Bricktown

[Laramie]

This poor guy looks like he's hungry and looking for his next meal.
Like OKC needs a beach; need to steer people away from working out at the table--into the gym.
As a child I thought TB was Two Bellies (3 Stoogies).

I'm not trying to put anybody down; however we still have way too many fat folks wobbling around. Mayor Mick put our city on a diet (lost 1 million lbs); true we're not the fattest city anymore but we're not among the healthiest.

Latest results: https://wallethub.com/edu/fattest-ci...-america/10532

Looks as though we've moved up 20 notches since that fattest city moniker was attached to OKC after the NBA's arrival.

Forgive me Pete, didn't mean to divert your tread...

[Ross MacLochness]

What does that have to do with Bricktown?

[Laramie]

I'll need to look more closely by what/where is meant for the beautification portions of MAPS4, but I know a guy recently appointed to that committee (weird that it's in with transit/bikes, etc)...

Definitely need more ways to continue to make the area attractive.

[Colbafone]

What does that have to do with Bricktown?

Bricktown is FAT!!!!

[Laramie]

What does that have to do with Bricktown?

Forgive my poor hyperbole example which was in poor taste; probably offended people struggling with obesity--should have used something less offensive & personal, again please accept my sincere apology.

OKC is reaching a turning point as our city anticipates 1.7 million MSA with 750,00 in the central core come 2030.

MAPS journey can only cover so much for infrastructure to make the heart and overall city more attractive to business & industry.

We need to continue the 'emphasis' on beautification, before Bricktown loses more restaurants and entertainment venues and becomes an 'ugly' eyesore.

Signage is a good start. OKC MAPS 3 invested $288 million in a brand new convention venue, $23 million (parking garage) and $241 million ($85.4 million city subsidy) in a 601 room Omni luxury hotel to support the convention center. MAPS 4 will invest $104 million in improvements to the arena and $11 million toward NBA practice facility committed toward bringing the NBA Thunder to OKC in 2008 as anchor tenant.

Tourism:

The USA softball complex ($27.5 million) in 2017.
New SFP Coliseum ($70 million) adjusted in 2021.
FAM Museum - thank you Chickasaw Nation for $65 million taking us across the finish line.
Chickasaw Nation will become a big investor ($300 million) with OKANA hotel & water resort.

Bricktown will continue to be a catalyst--we can't afford to lose the momentum we built after the NBA's arrival. Bricktown needs attention.

Summary, we may need to invest more in better ways to manage Riversports Rapids & the streetcar pieces; these pieces we knew wouldn't be self supporting.

There are future Federal infrastructure funds for OKC to tap into $5 billion signed into law by President Biden earmarked for the state--ranging from Public Transportation to Telehealth with a mental health piece. We're in the initial stages to learn how much funding our city will get and how it can be spent.

As OKC readies for the next level, we have to continue the Renaissance and the momentum.

[ourulz2000]

Forgive my poor hyperbole example which was in poor taste; probably offended people struggling with obesity--should have used something less offensive & personal, again please accept my sincere apology.

I hear you, and its true. Given the fact that 80% of Covid hospitalizations are people that are obese, the past 18 months could've been a wonderful opportunity for people to start living healthy lifestyles and make better choices when it comes to their long term health. Vaccines are great and work! It is not though a ticket to making continued unhealthy choices. I applaud Mayor's Micks efforts to get people walking and active. There have been well known mayors across the country promoting vaccines by offering free fast food as a reward. That's what put people in the hospital in the first place! Bricktown is a great place to walk, run, and be active. The trail along the Oklahoma river is an excellent option for running and biking as well! Hopefully people can start to live a healthy lifestyle that will in turn keeps our hospitals from overflowing. I would love to see OKC be more like Denver or Co Springs and see entire families biking, walking, etc. It would also be great to see some other healthy food options in Bricktown as well.

[HOT ROD]

bike trail/freeway definitely needed alongside the length of NW Expressway. Combine that with sidewalks and OKC will come a LONG way toward access and fitness goals.

I was watching a you tube film that was taken from the outskirts of a city in Florida and EVERY street was sidewalked including areas that weren't developed or inbetween developed stretches. This is a fundamental change that needs to take place in OKC, we need to have EVERY major street artery sidewalked and lit for the entire stretch, ditto with all connecting streets and major neighborhood roads. We do this and develop a real comprehensive bike freeway network (like Denver has) and OKC will move off of those bad lists in a serious way.

We need to be proactive, I'm talking about you N 164th Portland/Deer Creek, Piedmont, so on while we also retrofit the core and suburban city.

[Pete]

New illuminated signage to be installed that will help direct people down to the canal level:

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^
This is first phase install and will inform designs at additional locations as budget allows.

[BoulderSooner]

^^^^^^^^
This is first phase install and will inform designs at additional locations as budget allows.

how would you know?

[Urbanized]

I've spoken with some people who are involved with this project.

[Anonymous.]

