Best of DT OKC projects (by no means all or most)

[SoonerRiceGrad]

Here's a rundown thread with just a short blurb about a short selection of some of the DT OKC projects happening right now:

Upper canal renovation project
Location: At the western terminus of the Upper Canal in the heart of Bricktown.
Status: The complex at 2 East California has recently been bought by two OK City oilmen.
The plan: The oilmen have bought the two-story building, which houses a Zio's and a gift shop, and the 5-story building that stands empty and in disrepair. The windows will be replaced, the facade cleaned up, possible additions made, and they will be adding offices, retail, and housing. The investment on this development will exceed $10 million according to the developers. They have reached a deal with a long-time Bricktown developer, Jim Brewer, and a partnership to operate and build a parking garage behind the building fronting Reno Avenue, that will be used to provide parking for this development, and for a canalside hotel that will soon be proposed by Jim Brewer.







Location: NE 5th Street and Harrison Avenue
Status: The renderings have been completed and he should start groundwork within a few months. There was a legal debacle as the site's original proprietor places a deed restriction that alcohol can never be sold there. OKC Urban Renewal simply eminent domained the property and then gave it back to the developer, Grant Humphreys, and the problem was solved.
Background: This was going to become an extension of the PHF campus, but Grant Humphreys literally nabbed it from them for a mixed-use development.
The plan: Currently there is a 2-story brick flatiron building that is in severe condition on the triangle-shaped site. Originally the building would be demolished, but not so ... Humphreys commissioned 4 firms to make a case for him to keep the building on the site, and the winning design adds up to 5 stories, and there will be a few additions. The mixed-use development will include condos, offices, and retail.







Residence Inn Bricktown
Location: On East Reno in Lower Bricktown. It's on the canal.
Status: Nearing completion.
Background: Downtown is starving for hotel rooms, on the quick. That's the only reason this one got passed the Bricktown Urban Design panel so quickly, so it would be finished in time for the Big XII Tourny.
The Plan: This is a Randy Hogan development through-and-through. It would be fabulous if he would level off the pitched roof. It will be right on the canal, and it will have 151 rooms. It's opening in January 2007, in time for some major events that will occur in OKC.





Park Harvey Apartments
Location: Park and Harvey in the middle of the CBD
Status: Leasing for apartments
The Plan: The building was bought in late 2005, and almost all of 2006 was spent gutting the interior of the building and trying to clean the exterior up a little bit. There will be 178 apartments, ranging in size from 600 square feet to 1,200 square feet, and ranging in lease from $550 to $950 per month, according to pro-forma estimates. The building will have zero parking. According to Richard Tanenbaum, "The answer is very, very simple. Walk to work." So that said, we can tell that "park" is one thing residents won't do at Park Harvey Apartments.





Plaza Court
Location: Walker and NW 10th
Status: Finished very recently, filling up with tenants
Background: When Saint Anthony's Hospital threatened to leave MidTown, the city promised to help change the face of MidTown, starting with the streetscape of the roundabout of Walker, at 10th and Classen Dr. Buildings in the immediate vicinity have all been carefully restored.
The plan: MidTown developer Greg Banta bought the building, rehabilitated the age-old MidTown landmark, and now that the project is finished, he is filling it up with tenants. So far, he has filled it up with an Irish pub, and various other locally-ran establishments. Oh, and a Subway.







Sieber Hotel
Location: NW 13th and Hudson Ave
Status: Under development, construction will be finished by fall 2007
The plan: Developer Marva Ellard intends to renovate the 6-story Sieber Hotel into 38 urban lofts, ranging in 800 square feet, to 1,400 square feet, starting at $900/month. The connected 2-story Sieber Grocery (also abandoned) will be converted into retail.







Block 42
Location: Corner of Central Avenue and NE 4th
Status: Construction is under way
The plan: To build 40 new lofts and townhome units in the Deep Deuce district. There will be no ground-floor retail, but there will not be a square open to the public with free WiFi.









