stadium downtown, Lybarger said, was more for revitalization purposes than baseball, a strategy that has proven successful with Oklahoma City's ballpark in Bricktown.

The location of Tulsa's ballpark in the historic Greenwood area between the Brady and Blue Dome entertainment districts and just south of OSU-Tulsa will also have connectivity benefits, he said.

The George Kaiser Family Foundation has secured some of the dilapidated property surrounding the stadium site, which the trust will purchase for redevelopment.

The trust's redevelopment effort is restricted to the area around the stadium bounded by Detroit Avenue to the west and Burlington Northern & Santa Fe railroad to the south.

Lybarger said the trust also will initiate a master plan for arts and entertainment development that will provide a cohesive plan that benefits the entire area.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by carltonplace

a strategy that has proven successful with Oklahoma City's ballpark in Bricktown.

O RLY?  Bricktown has success?  you could fool me.  I see lots of vacancies down there and the place feels like a ghost town during the day.  This is not the 24 hour entertainment district they promoted it to be.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

This is not the 24 hour entertainment district they promoted it to be.

Yes it is. 8pm-midnight, 6 days a week.