Downtown Stadium Plan by May 30th

[booWorld]

quote:Originally posted by Floyd

...If I had to guess, I'd say that they substantially overestimated the amount of easy capital available for the East End project. Obviously they couldn't put the financing together in time.  Then the credit crunch hit and any hope of getting the project off the ground ended.  Of course, with the Fed lowering the funds rate, money just got a lot easier to find.  So, while Global is likely out of the picture, it's still within the realm of possibility that another developer could emerge and try to take advantage of suddenly looser credit.  After all, the Tulsa real estate market  never boomed like much of the rest of the nation, meaning that free-flowing capital could find its way here...

That is one reason I doubted the projected ridership numbers for the BA-Tulsa commuter train.


"When you only have two pennies left in the world, build a fountain in the middle of the intersection of Fifth and Main with one, and build a fountain in the middle of the intersection of Fifth and Main with the other." ~DTU proverb

[USRufnex]

quote:Originally posted by carltonplace

Question, is the GDP deal completely dead? I
didn't get that impression when I contacted them.

GDP announced (actualy Ruff scooped it right hear on TN) a plan to build a bb stadium in downtown, speculation ran rampant, Nordam quibbled and broke their contract with GDP and offered the site to the Wal*Mart developer, a new plan was announced, Wal*Mart backed out, the developer signed the contract option
to the city, the city announces a plan to build a stadium.

If GDP is still viable wouldn't it make sense to get
them back in the game? Are they just fly by night?
What's the deal? I need an education.

Unfortunately, they turned out to be, IMO,  a
"well-constructed house of cards"...

In the summer of 2005, Kissler and Lauterbach became
the toast of Major League Soccer, having purchased DC
United from Anschutz Entertainment Group (Phil
Anschutz is known as "St. Phil" in soccer circles)...
they agreed to buy the team from AEG for a reported
$25mil, flush with success after their roles in the
Gallery Place TIF that included an arena in DC.....
AEG sold to them convinced they would be most likely
to negotiate the local DC bureacracy, so Global Equity
Partners was formed to develop the Anacostia/Poplar
Point plan for a stadium/mixed-use for DC United...
they fronted for alot of "investors" and looked like
the best chance MLS had for a TIF stadium development
to materialize for DC United in MLS.

They surfaced for the first time in Tulsa around
August 2005, the month after they purchased DC
United...
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5988372&postcount=1

quote:At least two private groups have come forward
"with some very well thought-out redevelopment
concepts for the area," he said.

The key to developing the area, LaFortune said, is
having "the real deal in terms of the individuals
involved, their assets, resources, vision and
experiences."

The mayor would not divulge details of the discussions
or project amenities, saying that the "key to the
success of these private projects is maintaining some
level of confidentiality on behalf of the
private-sector investors."

LaFortune said he will respect that confidentiality
until a project or projects come to their final
stages.

Speculation about a possible sports stadium has piqued
the interest of downtown business owners. Although
many have raved about the positive effect that a
stadium could have on the central business district,
especially the East Village, they are anxious about
where it might be located.

In the beginning, Global Equity Partners had a
specific "sports & entertainment" division partially
dedicated to running sports teams-- so, considering
they only had ONE team, DC United, speculation was
that they wanted more... likely to include an MLS team
in Tulsa.  []

Their momentum also carried them to another mixed-use
stadium project for Richmond, VA, this one with a
ballpark... another project proposal surfaced for a complex in Boca Raton for Florida Atlantic Univ including a stadium... they were rumored to
be advising Salt Lake's people on their plans for a
soccer stadium/hotel/retail... GDP was teaming up with
Milwaukee's group for MLS... and then in Tulsa...

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6757777&postcount=1

quote:Tulsa is again one of several cities being
considered for a Major League Soccer team, Mayor Bill
LaFortune confirmed Thursday.
The Tulsa World has learned that a national sports
agency that owns a franchise is interested in bringing
a team to Tulsa.

"I've always believed an MLS franchise for Tulsa would
be a fantastic thing and would be strongly supported
by the city," LaFortune said.

The city and soccer league officials have in recent
years discussed locating a team in Tulsa. LaFortune
said an MLS franchise would be great for the city
because it would give Tulsa a major league sports team
and enhance economic development.

What happened next?  Well, this seems to be as good of
an explanation as any...

http://dcunitedblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/united-for-sale.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/17/AR2006011701016.html

http://dcunitedblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/when-deals-go-bad.html

So, suddenly the East Village mixed-use/MLS stadium
TIF morphed into LaFortune talking about a
ballpark.......

then Global had a legal problem or two...
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/05/15/daily64.html

quote:A deal to buy D.C. United that fell apart last
winter has landed members of the investment group in
court, accusing each other of breach of contract.

Patrick McAteer, a Maryland resident who signed onto
the group as a minority investor last spring, fired
the first salvo.

He filed suit early this year in D.C. Superior Court
alleging that Tim Kissler, Willi Lauterbach and Baker
Al-Sadi -- managers of Global Development Partners --
cheated him out of nearly $2 million he thought would
go toward buying the team and developing a mixed-use
real estate complex, including a soccer stadium, in
Anacostia.

Strangely enough, Global eventually ditched the
Milwaukee MLS group in the fall of 2006 to concentrate
on Tulsa..... if Taylor and Co. weren't interested,
common sense would dictate Global wouldn't have put
all their eggs in the East End basket...  

Nobody could have known in the summer of 2005 how bad
things could have progressed for Global by 2008.
Makes me wonder if LaFortune would have allowed the  
kind of silliness that allowed GDP and WalMart to play an
East End game of monopoly.

Too bad.  