Central Avenue Villas
Location: NE 4th and Central Avenue
Status: Construction is kicking into high gear after plans were hung up due to an underground high voltage line where the underground parking will be. Problem solved.
The plan: Pat Garrett, one of the principles of Triangle Partners, is developing this 30-unit housing project that will consist of townhomes and lofts. Specifications are 1-3 bedroom, 735-2,800 square feet, and $125,000-$375,000. Construction started in mid 2006 and should be finished before 2007 is over.









2nd & Oklahoma proposal
Location: NE 2nd St and Oklahoma Ave
Status: Proposal
The plan: This proposal isn't very public yet, so we can only give so much information. We're not even sure if it will happen soon, but we can tell you that there will be about 50 lofts and ground-level retail.





Legacy Summit at Arts Central
Location: 301 N. Walker
Status: Leasing units
The plan: OCURA took bids for the city block at Walker and Robert S. Kerr in 2002, and Mike Henderson won with his plans to build the Legacy with its 303 residential units. The units range from 750 square feet to about 2,000 square feet, and the 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom plans are all named after, get this, cups of coffee. For example, the largest floor plan is the Java Grande, then there's the Cinna Dolce, all the way down to the Cafe Au Lait. 303 of these, there are. The 1st floor of the 5-story development is entirely retail, and the parking is in a garage that is hidden from view.















The Citizens Tower at NW 23rd and Classen Blvd sat at about 20% occupancy for five years while the owners were desperately trying to sell it. The Citizens Tower represented an urban real estate investment gone wrong, and no one wanted to buy it from them. Gardner -Tanenbaum stepped in, bought it, converted the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired tower into condos, and presently only 4 of the 88 units are left on the chopping block.

http://www.okmet.org/bb/index.php?topic=1074.0 / Forums

The Classen
Location: NW 23rd and Classen
Status: About finished, leasing is underway
The plan: To convert the Citizens Tower into a high-end condo development redubbed The Classen. If you're interested in spluring $200,000 for a 1,000 square foot condo, with a fantastic view, you might try them.







OU Cancer Research Institute
Location: NE 10th in the OU Medical Center
Status: Under development
The plan: A $165 million primo cancer facility that will be one of the tops in the nation. There will be parking and a skywalk over 10th Street, and the facility should open by 2009. The 140,000-square-foot center is funded in part ($90 million) by the tobacco tax increase approved by voters in Nov. 2004. The rest will come from appropriations that come OU's way, and private donations. It will serve a region of the US that includes Dallas, Little Rock, Tulsa, and Wichita, as well as Central Oklahoma.





OU Children's Hospital
Location: NE 13th and Everett
Status: Completed January 22, 2007
The plan: The Children's Hospital is actually adding a new 290,800 sq. ft. addition that will house the ambulatory care unit. The atrium, which will be 6 stories tall, will also be attached to a below-grade parking complex with 1,000 spaces. Connected to the north end is a new building that will house offices for doctors and staff.  





Mercy Park
Location: NW 13th and Dewey
Status: Proposal
The plan: To create an entire mixed-use village of 3-6 story buildings, comprising of 111 apartments (900-1,200 square feet) and 22 condominium units, 24,000 square feet of retail space, and a 72-room hotel. Parking concerns would be answered with 305 underground parking spaces. Where things get tricky, is that the developer, Marva Ellard, has asked for a $2 million TIF.







Overholser Green
Location: NW 13th and Dewey
Status: Proposal
The plan: To create 3 4-story midrises and one 8-story midrise, comprising of 109 condominium units selling in the ballpark of $340,000 to $742,000. The development, proposed by Wiggin Properties, requests a $1 million TIF. Parking concerns would be answered by 220 underground spaces.





Land Run Monument
Location: Bricktown Canal, south of Bricktown
Status: Under construction
The plan: To create a series of monuments depicting the Great Land Rush of 1889 that settled central Oklahoma as a territory. When finished this monument will stretch for a total length of one and a half football fields. In total, this one and a half times life-sized sculpture consists of 38 people, 34 horses, 3 wagons, 1 buggy, 1 sulky, 1 dog, 1 rabbit and 1 cannon. Approximate dimensions: 365 feet long by 36 feet wide and over 15 feet high.



Underground
Location: Underneath downtown
Status: Wrapping up construction, which started in August 2006. Should take 6 months.
The plan: A $2 million renovation of the Conncourse (named after Jack Conn), which is to be renamed the Underground. The 3/4 mile tunnel system underneath downtown links 16 blocks and more than 30 individual buildings.







