Holiday Inn Express

Have you even been to the Wal-Mart on Danforth? The place is unlike any other Wal-Mart I've seen.....the city of Edmond required them to load the parking lot and exterior with landscaping and trees of all kinds. It's very much unlike the Wal-Marts in the city which are surrounded by a sea of asphalt with little to no landscaping. And, it doesn't look like your typical Wal-Mart on the outside. Instead of loading plants up under a tent, they actually have an enclosed greenhouse where their plants are located on the west side of the property. They were also required to use brick treatments for the sidewalks and crosswalks.

Let's see...the Belle Isle Wal-Mart looks like every other Wal-Mart, has very little landscaping, and is a sea of asphalt and trash. Edmond wouldn't allow it.

The city of Edmond, along with complaining area residents, put up a fight, and as a result, Wal-Mart had to comply with all of these strict landscaping/building codes.

Yes. I have. I grew up in Edmond. A WalMart is a WalMart no matter how you dress it up. Visit the other newer WalMart, it's as much a sea of asphalt as Belle isle.

Edmond's development standards are good for Edmond...a suburb. DTOKC is not a suburb. There is a HUGE difference. Should DT have development standards? YES. Should they be modeled after Edmond? HELL NO.

Took these on Friday 3-7:







East side:



North side (looking really rough):

Did you happen to see that antique boiler on the north side that they were talking about?

No, I didn't see anything like that.

Maybe it's inside?

OKC’s Bricktown Urban Design Committee approves concept design plans for Holiday Inn Express
By Pamela Grady - 3/12/2008


The Bricktown Urban Design Committee today approved concept design plans for Alex Patel to build a four-story 95-room Holiday Inn Express at the former Steffen’s Ice Cream building, 101 E Main in Bricktown.


During the committee’s February meeting, Kip Bettencourt and Fred Quinn with Bettencourt, Quinn & Associates originally discussed the hotel’s project design to include approximately 61-percent brick and simulated stone, columns and a canopy entry. Patel was also asking permission to demolish the existing building for the new project.


After taking into consideration to the committee’s comments regarding the amount of brick being used, Quinn came back this morning with plans for a 100-percent brick motel. Quinn stated after reviewing the existing building he concluded that approximately 40 percent of the exterior walls will be usable and may be incorporated into the new design.


Concerns regarding individual air-conditioning units being exposed and causing noise were again brought up by committee member Bob Bright.


“They are noisy, you can’t suppress the noise,” Bright said. “I’ve had outside air conditioners and that’s just what they do. And I think that’s really not appropriate for a building like this.”


Bettencourt responded by saying that he spoke with the project’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning consultant about the air-conditioning units’ noise concerns.


“Speaking for myself and for Phil (Miller) who isn’t here, I don’t like the windows just to begin with,” Bright said. “…You’re saying that they’re not noisy, that they’re suppressed and flushed all those sorts of those things. I’m not really comfortable enough with this concept because I mean it’s a big building.”


Bettencourt countered Bright’s concerns.


“They’re rated at 20 on an nc scale which is around the point of humans’ hearing,” Bettencourt said. “These things kick out 25…They certainly are louder inside the rooms than they are on the outside.”


Quinn said the plans will not include exclusive parking for the hotel.


“There is no parking requirement for this building, although we’re providing some (pull-in) parking on the north, and some on the west,” Quinn said. “But basically all the parking will be in the public lot to the north with a valet service.”


The committee decided to continue the application to demolish most of the existing building until further details are submitted at April’s committee meeting regarding metal grill on the windows and air-conditioning units concerns.


“My best guess is that it will take about three months before we can begin work on demolishing the building and six months after that to begin construction on the project,” Quinn said.


Tom Wilson, chair of the Bricktown Urban Design committee, looks over concept renderings for a proposed Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites to be constructed after major demolition to the building at 101 E. Main St. in Bricktown. Photo/Mark Hancock

I'm so glad that the Design Committee has been so hard on these developers. As it should be in a historic district.

Exactly jbrown, they went from a 61% brick proposal and the committee said no and they came back quickly with a 100% brick proposal. Are you listening HOGAN?

