NE downtown may see new life soon....

[metro]

On top of this, Bert Belanger has some projects in the works in this area.


http://newsok.com/former-oklahoma-ci...ad_story_title


Nice to see him going more public about this project on the boards.

Most of the boarded-up buildings along Broadway Drive at NW 11 were bought and cleared by an investment group led by Bert Belanger. He said "serious talks” are under way with a developer who wants to build 250 to 300 apartments on the site, but only if NW 11 is closed (an application to the city is under way) and plans are successful to create a railroad quiet zone through the area. The Neighbors family, which owns Java Dave’s, has Belanger working with them to convert their old brick warehouses into housing. Meanwhile, Steve Mason is continuing his creation of a downtown retail oasis along NW 9 just east of Broadway.

[SouthsideSooner]

......

[metro]

That's the story I linked to above.......

[BDP]

What's a "railroad quiet zone"?

[Stinger]

What's a "railroad quiet zone"?

No horns, just crossarms.

[metro]

BDP: What's a "railroad quiet zone"?

http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-are...iet-zones.html

[kevinpate]

What's a "railroad quiet zone"?

All the trains, sans the noise pains

[Steve]

Thanks Metro for just posting a clip of the story and providing a link. Everybody, regardless of what agreement may be in place between The Oklahoman and OKC Talk, I'd rather see these stories read in full at NewsOK and then, yes, have the discussions, debates, etc, take place here. It's really no different than blogger etiquite - bloggers know to do just do a quote or teaser to another blogger's writing and then link to it.
You see this done regularly at BatesLine and dustbury.com. So what Metro has done is to show me the same courtesy - which is very, very kind of him and I really appreciate it.
This is not a slam at OKCTalk - I think's a great site and will continue to promote it when appropriate on my blog and in my columns. I think Pete has done a wonderful job with this site. Now, let's respect the thread topic and return to the ne downtown discussion.
-Steve

[hoya]

Steve, the only problem I have on that is that Newsok's website crashes a lot on me. No matter if I'm using my computer from work, home, or my cell phone, it is not a happy site. I'm reluctant to click on any links that lead to it because it can freeze up the whole computer and force me to restart.

So selfishly, I'd prefer if people just posted the whole article.

[Pete]

Also Steve, the links are frequently broken, in that as a thread goes on and the age of the article ages, it may no longer be available.

But I understand your concern and also want to support the Oklahoman.

[SouthsideSooner]

...one more thought...what Metro posted had very little to do with the subject of the story, which was the former Bond Bakery building at 5 NE 12.

Just based on what Metro posted, I would not have clicked on the link or seen the real story...

[wsucougz]

This is all part of the larger "Core to Whores" project. Downtown to NW 23rd.

[jbrown84]

Weird. I've never had problems with newsok crashing.

The Bond Bakery building is great! It really should be residential.

[kevinpate]

This is all part of the larger "Core to Whores" project. Downtown to NW 23rd.

[warreng88]

In regards to the Bond Bakery building, when I looked at the County Assessor, it shows 46,784 square feet of space and the DOK article shows 67,000. Are the buildings north of the building included in this or not? That is 20,000 difference.

Also, it shows 4,920 sq ft in the third floor, 17,160 on the second and 23,460 on the first. Depending on the layout of the building, I could see apartments on the third and half of the second and the rest of it offices. Thoughts?

[Steve]

I think you're probably on target. Not sure why the assessor has a different figure from the owners. I think the sale price calculates out to $20 a square foot, which isn't too bad considering it has no asbestos, new electrical and security systems, and is basically a shell with pretty cool architecture and has potential for an underground garage. Question is, will the current economy kill its chances?

[warreng88]

Steve, the article says "the penthouse areas could be turned into patios for housing or offices on the upper floors with stunning views of downtown." What do you see as the best situation for this building? With Bert wanting to develop NW 11th as 250 to 300 apartments, do you think this would be best used for office space?

[Steve]

Warren, I'm not sure. The market is so very scatterbrained right now. Common sense deals that would have happened in a snap a year ago are in a jam. The OKC metro economy is really not doing badly at all, but the national storm is threatening things right now. One has to wonder however, what will be the impact of stimulis money coming in for highways and bridges while Devon starts work on its tower (yes, it's still happening).
Then there other issues. Bert's apartment project probably could be done even in this bad economy - but my sense of the city after talking to various folks is there is more urgency on Core to Shore and the central park than efforts to create a railroad quiet zone. Why, I don't know... seems like there are more immediate economic developments pending the quiet zone.

[BB37]

I'm not sure how you could create a 'quiet zone' for the railroad in that area, with grade crossings every block from 13th down to at least 6th; I think it's a Federal requirement for the trains to sound horns when approaching a grade crossing.

Being so close to the tracks, I'd think that building would be more likely redeveloped as an office space than residential; and with the glut of office space across the city now, I'd be surprised if they went that route.

[metro]

Nope still will be a quiet zone if city gets it's act together, please read the thread on the quiet zone

[LakeEffect]

Nope still will be a quiet zone if city gets it's act together, please read the thread on the quiet zone

I'm curious what you think the City is doing regarding this... City Council approved going forward and staff has negotiated changes with BNSF. Now it's just Federal and BNSF timing to take care, mainly...

[BoulderSooner]

I'm curious what you think the City is doing regarding this... City Council approved going forward and staff has negotiated changes with BNSF. Now it's just Federal and BNSF timing to take care, mainly...

city still has to decide how to fund the upgrades .. something like 20+mil

[Midtowner]

Can't figure why they'd want Neighbor's roasting facility out. Seriously, who wouldn't want to live/work/play with the aroma of roasting coffee beans in the air?

[Steve]

city still has to decide how to fund the upgrades .. something like 20+mil

$20 million? Where in the world did you get that figure from? Sources I have say it's between $3 million and $6 million

[kevinpate]

... think the sale price calculates out to $20 a square foot, which isn't too bad considering it has no asbestos, new electrical and security systems, and is basically a shell with pretty cool architecture and has potential for an underground garage. ...

That's not shabby, not shabby at all. Oh, if only I could pick lotto numbers.