1101 N. Broadway
Location: 11th and Broadway
Status: Under development
The plan: To renovate the building formerly slated to become The Chandelier, a high-end housing project, into a mix of office and lofts with street-level retail.







American Indian Cultural Center
Location: East of I 35 along the south shore of the Oklahoma River
Status: Extensive terraforming of the site is being done
The plan: To build a world-class museum and cultural facility that honors American Indians. The facility will include exhibition space, Smithsonian collections, a family discovery center, film and performance venues, a gathering and performance forum, an orientation theater, an oral history theater, and a cafe.













Plaza Cinema Theater
Location: NW 16th in the Plaza District
Status: Under development
The plan: A $7 million restoration of the historic Plaza Theater, an anchor of the Plaza District. It will be used by the Lyric Theatre, which owns the building immediately to the west.





131 Harrison
Location: On Harrison in the Flatiron District
Status: Proposal
The plan: To develop a 14-story mixed-use tower in the Flatiron District. It will have 60 one and two bedroom lofts, 100 hotel rooms, 22,000 square feet of retail space, 33,500 square feet of commercial space, and 300 onsite parking spaces. There will be a 35,000 square feet of landscaping.





Center Point Market
Location: On the canal in Lower Bricktown
Status: Proposal
The plan: 35,000 square feet of retail with office space on the second floor. This is a Stonegate-Hogan project.





Oklahoma River project
Location: Western Avenue at the Oklahoma River riverfront
Status: Proposal being put together
The plan: Something big that will include this:





Liv
Location: SW 5th Street and Harvey Ave
Status: Proposal
The plan: 41 relatively cheap lofts and a restaurant on the first level.









Light Rail and Metro Bus stations
Location: All over downtown
Status: The design is complete, we just need funding for the actually rail and trollies, and the bus stops will be replaced over the next ten years
The plan: A star light rail system will run through OKC ten-15 years from now. It will be a part of Maps III, which the city is already starting work on.









Braniff Towers
Location: 2 adjacent buildings located on Robinson, one on Broadway, all three are on the Kerr McGee campus
Status: Court case with Anadarko Energy Corp is being pursued and looking up.
The plan: To renovate these buildings on Robinson and the India Temple building, across Broadway from the Skirvin, into high-end housing. The development would be called the Braniff Towers, and there would be 70 high-end lofts and 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail. There would be a 400-space garage built on Robert S. Kerr, funded in part by a $750,000 loan from the Murrah Revitalization District Revolving Loan Program. The garage would be 8-stories high and replace part of the building at 135 Robert S. Kerr, once the Downtown Y.





Harvey Lofts
Location: Harvey and NW 11th
Status: Completion within days, most units are leased
The plan: The old Wesley Hospital building on Harvey in MidTown is the site for this restoration project. There are 13 units, ranging from 600 square feet to 1,300 square feet, and reasonably priced.











Dean McGee Eye Institute expansion
Location: NE 11th and Lincoln Blvd
Status: Ground broken
The plan: The Dean McGee Eye Institute is one of the Top 5 eye instututes in the nation, and they employ 250 researchers and doctors at their facility in the Oklahoma Medical District, with plans to expand to 400-500 researchers.





The Hill at Bricktown
Location: 11 acres at Stiles Ave and NE 2nd
Status: Under development, cranes moved in last month
The plan: Well, originally they were going to create 191 townhomes ranging from 1,200 to 2,900 square feet, two and three bedrooms. All units come with two-car garages that are hidden from plain sight.







The Brownstones at Maywood Park
Location: Large area bounded by Broadway and Walnut Avenue, from NE 2nd to NE 4th. Parcel one is at the SW corner of Oklahoma Avenue and NE 3rd. Parcel two is at the NE corner. Parcel three is under a three-year development deal, so if it isn't being developed by the start of 2009, OCURA is taking it back.
Status: Under construction
The plan: Parcel one will have 7 brownstone townhomes. Parcel two will have a park and several of the townhomes. The townhomes range from 2,500 to 3,500 square feet, and cost a pretty penny of about $400,000-$800,000. They're all designed as "legacy" structures (rather sturdy) and the goal is to have these two parcels completed by the end of 2007, and move on to the rest of the "Swiss cheese" project. This is all within the "Triangle" development district, and more specifically, the area has historically been considered a part of Deep Deuce. There will be about 150 townhomes completely finished five years from now.