I hope this means the south exposure, which really has a lot of great character.

This just goes to show that most developers will propose cheap-out designs swearing up and down it's the only way they can make the project work, then when told 'no', they go back and come up with something much better and that will still work financially.

Thank goodness this is happening in Bricktown. I wish the city as a whole would implement higher building and landscaping standards. I recently noticed a few new shopping centers and big-box retailers with huge parking lots -- and not a single tree!

Hey Pete - I agree, but how would we encourage the city to to do this? Would it most likely be accomplished through a petition process, lobby the city council, or just electing city council members over time who would be supportive?

I'm curious if we could look to other communities that have successfully implemented higher standards citywide and see if there's some insight that could be gained...





www.unitedstatesofmichael.com

100% brick!

Who would have thought...

x3

Has anyone seen a larger shot of the revised rendering? It's kind ofhard to see in the photo from the Oklahoman.

New designs for a proposed Bricktown Holiday Inn Express includes a 100 percent brick facade that is patterned after a former Steffen ’s Ice Cream building that will be cleared to make way for the hotel.

Preserving the feel of Bricktown
By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

Kusum Hospitality had a choice last month when the Bricktown Urban Design Committee panned architectural renderings for a proposed Holiday Inn Express.


The company could have fought the committee — a tactic initially attempted by McDonald's Corp. when it sought to build a restaurant in the entertainment district's eastern fringe.

But instead, the hotel company quickly withdrew its plans and pledged to create drawings that would meet the standards set out by the committee, whose members are appointed by Mayor Mick Cornett to ensure construction and facade renovations fit in with the century-old warehouse district.

Now district leaders are celebrating a turnaround by Kusum Hospitality, which follows similar changes by McDonald's and developers of a Hampton Inn now under construction next to the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.

"It's critical to protecting the integrity of Bricktown,” Cowan said. "It sets such a huge precedent — we want to welcome everybody into the district, but we want them to know these are the design guidelines and that we need to follow them.”

Kusum Hospitality still faces some lingering concerns over window air conditioning units for the Holiday Inn Express, but totally new designs submitted last week received raves from the same committee members who called the original designs "franchise architecture” and "too busy.”

Another key to success, as discovered by developers of the Hampton Inn, is that the design committee desires more brick and less stucco in new buildings.

Kusum Hospitality wants to build the 95-room, four-story hotel at 101 E Main. A bid to tear down the old Steffen's Ice Cream building that stands at the site today to make way for the hotel received tentative approval conditioned on submission of acceptable designs.

The original plans featured 39 percent synthetic stucco. The new designs feature 100 percent brick, the preservation of the north facade of the old ice cream building and a facade that committee members praised as being a better fit for the entertainment district.

Architect Fred Quinn said the new facade was designed to replicate the brick patterns of the Steffen's building.

"I commend the architect for correcting the design, for which we had lots and lots of issues,” committee member Bob Bright said. "I like what they've done.”

Bright, however, continued concerns first voiced last month about room air conditioners that would be fitted into each window. Fellow committee members, however, agreed with Quinn that the units shouldn't be a noise problem.

The one-month turnaround with Kusum Hospitality stands in contrast to the McDonald's application last summer, in which representatives of the fast-food giant lectured the committee on their duties and argued against design guidelines that encourage pedestrian-oriented developments. The company's approach changed, however, as committee members refused to budge from their stance that the restaurant had to fit in with the district's design guidelines.

I can't tell in the drawing, will there be individual window AC units for each room? Seems I remember them talking about that. Was that accepted? I think those look so tacky and cheap.

Yes, the current plan is to have those individual units that stick through the wall.

I think that's what is shown below the windows everywhere but the ground floor.

And I agree it looks tacky and "motel-ish". I'm surprised the design committee would allow it.

I agree with Pete. Maybe some kind of metal railing as a covering would make them a little more pleasing to the eye.

North facade? Is that a mistake?

nope

Well that's quite an improvement. I can live with that.

Nope. Those a/c units are terrible looking.

sounds like the window untis are a done deal though. I didn't have excessive heartburn at the earlier proposal. I have even less with this proposal. I won't cringe as I walk past it.