New Hotel Proposed Across from Arena

[cannon_fodder]

What the hell is the point of the TDA, to kill good development?  Urban development near the ball park effectively killed - check.  No new private buildings downtown for a decade - check.  Kill all urban projects near the BOk Center and insert a suburban style hotel - heck.

So, ahh.  How are we better off with the TDA over open market development?  In the open market we would at least have the Brady District urban development.  Which would be especially nice since the city can't get the ball rolling on the stadium anyway.

quote:and a 106-space surface parking lot. It would employ about 35 people.

Storm Nolan of CSK Hotels said ground-floor retail space might become a component of the project if it is feasible.

Tulsa World Article

The surface parking takes up more than twice the space of the structure.  THATS what we need downtown.  Surface parking.  Hell yes.  That will scream "new urban,"  "bustling city," and "success."  

I don't care about the Hampton brand, but take $15mil hotel with surface parking and maybe retail

vs.

quote:he authority had heard another proposal for the site last week by Howard Raskin, a local developer. His plan was for an upscale 200-room hotel that likely would have been under the Westin or Hyatt brands.

Raskin's $38.8 million proposal would have encompassed the square block and included structured parking and restaurant and retail space.

id.

Which one do you want?

Why not give an option to raise financing to Raskin.  No financing by March, then the contract goes to the half-off project.

By my count that's 2 local developers in the last 2 or 3 months who have invested time, money, and effort into making the downtown area a better place.  And both have been summarily executed for reasons not entirely clear.  I ask again, what have we gained from the TDA?

[Townsend]

Years of railing against surface parking + years of screaming for pedestrian friendly shops in all new development = exactly the opposite from the TDA.

I swear to God man, they must've all been eating so many paint chips as children.

Is there some "keep Tulsa development to a minimum" lobbyist group around?  They seem to be doing a great freaking job with the TDA.

[carltonplace]

CRAP!!!!!
This TDA infuriates me. pancakes?! Why would they move in this direction? What is wrong with them?
In less than three months we've seen them make absolutly the wrong desicsion on two parcels. It's time for them to go away. The City Council would do a better job on this.

[AVERAGE JOE]

The Hampton Inn plan is lame. The building itself would be nice enough, but the site plan is beyond pathetic. To approve a plan with that much private-use surface parking across the street from a $180 million public improvement is mind-blowingly stupid.

TDA just approved a plan to put a suburban mid-rise hotel in what should be one of the most intensely urban mixed-use blocks in the city. Utterly clueless. What's next? A Sonic drive-in on the former City Hall site?

[unknown]

So is everyone going to voice their opinion to the TDA in some form?

http://www.tulsadevelopmentauthority.org/info.html

I wanna see what complaints you guys can come up with.

I fail to comprehend how Howard Raskin's proposed hotel site with retail and parking garage is not superior over a bland Hampton Inn with surface parking... this seems to go against everything downtown should represent, don't drop the ball on this one.

[carltonplace]

Complaint submitted:

Recently the Tulsa World announced that Howard Raskin had submitted an RFP for a hotel development at 3rd and Denver that would include stacked parking and street level retail, but today the Tulsa World indicated that the parcel has been awarded to an out of state proposal for a Hampton Inn with street level parking. I cannot understand why the TDA chose this lackluster development over something that could have been truly special. Please reconsider!

[TURobY]

Complaint submitted:

The last thing downtown Tulsa needs is more surface parking, yet I was disheartened by the recent awarding of the land at Denver and 3rd to a Hampton Inn. This property, located near Tulsa's new arena, should be a model of mixed-use development. These elements were present in the plan, provided by a local developer, which incorporated retail and structured parking thereby providing for a lively urban streetscape. As a young professional and a life-long Tulsan, I encourage you to re-evaluate your decision.

[T-TownMike]

I urge everyone to complain to the TDA about this approach. What an utter failure on their part.

