The Truck Yard

[Conan71]

Tulsa pushes for 'Truck Yard' business on river's west bank; River Parks solicits proposals

Document: Draft RFP for West Bank

Visit Truck Yard's website.

The Mayor's Office has been in private talks with a Texas company to bring "brews, grub and tunes" to River West Festival Park year-round.
But don't go planning a trip to the Truck Yard, as the prospective business is known, just yet.

The River Parks Board of Trustees, which operates the Festival Park, approved a draft request for proposals last week, but it doesn't include all of the space along the west bank of the Arkansas River that the city initially envisioned for Truck Yard.

The request for proposals does, however, make four west bank sites — three of them in River West Festival Park — available for commercial development.
The River Parks trustees spoke publicly about the Truck Yard proposal at a meeting Thursday, and several of them made it clear that they would prefer that Truck Yard or any other project be built on the fourth site, a piece of land along the river south of 23rd Street.
Trustee Jamie Marchesano said he would prefer to see the request for proposals not go out at all or that it be limited to the property near 23rd Street.

"But ... I think it is in our best interests to at least find out what's out there," he said.

He added, "We're getting pushed pretty hard by the city."

Clay Bird, director of the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, said he strongly disagrees with Marchesano's characterization of how the city has worked with River Parks on the Truck Yard project.

"We never said, 'No, no, we have to have this,'" Bird said. "From my perspective, I felt it was something that would enhance the Festival Park area."

Truck Yard has the potential to create a festival atmosphere year-round, Bird said, rather than just having occasional festivals at the park.

And the company is looking at other development opportunities in Tulsa, Bird said.

"We're only one of several markets they're looking at for expansion and probably the smallest," Bird said.

The original Truck Yard, located in the Lower Greenville area of Dallas, was created by chef Jason Boso nearly two years ago.

Boso, founder of Twisted Root Burger Co., took 15,000 square feet of open space and loaded it with food trucks, a beer garden, picnic tables and live music to create a "fun and funky vibe" full of "brews, grub and tunes," according to the company's website.

The city of Tulsa could have pursued the Truck Yard project privately under a previous request for proposals but agreed with the River Parks Authority that a new RFP would be better because it would open the process to other developers, Bird said.

The city had made it clear to River Parks that the Truck Yard was not to be discussed publicly, Bird said.

"I only hope that the blatant breach of confidentiality (at Thursday's River Parks trustees' meeting) doesn't deter them from their plans," Bird said of the business. "I think it jeopardizes things. People can start trying to put together some kind of proposal that trumps what they are doing."

A spokeswoman for Truck Yard said last week that the company still has Tulsa on its radar.

"It's still a possibility," said Ariana Hajibashi. "But I guess down far in the future."

Marchesano told fellow board members that he objected to the city's proposed site for the Truck Yard because it took up too much space.

According to Marchesano, the Truck Yard envisioned at the Festival Park would have stretched from the rowing club building to the amphitheater — blocking the view of the river for Festival Park users.

The developer was even considering using the floating stage, Marchesano added.

"They wanted the whole east side of the park, which would have basically broke us off from the river," Marchesano said.

Bird said not extending the potential development site from the rowing club building to the amphitheater doesn't make sense because it could limit development options. The request for proposals could be written in such a way as to address River Parks' concerns while still making the entire area available, Bird said.

"To me, it just seems limiting and short-sighted to not at least see what opportunities are available," he said. "Especially when you have made your concerns known to the prospective developer and you don't have to accept any proposals."

The request for proposals states that River Parks is seeking "one or more commercial enterprises that may include food and beverage services with optional complementary activity and/or entertainment elements."

The RFP was written broadly to encourage creativity while requiring that proposals be family-friendly and compatible with the park's mandate to enhance public health and welfare.

River Parks leases its land from the city of Tulsa and has the final say on what — if anything — is developed on the property.

The deadline to submit a proposal is May 8.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepage2/tulsa-pushes-for-truck-yard-business-on-river-s-west/article_072f8387-4ffa-558b-958a-83aeaca2c2f4.html

[carltonplace]

To me this whole proposal just shows how limited the mayor's vision is.

[PonderInc]

When I first read this, I thought: what a weird name.  I assumed the City was moving forward with plans to do something with the land where the concrete trucks are parked.

I don't know anything about this company, but I don't understand why you need an outside entity to bring food trucks to Riverparks.  Wouldn't it be easier to just provide the necessary electricity and park benches, umbrellas, etc, and allow local food trucks to come in on certain predictable days/times--so people would know where they could find the trucks and when?  (Electricity is critical, so people out enjoying Riverparks don't have to listen to the sound of generators.)

