I hate to be pessimistic about downtown and Bricktown, but I have to agree with you somewhat about Hogan's development. Many here will remember that I wasn't hip on Hogan's plan from the beginning. I always thought he was an inexperienced developer, whose primary focus was managing office space, and who had no experience putting together an entertainment district. I predicted that Lower Bricktown would follow the same path as East Wharf. Well, I suppose in a way, I was right. East Wharf is nowhere near what many of us had hoped for. But, I guess that's a whole other topic. The point is, Lower Bricktown is nowhere near what we had hoped for.

Just looking at Moshe Tal/David Cordish's plans makes you wonder if maybe that team could've done better. I know, I know...he was a sue happy psycho without any financing. Looking at his own commercial property pretty much tells you his story. His plan looked gorgious on paper, but I doubt he would've gotten very far with it.

But, something to consider....does Hogan really have all that much financing to back him up either? He couldn't even find the money to finance the Bass Pro Shop....instead, he had to beg City Hall for the money. But, I suppose a suburban development is better than a mound of dirt...or is it?

To summarize, I wish I could say that Hogan's development was unexpected, but it really wasn't.

My only hope was that when Edwards Theaters was pulled off of the plan, OCURA would reconsider Hogan. The city discussed reopening the development for proposals. Unfortunately, that idea was defeated 5-4 by our city council. In the end OCURA gave Hogan deadlines, but those deadlines were always altered to meet Hogan's needs, thus they were somewhat of a joke.

Could we have done better than Hogan? Certainly. But, you have to remember, back when Hogan was first chosen, the idea of having a suburban development in Bricktown was actually a sight for sore eyes. Having a movie theater surrounded with restaurants in Bricktown was a dream! We didn't have as high expectations as we do now. That was before the ballpark was even completed.
In my opinion, the city should've delayed seeking a developer until after the ballpark and canal were built....that would've given some time for the renaissance movement to develop. Now, the whole country knows about the renaissance in Bricktown. Just think of how many developers would be interested in developing an entertainment district in Bricktown today.