Downtown Development Overview

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Beakers, of course! A scientific store is where anyone can get professional research and experimentation equipment–from beakers to telescopes. While technically it will be a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) store, that acronym still isn't universally known, so I went with the more familiar descriptor.

Opening a store like this has been something I've wanted to do for years now, and The BoxYard provided the perfect opportunity.

I like the idea and would definitely plan to go there and support it. I like the play on words,  but am not sure how that name will go over with the general public. If you're aiming for the demographic who will appreciate the pun/science name without being offended, that may not matter. Just a thought.

I am really interested in 3D printing and the 3D printer options on Indiegogo are intriguing! I hope you gather the support you need and get this started!

I was already excited about the Boxyard, but this piques my interest even more.

[stemcelltulsa]

I like the play on words,  but am not sure how that name will go over with the general public. If you're aiming for the demographic who will appreciate the pun/science name without being offended, that may not matter. Just a thought.

I know what you mean. I tossed the name around for several months, unsure of how it would be received–especially to those unfamiliar with the acronym, or who only get their stem cell info from the news. But after gathering opinions from various demographics, I only heard concerns similar to yours: "I like it, but I'm sure somebody out there won't."

I just can't bring myself to pass on a great name for political-correctness' sake. Rather, I'm happy to educate people on what stem cells actually are and why they themselves aren't controversial.

My son goes to Riverfield (Sophomore) and is addicted to science and engineering (technology and math are just tools he has to learn to get to the science and engineering).  We are looking forward to your store for easy gift ideas for him!

As a science & engineering addict myself, I look forward to meeting you both.

[TheArtist]

I think the concept has a lot of potential.  Best bet in my opinion is to have a mix of everything from really fancy high end things like some super duper telescope, all the way down to quirky fun little science related gifts.  That will make it enjoyable for everyone, for science nerds at all levels and ages, and just the general public.  Look forward to seeing it and am really excited about more retail going in downtown!

The trick with retail in an urban environment is that you really need to have a good chunk of it in one area to make it thrive.  If you have a downtown that has a cluster of shops here, and a cluster there (Cleveland has run into this problem) then your retail will just kind of hang in there at best. But if you have an area or strip with multiple blocks and hundreds of stores, then you got something (Denver as an example)

Tidbit from an article I was reading recently.

Land use in the CBD may be considered as a network of pedestrian traffic generators separated by varying distances. Where related land uses are far apart, the effect may be to discourage walking between them. In the case of retail operations, which rely directly on pedestrian traffic for business, the distance between stores has vital economic ramifications. A recent survey of pedestrian habits in Washington, D.C., for example, revealed that there was greater mutual exchange of pedestrians between stores in a large retailing concentration than in a dispersed retail area.10 And a background study for Cleveland's downtown plan noted that the separation of the two major shopping store concentrations created intervening pedestrian dead spots where nonretail functions failed to channel large numbers of shoppers-on-foot.11

Right now we are at the phase of development where people are excited to see just about anything go in, and it's easy to put things into vacant spots and empty buildings, compared to say when most everything is filled in so to speak.  Then if you do not have a shopping corridor with lots of foot traffic (foot traffic is what you want in an urban area just like you want vehicular traffic in a suburban one, you want thousands of people walking by your shop in an urban area, in a suburban one you want thousands driving past)  Problem is we have no way in our downtown to create those shopping corridors like other cities do (the landowners fought against it, still do not know why really) though we are perfectly fine with having zoning and rules outside downtown that encourage and enable auto centric retail corridors to develop there. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

Beakers, of course! A scientific store is where anyone can get professional research and experimentation equipment–from beakers to telescopes. While technically it will be a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) store, that acronym still isn't universally known, so I went with the more familiar descriptor.

Opening a store like this has been something I've wanted to do for years now, and The BoxYard provided the perfect opportunity.

Ya gonna have one of these??  And will it be something I can rent, like equipment at Home Depot...??


http://www.totalkustom.com/

[stemcelltulsa]

Ya gonna have one of these??  And will it be something I can rent, like equipment at Home Depot...??

That's pretty great...unfortunately no, we don't have that.

But with an Arduino board, a good pump, and big enough gantry, that might be a good weekend (or two) project.

[TheArtist]

Anyone know right off who owns the Thompson Building?

[Hoss]

Anyone know right off who owns the Thompson Building?

Thompson?

Sorry, I couldn't resist...

[LeGenDz]

Anyone know right off who owns the Thompson Building?

Michael H. Vaughn I think

[cannon_fodder]

Michael H. Vaughn I think

He is the registered agent of the owner, FIFTH STREET CORRIDOR L L C, which lists its address as the Thompson building and may or may not be controlled by Vaughn.  He has been interviewed in the past concerning the building and listed as being with KWB Oil Property Management, which manages the building and has been in that building for like 50 years.  Vaughn is an attorney and runs his own small practice out of the building.

https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-35038013/tulsa-s-vandever-building-project-faces-lawsuit
http://www.assessor.tulsacounty.org/assessor-property.php?account=R00500920139700

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Update on the old YMCA building:

Downtown YMCA renovation looking forward to residents in May
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/realestate/downtown-ymca-renovation-looking-forward-to-residents-in-may/article_298ed7ed-6851-51d5-84e9-e45e55d24a86.html

