(PROJECT) A Gathering Place For Tulsa

[Weatherdemon]

I am a tad concerned about the increased costs, phase 2, and the vague early/mid 2014 start date. Those all remind me of all of the announced projects over the last 5 or so years that have never came to fruition.

With that, it's still damn exciting and will be HUGE for Tulsa!

And, I can't help it. I just love this quote 

Kaiser, "I don't get epiphanies. My thought process is cumulative, not episodic, not epiphimatic."

[BKDotCom]

I am a tad concerned about the increased costs, phase 2, and the vague early/mid 2014 start date. Those all remind me of all of the announced projects over the last 5 or so years that have never came to fruition.

There's already been a LOT spent on this project.   planning, land acquisition, scale models 
I think the Kaiser is quite committed to the project

[pfox]

Is this where you are talking about?

http://goo.gl/maps/lfPum

I can understand why the neighborhood would want LESS connections to the park.

Which is absurd.  I want more access.  If there is any shred of criticism that can be given it is that there should be easy (well lit) pedestrian access from adjacent neighborhoods to the park.

History shows us that whenever an investment like this is mad (a trail or park or a sidewalk even) some people react that way.  Its unsubstantiated fear, not backed up by facts.

What happens most of the time is people put a fence up at first, to shield themselves from the 'danger'.  The next thing they do is build a gate in the fence, so they have access to the amenity.  And that is what it is. An amenity.

Personally, I hope 31st street gets put on a road diet, to include bikeways and sidewalks to the park.

[DTowner]

I am a tad concerned about the increased costs, phase 2, and the vague early/mid 2014 start date. Those all remind me of all of the announced projects over the last 5 or so years that have never came to fruition.

Given the enormity of this project, that schedule seems pretty aggressive to me. 

[Red Arrow]

Which is absurd.  I want more access.  If there is any shred of criticism that can be given it is that there should be easy (well lit) pedestrian access from adjacent neighborhoods to the park.

Absurd?  Thanks for the insult.

Pedestrian access yes.  Automobile access will just lead to the street in front of "your" house becoming a full time parking lot. 

We lived around the corner from a small shopping area when I was a kid.  We didn't have off-street parking.  We never knew if we would have a space to park our car when we came home.  In the winter, I would shovel out the snow from our car only to have someone else parked there when we came home.  I guess that's one reason I don't want to live in a dense area.

[Weatherdemon]

There's already been a LOT spent on this project.   planning, land acquisition, scale models  
I think the Kaiser is quite committed to the project

I have no doubt he is committed I'm just not yet conditioned to believe every great announced plan and model will come to fruition.

[BKDotCom]

I have no doubt he is committed I'm just not yet conditioned to believe every great announced plan and model will come to fruition.

Anyone know Kaiser's batting average?
* Guthrie Green
* Riverpark trails

anything else?

[wylie]

Anyone know Kaiser's batting average?
* Guthrie Green
* Riverpark trails

anything else?

* Matthews Warehouse in the Brady -- Guthrie Archives/Philbrook/Gilcrease
* Westpark Apartments in Kendall Whittier

If anything, Kaiser is overly cautious about showing his cards. Same thing happened with the KW apartments, the big public reveal didn't happen until the foundation had crossed all its t's and dotted its lower-case j's. The idea for the park has been floating around since the original RFP went public in the fall of 2010 (http://www.planning.org/consultants/viewrequest.htm?RequestID=6240). GKFF kept mum about its intentions, all the while shilling $50 million for the land acquisition. They selected Michael Van Valkenburgh for the plan design, and you don't bring MVV on board unless you mean business -- this guy is a god amongst landscape architects (downtown Toronto, Brooklyn Bridge park, etc.).

So I'd say it's about a thousand.

[YoungTulsan]

The latest design shows that the apartment complex on the south end of the park (Crow Creek apartments?) won't be demolished... is this a recent change or old news?

From what I see it looks like they are taking out part of the complex but leaving most of it.   The units right along crow creek are gone in the new plan, but the rest remain.  That is a big change from my viewpoint, retaining a couple hundred residential units.  Modernized/renovated perhaps?

[sgrizzle]

From what I see it looks like they are taking out part of the complex but leaving most of it.   The units right along crow creek are gone in the new plan, but the rest remain.  That is a big change from my viewpoint, retaining a couple hundred residential units.  Modernized/renovated perhaps?

Replaced with a commercial development?

As I understand it, the apartments aren't necessarily foundation owned yet.

[rdj]

According to public record GKFF Real Estate IV LLC owns all income producing multi-family housing from 31st St to 33rd Pl between Detroit Ave & Riverside Dr.  There is no record of this LLC or any LLC's with an obvious tie to GKFF owning any single family housing.

[Conan71]

I have no doubt he is committed I'm just not yet conditioned to believe every great announced plan and model will come to fruition.

The only one which has not that I'm aware of is the river plan in 2007 which was dependent on Tulsa County getting a smash-and-grab tax increase out of the citizens for somewhat of a matching funding idea.  I think an important lesson was learned by GKFF after that failed to pass.

I also think we will get a better quality development this way with GKFF not only taking the lead but leaving the county out of the mix on it.

[RecycleMichael]

I think the channels river plan of 2007 was pushed by the Warren family and not Kaiser.

[BKDotCom]

I think the channels river plan of 2007 was pushed by the Warren family and not Kaiser.

Oct 2007 article:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Kaiser_River_plan_bridges_gap/071006_1_A1_hrpah70288

[RecycleMichael]

Thanks. The channels project was 2006.