The Heritage Building
Location: 1202 N. Walker
Status: Under development
The plan: Greg Banta is converting the Heritage Building, built in 1952, into a mixed-use building with ground floor retail and offices, and urban lofts above. There will be about 20 lofts.





Osler Building
Location: NW 12th and Walker
Status: Proposal
The Plan: MidTown developer Greg Banta bought the Osler Building in early 2006. He plans to convert the 7-story office building into a mixed-use montage of ground retail, offices, and lofts. Plans are unspecified at this point.





The Hilton Skirvin
Location: Park Ave and Broadway
Status: Grand Opening was THIS Tuesday
The plan: Many times has the city attempted over the last twenty years to restore the grandiose Skirvin Hotel back to its magnificence, and so after many failed attempts, they've finally got it right. Construction crews have been making their way all around the facade of the building and through the interior, all of which has been completely restored. The 1930 configuration of the Skirvin had 530 rooms, whereas the 2007 configuration will have 225 rooms; 20 suites, and one presidential suite. There shall also be 22,000 square feet of meeting space, plus a destination lounge and a signature restaurant. It should be noted however that the City's website puts the room/suite count at 235. One of the more exciting aspects of this restoration is that the grand ballroom will be restored to its original splendor. Steve Marcus has compared it to Marcus Resorts' flagship hotel, the Pfiser Hotel in Milwaukee, but the Skirvin is much larger and barely more expensive than the Pfiser renovation.

























Hampton Inn Bricktown
Location: East Sheridan on the north side of the Bricktown Ballpark
Status: Proposed for a while, breaking ground soon
The plan: This $20 million project by Madison, Wis-based Raymond Management Group (who seriously needs to re-paint their Bricktown parking garage one of these days) will be a Hampton Inn upon completion, and the tallest building in Bricktown, at that. There will be about 200 rooms.







Packard Building
Location: 10th and Robinson
Status: Current restoration
The plan: To remodel and renovate the Pat's Lounge building at 10th and Robinson. The building will be redubbed the Packard Building, drawing on its original use as a Packard showroom. There is more than 36,000 square feet of retail that will be filled up.






My website is currently listing 78 large-to-medium-scale urban projects in the downtown area, defined as "between the riverside (like S. 15th) and NW 23rd Street."

The really, really major ones that I just forgot, lol:

The Triangle
Location: Triangle District (mostly vacant parking lots) northeast of downtown's highrise core
Status: Breaking ground on some of the townhomes and small-scale loft buildings
The plan: To have 700 units, as well as 100,000 new office square feet, and any multi-unit buildings will have ground-floor retail. There will be a couple of high rises, but those plans have not yet been announced by the Triangle Partners. This is the project that will most change the face of downtown over the next five years.




Another large-area project is the Lincoln Renaissance

Lincoln Renaissance
Location: Lincoln Boulevard, from about NE 18th to NE 36th; the Capitol Complex
Status: The Judiciary Center and the new State Supreme Court, as well as the Oklahoma History Center buildings are finished, and four have been proposed for construction this year.
The plan: This is a State project to consolidate Oklahoma State government into one district. This means the construction of 3-4 new office buildings that will be built in the same style as the Oklahoma State Capitol Building will be built each year over the next ten years. The funding will come in a yearly appropriation from the Oklahoma State Legislature to the Department of Central Services. OKC has more STATE (not including federal or city) workers than Topeka, KS or Lincoln, NE have in entire workforce, and Jefferson City, MO has in entire population, but they're spread out across OKC. This will also go a long ways towards significant, urban development in the northeast inner city. Proposed this year are the Department of Mental Health at NE 36th ($50.5 mil), Oklahoma Healthcare Authority at NE 36th ($62 mil), Department of Veteran Affairs ($32 mil), and the State Banking Department ($18 mil).

