Empty Lot South of Coffee House on Cherry Street

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Does anyone know what the plans are for the lots directly behind CHOS at 1511/1515 S Rockford Ave? The house at 1511 was bulldozed and the lot was sold to "FUNDUS PRAEDIUM LLC" in June, 2015. Group M Investments (Redid Campbell Hotel & 11th St Lofts) sold 1515 S Rockford to Fundus Praedium in January 2015 "C/O Thomas Schadle" (The CFO for the Catholic Diocese in Tulsa). Fundus Praedium purchased the adjacent lot 1519 S Rockford on May 2015 from the Sheriff's Auction.


Streetview:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Coffee+House/@36.1401889,-95.9719708,3a,75y,94.88h,70.55t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sjqgyNyQBifhqdWhrraH7ZA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DjqgyNyQBifhqdWhrraH7ZA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D53.398117%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x87b6ec97422b33c1:0x8a44b6e1ecdee326!6m1!1e1

My guess would be parking lots unfortunately.  They don't have a lot of parking to begin with. There is current construction in the school lot so maybe this is part of some expansion plans. Regardless, it looks like they have plans for those lots. I would hope they at least have plans to add some sort of building, but based on the fact that parking along that street is always congested and over time you can recognize the same employee cars of the school park there (in such a way that no one else can park between driveways), I'm guessing that is a big issue for them.

Along with the news that the new Cherry St LLC development will turn 7 lots into parking, this seems to be a trend now. Yes, parking is tougher around there than other parts of Tulsa, but buldozing buildings to make way for parking is the same thing that happened in downtown in the 90's and created the eye sore which was crowned "Parking Crater" of the US. Do we want Cherry St to become the new parking crater? Rather than a bustling densely-populated unique urban collective in the midst of a neighborhood, it is becoming another auto-centric development full of chain stores and giant lots of asphalt. Maybe a real urban area in Tulsa is a pipe dream as long as gas and land is so cheap, most people keep moving further out and of course no one will build parking garages or invest in good working public transportation. People already complain about parking downtown even though we have far more parking spaces than people there and you rarely have to walk more than a couple blocks.

[patric]

http://www.fox23.com/news/news/local/new-restaurants-coming-cherry-street/nphhH/

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Also the giant parking lots being put in at 15th and Delaware where they took out 3 interesting retail buildings including 4 stores and an 1920's mixed-use brick building with multiple apartments. All so the pain-killer center can hold more cars for the pill-chasers who drive there for their fix (even though it's current lot is never full).

That was a huge step back for the area and shows the lack of value for urban development and walkability in Tulsa. From the get-go neighbors opposed the pain clinic and their concerns have been validated by the massive empty lots which will soon be a large parking crater where neat (and several popular) shops used to be. We are so far behind other cities at this, it is pathetic and disheartening (even when you include the projects underway). Practically every other city I visit wows me with their urban development while Tulsa wows with how cheap it is.

I have always been a huge fan of Tulsa and sticking around here to be a part of making it better, especially with the downtown resurgence, but things like this make me want to move away to experience a "real" city. My wife and I are part of the exact demographic Typros has worked so hard to bring in and retain. If I was ranking best urban areas of the 40+ cities I've been to in the last 2 years, Tulsa wouldn't even make the top-30 and I am not even sure about the top-40.

I still enjoy living here (cheap so we can afford to travel often!) but wish more Tulsans shared the values that so many on TulsaNow support!  

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

http://www.fox23.com/news/news/local/new-restaurants-coming-cherry-street/nphhH/

That is the Cherry St LLC development I mentioned which is putting in the massive parking lot, but that article does not mention the lots behind the Coffee House on Cherry St which is at 15th and Rockford Ave, across from the Marquette School.

(As linked above) Streetview:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Coffee+House/@36.1401889,-95.9719708,3a,75y,94.88h,70.55t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sjqgyNyQBifhqdWhrraH7ZA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DjqgyNyQBifhqdWhrraH7ZA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D53.398117%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x87b6ec97422b33c1:0x8a44b6e1ecdee326!6m1!1e1

[Tulsasaurus Rex]

http://www.fox23.com/news/news/local/new-restaurants-coming-cherry-street/nphhH/

As TulsaGoldenHurriCAN said, that's talking about a different development. Something interesting in that story, though, is the suggestion that new apartments may be built in the now-empty space behind Full Moon Cafe.

[DowntownDan]

The Fox 23 story calls the third restuarant a "craft beer sports bar" while the Tulsa World calls it "Roosevelts" a "prohibition themed speakeasy."  Someone is confused.  Id love to see a dedicated sports bar with craft beer on Cherry Street.  A "speakeasy" seems a better fit for an old building downtown.

[PonderInc]

Really? Fundus Pradium?  If you're going to be pretentious and use a Latin name, shouldn't you get the gender right on the adjective?

[SXSW]

Also the giant parking lots being put in at 15th and Delaware where they took out 3 interesting retail buildings including 4 stores and an 1920's mixed-use brick building with multiple apartments. All so the pain-killer center can hold more cars for the pill-chasers who drive there for their fix (even though it's current lot is never full).

I had heard the eventual plan is to build a new building there to expand their business in part of it and rent out the rest.  Not sure the timetable though.  I agree in its current state it's a big loss for the commercial district along 15th through Florence Park, which has a lot of potential to be as vibrant as Cherry Street.

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

I had heard the eventual plan is to build a new building there to expand their business in part of it and rent out the rest.  Not sure the timetable though.  I agree in its current state it's a big loss for the commercial district along 15th through Florence Park, which has a lot of potential to be as vibrant as Cherry Street.

I hope you're right. That would be much better than just a big parking lot. They also demolished a warehouse building just north of the pain clinic property.

[rdj]

I thought the pain clinic folks wanted to put a hotel in there?

[Conan71]

From the looks of it, I seriously doubt they are going to convert that to parking.  There's way too much revenue potential at that corner to simply pave it. 

Anyone know what is going on to the north of the pain clinic in the old Ray England building?  Work has been going on with the lot and looks like the building as well.