Also: it's sort of weird timing for the Festival area, since the pedestrian bridge will be closed for 2 years. It will also be hard for a lot of people to loop over on the 21st street bridge (if they're accessing the River Trails on the east side from south of 31st, they really won't be able to get there on bike/foot.).

[Townsend]

I'm wondering what kind of traffic they were expecting when this was completed.

Where would the customers come from?

This article might've been better titled "Your mayor and the dumbassed sort of things he's spending time on"

[Breadburner]

The infrastructure would likely be more than what you think.....

[carltonplace]

The infrastructure would likely be more than what you think.....

or less



texastruckyard.com

[AquaMan]

Grub. Trucks. Brew. Tunes.

I bowed out at Grub.

[Townsend]

or less

What in the F'ing F is that?

[Conan71]

When I first read this, I thought: what a weird name.  I assumed the City was moving forward with plans to do something with the land where the concrete trucks are parked.

I don't know anything about this company, but I don't understand why you need an outside entity to bring food trucks to Riverparks.  Wouldn't it be easier to just provide the necessary electricity and park benches, umbrellas, etc, and allow local food trucks to come in on certain predictable days/times--so people would know where they could find the trucks and when?  (Electricity is critical, so people out enjoying Riverparks don't have to listen to the sound of generators.)

Also: it's sort of weird timing for the Festival area, since the pedestrian bridge will be closed for 2 years. It will also be hard for a lot of people to loop over on the 21st street bridge (if they're accessing the River Trails on the east side from south of 31st, they really won't be able to get there on bike/foot.).

I am convinced after confronting Clay Bird last night and how the question of "Smart Development" whiffed past him faster than a fart in the wind that sales tax is his meth and he's a meth head.

The projects he is pushing are literally in some of Tulsa's very best sight lines.  He is trying to mortgage some of Tulsa's best, unspoiled properties for the sake of sales tax.  Go redevelop a brownfield with a mall or do something about the parking sea in downtown and create dense, LOCALLY based retail if you want sales tax so effing bad.  Then the profit stays in Tulsa and recirculates in the economy.

It's as if this administration slept through economics class.

We have got to elect a mayor with far better vision and a better grasp on development issues.

/edit: That place is beyond tacky.  It somewhat reminded me of a junkyard.  Somehow that doesn't seem very congruous to the proposed surroundings.  Sounds like a great project for Broken Arrow or Owasso.

[carltonplace]

We have got to elect a mayor with far better vision and a better grasp on development issues.

/edit: That place is beyond tacky.  It somewhat reminded me of a junkyard.  Somehow that doesn't seem very congruous to the proposed surroundings.  Sounds like a great project for Broken Arrow or Owasso.

Or maybe in a giant parking lot downtown or at a certain Fintube site?

Only 3 more years until we can elect another mayor...I doubt we have learned anything though.

[AquaMan]

Let's recap Carlton. He's male. He's republican. He's oil. He's got his father's name. Oh, yeah...he's the river development mayor.

Re-elected easily on those credentials.

[LandArchPoke]

What in the F'ing F is that?

I kind of like the idea... food truck parks are always fun. Now the size and scope of it, not sure I'm too thrilled about. I think this would be a good infusion to bring people to the west side of the river, but I think another location in the park would be better if it were to go here. Lets put truck park on the site of the old Whitter school instead of another QuikTrip. The Pearl would be a good location as well. There's a lot of options... It's sad the city is pushing so hard to commercialize our park space.

[TheArtist]

My first thought was... "This won't work, seems kind of low brow/white trash."  Then of course I remembered where I lived.  It will probably do great.

The only other thought is,,, Oklahoma has crappier weather more days of the year than a lot of other places, including Dallas and Austin. Bitter bitter cold, turns to super windy and rainy, then goes to hot and steamy or dry (they do have hot in Dallas/Austin) but an outdoor venue trying to make a buck, well there is a reason Walt Disney chose Florida. For some things, Weather = Economics.  And this has that look about it.  It will sit empty a lot more than in Dallas or Austin where at least the nights during a larger part of the year are tolerable.

[Townsend]

Haven't posted in a very long time because I haven't lived in Tulsa for a very long time.  I live in Dallas now -- 4 blocks from this place.

The Truck Yard is one of the coolest, most exciting, laid back spots in the entire city.  Everyone who visits wishes it was in their neighborhood. 

Thanks Floyd.  I'll stop cocking an eyebrow at the idea but I still question the proposed location here in Tulsa.

[Townsend]

My first thought was... "This won't work, seems kind of low brow/white trash."  Then of course I remembered where I lived.  It will probably do great.

We are the people of Walmart.