[carltonplace]

Thanks for the insight Ruff

[USRufnex]

Originally posted by USRufnex

Pretty Pictures of Proposed Tulsa Stadiums... anybody want to guess which is which?!?

Answers.......

A)H.A. Chapman Stadium... this is the only pretty picture that will actually come to fruition thus far.

I was hoping for a grass field, but if they go with sportexe, how 'bout some fiber-optic turf???... Turf TV, baby!!!http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070313.wsb-turf13/BNStory/specialSmallBusiness/home







B)This is the 1997 Tulsa Project Soccer/Track&Field Stadium.  The stadium was sold to the city by Susan Savage & Co. as something that would, along with a natatorium and an arena, turn downtown into a sort-of amateur sports mecca... the stadium was supposed to also be part of the plan for Major League Soccer to come back to Tulsa, but when push came to shove, the actual proposed stadium was only going to have a 5k-seat capacity, far below the size of facility that would attract MLS...

I posted this pic, since KOTV erroneously referred to it as a "ballpark" a few months ago and said that previous projects included a ballpark for the Drillers.  Neither the 1997 Tulsa Project or its sequel (It's Tulsa Time) included a new ballpark... renovations? perhaps... new stadium?  Nope.





C)The initial draft for the River District in Jenks, including the ballpark.  This one deserves a "webby" for creative use of styrofoam... [)]





D)  The August 2006 ballpark proposal from Global Development Partners.





E)  The mysterious Tulsa Landing plans released a matter a days before the vote on the River Tax.  This was a 22k-seat AAA ballpark that wasn't really a ballpark... the developer says one thing, the Tulsa World tells us it's not for the Drillers... it is whatever you want it to be as long as you vote yes... []





F)  Skelly Stadium, with the Upper West stands.  It's a pretty dramatic view of how much seating is being bulldozed for the new press box.  I'm disappointed nobody guessed the game it's taken from:  the April 2003 Major League Soccer exhibition game between the Kansas City Wizards and the Dallas Burn (now, FC Dallas).  []

[cannon_fodder]

Ruf,

They don't want grass in Skelly for several reasons:

1) They allow student's to use the field for intramurals (sp?)

2) Fans can take to the field after the game

3) The field is used as a practice facility

4) The field is used year-round for various purposes (practice/student use)

That's not to say it can't happen, but if you had a grass field those things really can't happen.  You can't use the field much outside game day with real grass and fans are not allowed on actual turf.  And when dormant, no one is allowed near grass fields as they can get worn too easily.

I also think there is a monetary savings in the long term with artificial turf.  Someone correct me if I'm mistaken - but keeping turf nice in Oklahoma requires specialists and a ton of constant work.

[USRufnex]

The rumor I heard was that a natural grass field was being seriously considered.  That rumor's a few months old, though.  And it's entirely possible that alot of the costs for natural grass could be a budget buster because of the $$$ it would take to not only remove the field, but to take out the concrete underneath it...?!?

Univ of Houston has a grass field at Robertson Stadium... maintenance costs can be pretty hefty.  

But some of the sportexe stuff is pretty costly, too..... artificial turf ain't just carpet anymore...

[dsjeffries]

Here's a quick map of downtown I created in Photoshop, with the Drillers Stadium in place.  It shows how it would fit in with the rest of the developing districts (East End, Blue Dome, Brady) all the way over to the BOk Center.

I thought it would be easier to see with a map how it all connects rather than just using the layout of the park alone and guessing where everything else is...

[Renaissance]

Nice work.  That really puts it into context.  Here's to hoping the East End actually becomes something other than abandoned warehouses.

[T-TownMike]

Great job, DScott! Also, notice the perfect rail access. I'm just hopeful Tulsans can see the light and are willing to become a progressive city once again. There's a lot of great projects in the works, I just want to see them come to fruition.

[TheArtist]

Seeing that map that way and also imagining the rail from Jenks to Downtown, I do actually think that line would have a lot of potential. Not as just a commuter line that ran twice a day but as one that ran a couple times in the evening as well. You would be connecting more high density nodes, activity centers, and interesting parts of town than the BA line.

 River District, Aquarium, Riverwalk, Casino, possible River developments in Tulsa, the river parks in general, Downtown business district, BOK Arena and convention center, Brady District, OSU Tulsa, Blue Dome, Ballpark, etc. I would use that and spend the day going to those different areas, and would be more likely to consider living...in several areas, along that route as well.  Waaay more so than the BA line.   Interesting to consider anyway.

[Composer]

Great map.  I am excited about the possibility of Tulsa getting a commuter rail and making more of a link between entertainment districts.  Tulsa has a lot of what OKC has in terms of entertainment.  It is just located in different areas of the metro instead of a single area like Bricktown.

[FOTD]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Here's a quick map of downtown I created in Photoshop, with the Drillers Stadium in place.  It shows how it would fit in with the rest of the developing districts (East End, Blue Dome, Brady) all the way over to the BOk Center.

I thought it would be easier to see with a map how it all connects rather than just using the layout of the park alone and guessing where everything else is...

Brady district's north end extends all the way to ODL or 244. It includes Cains Ballroom. Color it blue.

[dsjeffries]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD
Brady district's north end extends all the way to ODL or 244. It includes Cains Ballroom. Color it blue.

Thanks FOTD.  I wasn't quite sure where its boundaries were... Is the western boundary correct??

[sgrizzle]

West boundary of the brady looks correct.

You might include everything within a block of the stadium as "the east end" so east of elgin, north of 7th. That was the area as specced by GDP, I believe.

[we vs us]

One more vote for your map being very cool, Dscott.  Very Simcity. And it really does put the transportation options in better perspective to see what would surround it.