Canal side renovation plan includes parking, restaurant, office

By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman












Two Oklahoma City oilmen are proposing a multimillion-dollar renovation of properties along the Bricktown Canal that would include construction of a two-story parking garage, fountains and addition of offices and housing.

John Shelton and Charles Harding’s project, at 2 E California and 12 E California, was applauded Wednesday by the Bricktown Urban Design Committee. But the committee withheld approval, saying it will need more information and detailed drawings.

“Our development will depend on the approval of the design committee and the city,” Harding said. “We don’t want to go to the expense of doing all this and then finding out it won’t work.”

Harding’s proposal calls for renovation of the second floor and addition of a roof-top terrace at 12 E California. The building’s first floor, overlooking the canal, is home to Zio’s Italian Restaurant and the Laughing Fish gift shop. The four-story building at 2 E California (including a canal level basement) has been boarded up for at least the past decade, but is best known for the water tower on the roof.

Balconies would be added to both buildings. Designs also call for new windows to be added to the west facade of 2 E California, and an expansion of the patio facing the canal. Harding also wants the city to consider adding a fountain in the reflecting pool of the canal west of 2 E California.

Harding said the purchase from owner Jim Brewer also includes air rights over the surface parking lot south of Zio’s. Brewer would retain control of the surface lot, and Harding is proposing a two- to four-story parking garage over the lot that would be connected to the buildings by a skywalk.

Harding said the second floor of the buildings will be converted into offices, and the third floor of 2 E California will be remodeled into housing.

The investment will exceed $10 million, Harding said.

“We will need some cooperation from the city on this,” he said. “This is an underdeveloped area of Bricktown, and we will need to work with the city to make it work.”

Brewer said he recently bought a parking lot east of Zio’s in a separate transaction from Chris Johnson with intention of developing the property into a hotel. Similar development was envisioned by Johnson, but Brewer said the deal wasn’t doable because he couldn’t find a way to provide parking.

Brewer said his deal with Harding and Shelton includes operating the garage, so that ample parking will be available for both nearby restaurants and a future canal side hotel.

Bricktown Association director Frank Sims applauded Harding and Shelton’s plans, adding the property at 2 E California is an eyesore for visitors enjoying boat rides on the canal.

“We’ve been hoping for this kind of development for many years,” Sims said. “It’s long overdue.

“It’s an embarrassment to have buildings along the canal boarded up with broken glass just sitting there. We don’t want to have prime canal frontage being ignored or underutilized. With all the new development along the south half of the canal, we need to see further renovations in the core.”

You beat me to it Malibu! It's about time somebody did something with that building on the end. I'm glad to see we're not afraid to admit that it's embarassing and actually SAY it in an article (in the Oklahoman!). Sounds like a good plan to me. Fix up the buildings, put a hotel on the canal next to Zio's, and lose two large surface parking lots!

Very cool. Hope this works and doesn't fizzle like so many a Bricktown project.

As long as Randy Hogan isn't involved the project will probably be an improvement over what's already there.

They should put a Native American casino in that building and sit back and watch bricktown business boom.

How many times have we heard something like this on a Brewer-involved project? I'm still waiting for the Holiday Inn he's planning to build on the Sante Fe Train Station property, and the storefronts on the Sante Fe Train Station, and the hotel reaching out over the canal on his other property.

I've stopped believing what Brewer has to say.

At least other folks are involved in this, so there is more hope.

If Brewer really wants Bricktown to succeed though he needs to allow free parking on his lots.

This is the elitist snob in me talking (well hell.. I'm mostly an elitist snob) but hell to the no.

The type of folks typically found in casinos (white trash) are not what we need in Bricktown. There have been numerous studies done (google up "Indian Casino Crime") which have concluded that Indian Casinos bring a lot of crime to the community.

Besides, until local tribes learn to operate a casino of a first class nature, like Harrah's, etc., I don't want them anywhere close to my city center.

What I think would be okay would be a casino easily accessible from Bricktown by water taxi. I'm sure any casino built down the river would be happy to operate such an operation at little or no cost to its patrons. Such an operation could enhance rather than detract from Bricktown.

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That building, especially with Laughing Fish already on the main floor, would not be nearly large enough for a casino of any significance. It would be a joke.

I saw that. I hope they actually follow through as planned.

Amen.

Now, a comedy club, or a second-city type place?

That would be extremely successful I think.

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Great thinking, Midtowner. A sketch comedy place like Second City would be so awesome.

Brown -- the trouble is that to support a venue like that, you really need to have a year-round supply of tourists.

I think it could be a reality if we can land a permenant NBA franchise (or other major league sport). Otherwise, I think a standard raunchy comedy club might be the only viable alternative.

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I think if the Loony Bin can survive way down off N.W. Expy then it(or something like it) would do great down in Bricktown. Or maybe something like a Pete's Piano Bar?

Its no different than any live theatre. OKC supports quite a few live theatre companies, and I would imagine something like this would have even more people interested that aren't into regular theatre. Granted, they would probably only be able to have shows thursday-sunday or something like that, but they should do well I would think, and that would be a great location.

Can we stucco the sides of these buildings. Hey let's just tear them down and rebuild stucco buildings with new brick as accents. :tweeted:

I really hope they do something with the canal level on these buildings. They look absolutely ugly. Just look below Zios. It's a mud pitt.

That building has looked horrible since the day the canal opened. I wish whoever owns it would take some pride in the building and in think about what visitors see when they visit Bricktown. That's just wrong.

I bet you that would do well. Good call.

That was tried before with Bricktown Keys...It may work, but it has to have something to draw in the younger crowd to survive in Bricktown...They are the only ones that go out every single weekend

Not sure a comedy club would work at Bricktown these days. There used to be one on Sheridan, across from what's now the parking garage, but it apparently wasn't sustainable in the latter part of the 90's.

As for free parking, there is an abundance of it, in and out of Bricktown, if one is willing to enjoy a very short stroll as part of the evening.

It's been a long time since I paid for a spot in Bricktown, and the last time I did so only because it was a blustery cold eve, enough so the stroll would not have been enjoyable.

Personally, I think Brewer needs to give up all of his lots and offer free parking. His greed is hurting Bricktown.

Thank Jim Brewer for most of the dumps presently on the canal.

One thing that Oklahomans will never get used to is the idea of paying anything for parking. Parking is cheap in Bricktown, even at $5 a pop.

True, but wouldn't it be even better if the parking lords thought about the long term, and actually tried to help grow the district by offering free parking, instead of thinking about the short term and the profits they can get from parking now. Oh, remember, these are the same people that continue to sit on properties on the canal and refuse to come down on their leasing rates. They're either going to have to give in soon, or Bricktown is going to dry up and blow away.

I agree. It will go the way of West End if Hogan, Brewer and others don't give in to cheaper parking and lease rates.