[Renaissance]

Time to fire TDA.  Get rid of the entire entity.  Tell your city councilors.  Far from being a positive development choice, they have shown total mismanagement, a propensity for being influenced by moneyed interested, and complete cluelessness when it comes to the best interests of Tulsa's inner core.

Fire 'em.  All of 'em.  Take their assets and put them into City Council receivership, and then sell the land to the highest bidder over the next 6 months.  At very least, create a completely new, community-based entity.  The current people are worthless for Tulsa--worse than that, they appear to have a negative influence on their stated mission.

[cannon_fodder]

Complaint submitted:

I read a week or so ago about a proposal for mixed use, dense,  higher end development across from the BOk Center.  One with hotel space, structured parking, a restaurant and retail.  I read in the paper this morning that a suburban style Hampton Inn was awarded the contract instead.

Nothing against Hampton Inn, but on this premier location I was sold on the idea of premier development.  A generic (hotel again, no offense to Hampton, they fill a niche) with surface parking and nothing else to add to the life of the area baffles me. Not to mention the tax base advantage of a $40mil development over an $18mil development.  I simply don't get it.

I am a young professional who has chosen Tulsa as a home for my family.  Several recent developments (or lack thereof) have begun to erode my hope for Tulsa moving forward.  I really like living in Tulsa, but if it isn't moving forward it is being left behind.  This decision as well as the Brady development and a lack of other developments downtown (an area of supposed focus) have me concerned.

Please consider a strategy to aim higher ($48mil) while keeping the lesser project in play if the project we *really* want doesn't come through. Please use your authority to develop downtown in a constructive urban fashion.  This is not Broken Arrow or Jenks.  We can offer urban excitement and a living downtown that suburban sprawl can not.

Thank you for considering my input.

[Renaissance]

You guys can be calm . . . I couldn't help but raise my voice at the fools:

RE: Arena hotel on former Towerview Site
Apologies in advance for the rant, but . . .
What in GOD'S NAME are you thinking???  A HAMPTON INN?  With 2/3 of the site as PARKING???  After everything that has gone into protecting and trying to revitalize downtown, are you really going to choose the lame Hampton proposal over Raskin's Hyatt/Westin?  

There have got to be financing issues or something else.  Please, tell me the collective TDA board isn't that aestethically stupid and collectively out of touch.  Have any of you ever traveled past BROKEN ARROW?  Get on your game or resign--the current board is not doing its job.

[carltonplace]

^ nice!

[cannon_fodder]

lol.  Awesome.  Some overt hostility sprinkled with, umm, more rationed (but just as rational) complaints should get the message across.

Where's the Bear when you need him. []

[Townsend]

There's got to be a logical (to them) reason for doing what they did but Hell if I know what it is.

Maybe they were instructed to not allow proper development by the state agency to which they belong.  Anyone know TDA's mother agency?

[tshane250]

Complaint submitted:

I would like to voice my disappointment in what I read in today's Tulsa World regarding a proposed Hampton Inn & Suites across the street from the BOk Center.  I am having a very difficult time trying to understand why this proposed development was picked over the Raskin proposal that was presented to you earlier this month.  The Hampton proposal would be fitting for a suburban location, but this site is in downtown Tulsa, directly across the street from the premiere event destination in the region and arguably the state.  

This decision in my opinion shows shortsightedness and makes me question the apparent drivel on your website – "The Tulsa Development Authority is dedicated to creating a better city and, thus, a better home for all of us."  If you adhere to what you state on your website, then I implore you to reconsider this decision.  

I recently moved to Tulsa from Indianapolis, a city far along on the path to downtown revitalization, in hopes of seeing Tulsa's downtown renaissance from its genesis.  I freely admit that I have been wildly excited about downtown Tulsa's revitalization potential with the opening of the BOk Center, news of a new downtown ballpark, and the other various mixed use redevelopments occurring throughout downtown, but those high hopes were dashed when I read of a suburban type hotel development being plopped down in the most unique and urban environment in the City.  Again, I implore you to think long-term and please do what is best for all of us, because I really want to see Tulsa be the best it can be.  

Thank you!