Pearl District Canal: Closer to Reality

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

What Jerry Maguire said....

You had me at hello?

[Townsend]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

What Jerry Maguire said....

You had me at hello?

That is super sweet FOTD

[T-TownMike]

Wow, this really could become something special and a major draw for people. I really like the sound of this.

[jtcrissup]

quote:Originally posted by godboko71

Can't wait for renders and other information to become available about this project.

I doubt if this study is still the "plan", but there are plenty of renderings here (follow the links).  I imagine now they are moving forward with a design, this conceptual plan will change some (i.e. this article includes a discussion of an 11th/Utica pond?  This plan shows it to be centered around 8th/St. Louis) , but it gives a peak of what could become a very awesome asset to Tulsa...I can't wait to see the final design and how they propose to fund it...imagine walking from a Driller's game to either the Blue Dome District or the Pearl District (the proposed stadium would be smack between the two).  

http://www.cityoftulsa.org/Community/Revitalization/6thStreet.asp

Also, with the existing rail line crossing this district at 6th/Victor and 4th/Peoria, there are a few spots along the way where a rail  station could be tied in as well.

[T-TownMike]

Anybody know what's going on with this proposed project?

[SXSW]

I biked through this entire neighborhood yesterday.  It's practically abandoned as it is now, which is amazing being so close to downtown and not far from TU.  The canal is a cool idea and I hope it happens.  It may have been mentioned but I forgot, how will the city pay for this project?  Instead of high density development like what is called out in their plan I think it could be similar to Cherry Street with a mix of mostly single family owner-occupied homes on both sides of 6th mixed in with lofts.  Most of the houses in this area either needs lots of work or need to be torn down.  I see its potential but it will take a lot to really get going, IMO.

[cynical]

Obviously, until the money is found nothing's going to happen.  It's like Dittus's reincarnation of the Blue Rose on the river.   The paper still says it will open in late 2010 or early 2011.  How can that happen with no ground even having been broken? 

They should have awarded the river restaurant to Elliot Nelson.  He would have pulled it off. 

See?  I can do thread drift too!

Seriously, the deterioration of the Pearl District will dig a deep, deep hole for someone to crawl out of.  Gentrification is not an unmixed blessing, but it is vastly preferable to  this.  And the longer the city waits, the more expensive it will be. 

My WA prediction is that someone is going to have to jump in with a major private development in close coordination with the Powers That Be before anything is done.  How many more likely sites are there?

[Conan71]

My WA prediction is that someone is going to have to jump in with a major private development in close coordination with the Powers That Be before anything is done.  How many more likely sites are there?

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

We have a winner!!!!

That's the only way to get that ball rolling.  What they've done on the west side of Peoria is great, but it's got to happen on the east now.  There's lots of decay and industrial neighbors that's somewhat of a deterrent.

[dbacks fan]

What is the complex/compound that is between 8th and 7th and Quincy and Rockford?

[swake]

What is the complex/compound that is between 8th and 7th and Quincy and Rockford?

I think that's the old DHS/Youth Services shelters for kids. Aren't they being replaced?

[dbacks fan]

I think that's the old DHS/Youth Services shelters for kids. Aren't they being replaced?

That sounds right and looks right from the layout. Just never explored that area when I lived in Tulsa, it wasn't a nice area back then. And looking at the homes around that area it's a diverse mix of styles. Wasn't it Longfellow Elem. that was on the corner of 6th and Peoria?

[joiei]

I read this about an event coming up in the Pearl District.  Sounds interesting, definitely thinking about checking it out to sort of see where they are wanting to go.  I can visualize the district becoming another attractive location in an older part of the city. 

They think it has the bones to become viable again.


Now it just needs a heartbeat.

With a little elbow grease and a sense of community spirit, a group of young Tulsans is hoping to tap into the heyday of the Pearl District.

Tulsa Young Professionals (TYPros) has been busy cleaning up the area ahead of hosting next weekend's event, which will take the Pearl District Association's existing plan to redevelop the area on Sixth Street, between Peoria and Quincy avenues, and make it come to life.

"We can spend another 10 years talking about it, or we could actually do something to change it," said Brian Paschal, executive director of Tulsa Young Professionals (TYPros).

Three weeks ago, it was just a string of neglected, vintage buildings spanning three mini-blocks. TYPros volunteers have spent hours cleaning, removing trash, painting and planning for their "Polishing the Pearl" event on Friday and Saturday.

Friday at 5 p.m., the forgotten street - a path linking the University of Tulsa campus to downtown and framed by the city skyline - will transform into a living, breathing "simulated" neighborhood.

Business owners will sell wares and food out of the abandoned buildings in hopes of proving the Pearl District has the potential to be the next Blue Dome or Cherry Street.

TYPros believes, Paschal said, that by creating a busy traffic area for one weekend, it will sway on-the-fence business folks and the Tulsa City Council to notice that the Pearl District has the chops to be desirable for commerce and is worthy of zoning changes.

"It's all about inspiring people to put in real businesses, to create a walkable environment," Paschal said.

They've invited the mayor and City Council, and locals are already buzzing about possibilities, Paschal said.