When historic downtown Tulsa buildings are repurposed, owners frequently mold their designs around the original shape of the building.
That's definitely the case with the former downtown YMCA, which is being transformed into 82 apartments by Brickhugger LLC. Shelby Snyder, president of Brickhugger, said the redevelopment has taken longer than anticipated as the company sought historic tax credits and worked to most effectively use areas such as a basketball court and a racquetball court.
"With historical buildings, you're given a daunting task but a unique opportunity to make some unique spaces," she said.
Brickhugger's definitely on its way to that goal. When the YMCA building at Sixth Street and Denver Avenue is ready in May, its first residents will have a variety of apartments to choose from. Now, the 82 units will range from 450-square-foot studio units to 2,200-square-foot units.
Snyder said every unit will be unique in some way — some will have patios, some will be tucked into cozy corners and some will sprawl over three floors of the seven-story building.
Although the design was a challenge, she said the varying units should offer a little something for everyone and go beyond the downtown-dweller stereotype.
"It's not just empty-nesters or young professionals," Snyder said. "We have a wide array of people who want to live downtown. You have to have something for everybody."
The former YMCA will also feature an underground parking garage with 91 spaces — nine more than the number of units.
The current plan is to have the first three floors ready by May, while the others will follow shortly after, Snyder said. She estimated the rooms will rent for $1 to $1.40 per square foot.
The Snyder family and a number of other investors originally bought the vacated YMCA building in 2011 for $625,000. Shelby Snyder said Brickhugger LLC is now the sole owner of the building, having bought out the other partners' shares as development progressed.
Since Brickhugger plans to use historic tax credits, the renovation will keep the exterior of the 62-year-old building looking exactly the same, from the terra-cotta tiles to the colorful YMCA mural on the east side, Snyder said.
The interior will integrate plenty of features from the building's old days as an athletic center.
"We're keeping all the existing basketball goals, signs and wood floors from basketball court," Snyder said.
Brickhugger, either through a partnership or sole ownership, has rehabilitated a growing number of downtown buildings, including the Mayo Hotel, the Aloft Hotel that once served as City Hall, the Best Western Plus that was previously a city government office and the Vandever Lofts.
Brickhugger and its partners are still looking to redo the vacant Hartford building at 110 S. Hartford Ave. Although the group is exploring a number of options, it will likely have a residential component.
"We're excited for that property," Snyder said. "It's in an up and coming area with a lot of residential development around it."

[LeGenDz]

He is the registered agent of the owner, FIFTH STREET CORRIDOR L L C, which lists its address as the Thompson building and may or may not be controlled by Vaughn.  He has been interviewed in the past concerning the building and listed as being with KWB Oil Property Management, which manages the building and has been in that building for like 50 years.  Vaughn is an attorney and runs his own small practice out of the building.

https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-35038013/tulsa-s-vandever-building-project-faces-lawsuit
http://www.assessor.tulsacounty.org/assessor-property.php?account=R00500920139700

I was going by this.. 

http://www.perfectleads.com/company/17289395/Fifth-Street-Corridor-Llc

[cannon_fodder]

I was going by this.. 

http://www.perfectleads.com/company/17289395/Fifth-Street-Corridor-Llc

Appears to be a decent resource, but you don't need to list "founder" on your LLC registration. I presume that is just whomever signed the certificate, which can be a member or a non-member (e.g., their attorney). So I do not have 100% confidence he is the owner. But there is a good likelihood (that word doesn't look right...). 

[TheArtist]

He is the registered agent of the owner, FIFTH STREET CORRIDOR L L C, which lists its address as the Thompson building and may or may not be controlled by Vaughn.  He has been interviewed in the past concerning the building and listed as being with KWB Oil Property Management, which manages the building and has been in that building for like 50 years.  Vaughn is an attorney and runs his own small practice out of the building.

https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-35038013/tulsa-s-vandever-building-project-faces-lawsuit
http://www.assessor.tulsacounty.org/assessor-property.php?account=R00500920139700

Interesting to see those property valuations. Would think a large building like that would be worth more.  The landscaping alone in the house I have been working on recently cost more than that building.  Interesting.

[cannon_fodder]

William, you need to realize that most of the people and houses you work on are not part of what we refer to as "the real world." If the landscaping cost is $2.3mil+, that person is paying more for landscaping than the average Oklahoman will earn in his/her entire working career. Seriously, more on landscaping than the average workers lifetime earnings (not the average landscape worker, the average of all workers).

But yeah, some of the valuations seem way off. The FMV per the assessor to buy the building is $17 sq/ft. But they rent space in that building for $12-16 per year. I don't know their costs or occupancy, but just seems low. Then again, assessed value is a strange beast. Would be interested to see an actual valuation report on those buildings.

[Conan71]

The FMV on the two houses I own in Tulsa seem tied to the original purchase price I paid for each property.  The first property was bought in 2009 and it still shows the same FMV on the 2015 rolls.  What I could sell it for on a quick sale is about 40% higher than the FMV.

The second was bought in 2014.  In 2015, the assessor adjusted the FMV down by 8% to reflect the sales price of that property even though a reasonable sales (i.e. not a quick sale) price is about 20% higher than that.

I got very good deals on both properties and put a fair amount of sweat equity into each one.  Interesting that they would adjust down the FMV upon sale even when the square footage and comparable sales in the same neighborhood would suggest otherwise.  Not that I'm complaining about having a lower FMV.