[Townsend]

Unveiled Bricktown project raises hotel count to nine

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3755193?access=e05de8b4d3580b621dcb851b58f4d981

The hotel count keeps adding up in Bricktown, with plans released Wednesday for a 137-room Staybridge Suites.

The additional investment is being welcomed by Bricktown civic leaders, but not without repeated warnings that design standards must be maintained, and concerns that the market may get overheated.

The five-story Staybridge, to be built on the northeast corner of Lincoln Boulevard and Reno Avenue, is one of nine hotels either announced, being designed or under construction. Bricktown is already home to a 151-room Residence Inn and a 150-room Hampton Inn.

If all of the hotels are built, Bricktown will be home to more than 1,400 rooms, with the total investment topping $100 million.

"We've got another land run to get into the downtown area," said Mike Carrier, president of the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau. "But the challenge is where are the users of these properties going to come from? My concern is some of that demand will come from other areas of the city or surrounding cities."

Concerns also are being expressed about design standards of the developers, most of whom are more accustomed to building suburban and interstate hotels.

A Holiday Inn Express set to be built this spring at 101 E Main went through three significant redesigns before the final plans were approved last month by the Bricktown Urban Design Committee, which is tasked with overseeing new construction and exterior renovations in the old warehouse district.

Wednesday, developer Danny Patel also was cautioned against assuming his current designs for the Staybridge Suites will win the committee's approval.

The designs presented for the committee's feedback showed a five-story building set back 20 feet from the street with brick covering the lower 65 percent of the building with the remaining facade consisting of synthetic stucco.

Patel explained the angled footprint of the hotel was necessary due to state highway and drainage easements on the property. He also explained the facade design was called for as part of a "prototype" standard set by Staybridge Suites.

"The consistency is very important in lodging," Patel said. "Like McDonald's, it's like with the french fries — they want the consistency. People are comfortable in knowing what they can expect."

Committee members were sympathetic to the challenges posed by the site, but were firm in their opposition to the design, which they noted also included a gabled roof and other features that conflict too much with the district's historic warehouse mosaic.

Committee member Bob Bright mused that McDonald's used the same "prototype" argument when the company sought to build a restaurant at 501 E Reno Ave. The company ultimately redesigned the restaurant to better reflect the surrounding architecture after the first "prototype" plans were roundly criticized by the committee.

"That argument doesn't fly," Bright warned Patel. "If they want to be here, they'll adapt to the standards we have."

Such scrutiny is welcomed by Carrier, who doesn't want to see downtown flooded with substandard hotel development.

He noted the committee prompted developers to upgrade designs for the Hampton Inn while the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority oversaw the conversion of plans for a standard Courtyard by Marriott just west of Bricktown to what mostly qualifies as a full-service, upscale hotel.

"There is an expectation when it comes to downtown quality," Carrier said. "Hampton and Courtyard are at a higher quality level than many of their counterparts in other areas, other cities."

The hotels, Carrier added, also are enjoying high occupancy rates year after year. Carrier believes the success at all downtown hotels is driving the interest in new development.

"We're not seeing anywhere near that potential growth in other parts of the city," Carrier said. "Right now downtown is running highest occupancy and highest daily rate. That's because there aren't a lot of rooms and there is a lot of business that wants to be downtown. The question is whether this demand is sufficient for these types of hotels."

Jane Jenkins, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., welcomes the influx of new hotels, but worries about the rapid pace of development.

"I'm sure there's been a demonstrated market for hotels in downtown Oklahoma City," Jenkins said. "That the market is going this fast is a bit surprising. I hope we don't overbuild in the frenzy of getting this done, that we're not moving too quickly."

Jenkins and Carrier also noted a 500- to 600-room conference hotel is also to be added over the next few years as part of development of a new convention center south of the Myriad Gardens.

"A convention hotel won't be in Bricktown or Deep Deuce, but still, it's a lot of inventory we're looking at," Jenkins said.

"As these projects come on line, and if we get it all at the same time, one thing we'll have to look at is visitor services and infrastructure," Jenkins said. "We need to be looking now at what that influx of visitors will do, and how we can accommodate those visitors. It's not a small number. It will increase pedestrians and traffic. We have issues we'll need to address."