Blake Ewing, a prominent business leader, has already leased permanent space. It has a "coming soon" banner in its window.

Ewing's Back Alley BBQ and Blues will bookend Friday and Saturday's event from its building at the corner of Peoria Avenue and Sixth, and White Owl will have a beer garden at the corner of Quincy Avenue and Sixth. In between, established local businesses will truck in goods and sell things like groceries and produce, jewelry, apparel, flowers and coffee.

The Eclipse Cultural House, which has been operating on Sixth Street for decades, is a major player in making the event into a success, Paschal said.

Eclipse's owner, Khaled Rahal, owns several other adjoining buildings, and said he has been rejuvenated by the spirit of young Tulsans trying to build a bridge between the past and future. He's also been assisting the clean-up process.

"I'll chase these guys all over Tulsa," he said about Paschal and Jonathan Belzley, a TYPros member who was instrumental in developing the idea locally.

"We're gonna make a lot of noise. If the community will pay attention to it, we can get some real change around here."

Street musicians were invited to dot the sidewalks, and a flash mob is planned to take place at sometime over the weekend. But, Paschal said, there won't be a stage or a festival-like feel.

"It's important for people to realize this isn't going to be a street party," he said. "It is going to be an active street, just like any other business district in Tulsa."

TYPros, with the proper permits and the City Council's blessing, also will narrow the four-lane street to two lanes and lower the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph on Friday and Saturday.

"Studies show 22 mph is the optimal speed to soak in your surroundings," Belzely said. "We want people to drive by next weekend and notice what's going on here, see there are places to shop, sit and drink coffee, have a beer.

Taking it down to two lanes and extending the sidewalks will encourage the idea of outdoor dining and walkability."

The group will narrow the lanes by creating a center median. Tulsa advocacy group Up With Trees will haul in trees, and fabric placed in the center of two tree rows will represent water for a proposed "canal."

"It's shallow ... a beautification measure with a purpose," Belzley said. "This area has extensive flooding issues, which they are currently trying to resolve. We thought, they have to fix the flooding issues anyway, so why not propose to make it something attractive?"

Belzley, who is the crew leader of TYPros' "The Urbanists" committee, came across a "Better Block" revitalization project that was carried out by Dallas resident Jason Roberts. Roberts took an area in his Oak Cliff neighborhood and lured in weekend traffic for a "renegade experiment," he called it.

Since staging the event last April, four businesses have begun operating in that section of Oak Cliff.

Roberts' grassroots movement, he said, is based on creating urban gathering places like those in small towns and Main Streets of yesteryear. It is intended to recreate the niche places like ones that existed before his time.

"Just the process of taking back the space in the community, it's so fulfilling," Roberts said. "You can feel helpless, or you can take a bottom-up approach and say, 'Who are we waiting for?' "

Roberts said he's ecstatic that other cities like Memphis and Tulsa have used his Dallas model as a muse.

"Oak Cliff degenerated into being the 'bad part of town,'" Roberts said. "Now we are hearing from others all over saying, 'We want to use Oak Cliff as a model.' People don't know how much that lifts up the community here. No one wanted to walk the streets here a year ago. Now it's become an inspiration."

City of Tulsa Special Events Coordinator Skipper Bain said when TYPros representatives came to his office seeking permits for their event, they had an organized plan.

"They came in and said, 'We don't even know if this is possible, but here's our vision,' " Bain said. "I thought it looked like a cool concept, new to Tulsa. We are looking forward to seeing it in action."

Roberts' advice to Tulsans: "You are the city," he said. "If you're upset about something, you don't like it, do something about it.

"It's about your neighborhood, your stake in it. Take ownership. Because nothing changes unless someone picks up a hammer."


Polishing the Pearl
When: Friday 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Sixth Street between Peoria and Quaker avenues

Stroll the streets of the "simulated neighborhood," browse and shop at these and other businesses, which, for one weekend, will occupy a vacant area of the Pearl District:

Back Alley BBQ and Blues; Boomtown Tees; Healthy Corner Store Initiative; Pearl Farmer's Market; Indie Emporium; Jeremy Grohaus; Topeca; Cosmo's Cafe; Vitter's Catering; Mrs. DeHaven's Flowers; The Gadget Shop; Eclipse Cultural House; Children's Museum; Dwelling Spaces; The Retro Den; Silver Screen Vintage; White Owl; Treehouse BBQ; Arts and Humanities Council.

Brandi Ball 918-581-8369

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110410_11_A15_CUTLIN921508&archive=yes

[nathanm]

The speed limit is not 35 mph there. It's 30 mph. It's also already effectively two lanes for much of the day because of on-street parking in the outside lanes. I wish the TW could get basic facts correct.

That's not to say I'm not happy about this project, but let's be factual, eh?

[ZYX]

http://www.urbantulsa.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A40922

There is now an official request for the grant to provide three-quarters of the funding.

[Teatownclown]

More pretty pictures but a separate reality.... talk is talk.  TU as anchor and central park/downtown on the other end but little in between.

Riverwalk took 25 years in San Antonio to ripen...and they're a convention destination.

Remember the Alamo.


BTW, where are all those TNF socialist haters?