NEW QT - 15th and Lewis

[carltonplace]

Normally sub shops take over abandoned QuickTrip stores but in an odd reversal it looks like the Bill and Ruth's at 15th St will be demolished to make way for a new Quick Trip store.

[DowntownDan]

This is entirely inconsistent with a plan by city engineers to rebuild 15th from Denver to Harvard to improve walkability and install bike lanes.  They want to tear down a half dozen buildings to install this oversized out-of-place suburban style gas station.  It looks like the zoning is already in place so neither the planning commission nor city hall will be able to provide input.  It'll be up to QT to be good corporate citizens to either change the location or try a smaller footprint or urban format, and we all saw how well they took that advice at 11th and Utica.  Just a bad deal all around in my opinion.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Dqzlhdnu6jV3hJMDJDLU56ZWc/view?usp=sharing

[Conan71]

This is entirely inconsistent with a plan by city engineers to rebuild 15th from Denver to Harvard to improve walkability and install bike lanes.  They want to tear down a half dozen buildings to install this oversized out-of-place suburban style gas station.  It looks like the zoning is already in place so neither the planning commission nor city hall will be able to provide input.  It'll be up to QT to be good corporate citizens to either change the location or try a smaller footprint or urban format, and we all saw how well they took that advice at 11th and Utica.  Just a bad deal all around in my opinion.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Dqzlhdnu6jV3hJMDJDLU56ZWc/view?usp=sharing

Nice!  Another pretty thing taxpayers funded with no teeth and little chance of being implemented. 

Is there really not a way the city can jump in due to the increased traffic count at this intersection?

The pisser in all this is it was a much more pedestrian design 30 years ago when the Delman Center was still there.  Even the Safeway was built up to the curb on Lewis.  IIRC, there was a pocket neighborhood where Reasor's is now which was built up to 15th St. With a restaurant on that corner.  I guess it is hard to claim QT is incongruous to the intersection when you have three good size commercial properties on the other three corners.

[BKDotCom]

Normally sub shops take over abandoned QuickTrip stores but in an odd reversal it looks like the Bill and Ruth's at 15th St will be demolished to make way for a new Quick Trip store.

Circle of life.  
This was originally QT #15... currently a sub shop...   being reclaimed by a yuge QT.

[DTowner]

QT simply does not care about any plans or goals or hopes anyone has to make any part of Tulsa more dense or walkable.  QT has zero interest in thinking creatively to make a store blend into an existing neighborhood, rather than clearing houses and buildings to make way for it.  QT only wants to plop down its predesigned next generation suburban model anywhere and everywhere it operates.  It's a for-profit company and it has that right.  The fact that Tulsa is too timid or cowardly to say "no" to this approach in a few select locations in mid-town is on us and our leaders.

Yes, much damage has already been done at 15th & Lewis so it is not worth falling on your sword now.  But then, neither was 21st & Harvard.  Or 36th & Peoria.  Or 11th & Utica.  Communities are rarely destroyed in large sweeping events, but in small diminishments repeated time and time again until nothing is left worth saving.

[RecycleMichael]

I believe a QT will be very successful there.

[carltonplace]

Reasor's had a gas station across the street that they demolished in favor of parking. Wonder what information QT has that this is a good spot. They already have 5 giant QT stores all within 1.5 miles
15th and Denver 1.5 miles
11th and Utica <1 mile
21st and Harvard 1.5 miles
11th and College <1 mile
Admiral and Delaware 1.5 miles

[Oil Capital]

QT simply does not care about any plans or goals or hopes anyone has to make any part of Tulsa more dense or walkable.  QT has zero interest in thinking creatively to make a store blend into an existing neighborhood, rather than clearing houses and buildings to make way for it.  QT only wants to plop down its predesigned next generation suburban model anywhere and everywhere it operates.  It's a for-profit company and it has that right.  The fact that Tulsa is too timid or cowardly to say "no" to this approach in a few select locations in mid-town is on us and our leaders.

Sad to say, in this case, "clearing houses and buildings to make way for it" will allow this this store to blend into the existing neighborhood.

[Tulsasaurus Rex]

QT has zero interest in thinking creatively to make a store blend into an existing neighborhood, rather than clearing houses and buildings to make way for it.  QT only wants to plop down its predesigned next generation suburban model anywhere and everywhere it operates.

A couple of years ago I lobbied an acquaintance of mine who works at QT on this point. He totally got what I was saying, seemed to agree with this group's views, and said that they were working on an urban model. Take that for whatever it's worth.

[DTowner]

I believe a QT will be very successful there.

I have no doubt it will be successful.  Of course, those who tore down old empty buildings downtown to build surface parking made more money than if they'd sat on those empty buildings for 30+ years waiting for downtown's revival. 

[SXSW]

A couple of years ago I lobbied an acquaintance of mine who works at QT on this point. He totally got what I was saying, seemed to agree with this group's views, and said that they were working on an urban model. Take that for whatever it's worth.

I nominate the 36th & Peoria location for the first trial version of the "urban model".

[Oil Capital]

I nominate the 36th & Peoria location for the first trial version of the "urban model".

That would make a lot more sense than 15th & Lewis.

[patric]

Probably need to paste the previous thread on this from here: 
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=17044.msg319572#msg319572



QT spokesman Mike Thornbrugh said the plan is to also purchase the Duffy's restaurant property next door and then build a QuikTrip Generation 3 store.

Thats their biggest store design.  It does seem a bit out of scale for that location.

[BKDotCom]

...Generation 3 store.

Thats their biggest store design.

That's their only store design.

[swake]

That's their only store design.

That style store could be pushed to the sidewalk with half the number of pumps and fewer parking spaces on a much smaller footprint and be a plus to an urban area.