Maybe it is Deja Vu, but I swear I saw a similar proposal years ago with a different canal marker.

[Urbanized]

You did. That other project was limited to the canal overlook, and was re-thought for a number of reasons. This project was much more collaborative and is scaled down in the overlook while paying more attention to replication (and FUTURE replication) at other points of entry. Much more of an actual sign vs an art install/Instagram spot.

[Anonymous.]

The OKC boulevard overpass next to BassPro needs some sprucing up like this one in Denver. Get some vibrant paint and some cool lighting under there.


https://denverite.com/2022/04/04/a-c...empower-field/

[David]

Fantastic news on the pedestrian access front. Twitter thread by Marek Cornett starting from: https://twitter.com/marekcornett/sta...29698456506369

On May 18, I celebrated two years of being on the Oklahoma City Traffic Commission. While the Commission exists to help with traffic signals and speeds, we've been able to do some great things out of the purview of that for the City of Oklahoma City.

Last summer, I submitted a request to install 41 Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) on signals throughout the core of downtown. LPIs give a pedestrian an extra 3 seconds to enter the crosswalk while all auto traffic lights are held at red.

This is a proven safety measure in reducing pedestrians getting hit, especially by cars turning into those intersections. So far, there are seven enabled along the 23rd Street corridor.

Last week, we got word that the Traffic Department will be going even bigger.

Starting with priority one being 1 1⁄2 miles from City Hall, the signals engineers will be enabling this feature on all intersections where there is a push button to walk! After priority one is finalized, the zone will continue to priority two which is 2 1⁄2 miles from City Hall. All other LPIs requested will be taken into consideration on a one-by-one basis.

This is a HUGE win for pedestrians, and I hope you're able to feel a little bit safer next time you come to one of these intersections!

I put this in the Bricktown thread but it is relevant to far more, by a quick scan on Google Maps a 1 1⁄2 miles from City Hall radius should cover Downtown, Midtown, Automobile Alley, Film Row, etc. Phase two at 2 1⁄2 miles from City Hall should get it all the way to the Plaza District, Uptown, the Paseo, the entire Heath Center district, and all the way down to Capitol Hill.

[Pete]

I mentioned in the arena thread how busy Bricktown was last night, and really most summer weekends.

The Dodgers weren't playing and it was near record heat, yet there were people everywhere.

Most don't even think about Murphy's Dueling Piano Bar... I made it a point to look in and that large space was completely packed; not an empty seat.

[king183]

This Is great. Bricktown long ago left my usual rotation of places to visit, so I have been wondering how it’s going. There is so much untapped potential there. Will get even better when Gary Brooks finishes phase two of his apartments and the Dream Project gets off the ground. I would imagine both of those projects will spur even more development.

[shartel_ave]

I tell people all the time that bricktown is packed every weekend all year around

[Pete]

With the success of Steelyard, I sure hope the district gets a lot more housing.

I would also like to see more condos along the canal. The Centennial is the only condo project I can think of in the history of OKC that sold out very quickly.


One of the most underrated OKC experiences is to have a meal and drinks at Bourbon Street on one of the outside tables. Even just sitting at Tipsy Tiki or the outside bar next to the mini golf is great fun and amazing people-watching. The Truck Yard could be even better.

[dankrutka]

I took a big group to Bourbon Street to sit on the canal for my birthday a few years ago. Almost everyone scoffed at Bricktown and then everyone was blown away. It’s arguably the best spot in OKC.

Unfortunately, the lower canal is still largely vacant. So much untapped potential. I wish someone could figure it out.

[Pete]

I took a big group to Bourbon Street to sit on the canal for my birthday a few years ago. Almost everyone scoffed at Bricktown and then everyone was blown away. It’s arguably the best spot in OKC.

The Charleston's patio on the canal is another highly underrated spot.

[PhiAlpha]

With the success of Steelyard, I sure hope the district gets a lot more housing.

I would also like to see more condos along the canal. The Centennial is the only condo project I can think of in the history of OKC that sold out very quickly.

One of the most underrated OKC experiences is to have a meal and drinks at Bourbon Street on one of the outside tables. Even just sitting at Tipsy Tiki or the outside bar next to the mini golf is great fun and amazing people-watching. The Truck Yard could be even better.

Love those two spots. They really highlight the untapped potential of the canal (which has always been shocking to me).

Unrelated but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Cowboy Ranch. I’ve been a few times and the place has almost always been packed or at least had a decent size crowd. The build out is nice and it seems to be very well managed so far. Happy to finally see that building utilized by something that draws a consistent crowd. Talked to some guys from Toronto there once who were in town for a conference at the convention center and went specifically because they wanted to learn how to two step to country music and ride a mechanical bull while in OKC. Sadly the bull operator was out sick but they still had a great time.

[PaddyShack]

My family had a little staycation this weekend and we stayed a the Hampton Inn in Bricktown. This was a first for me as I have only ever stayed in the hotels over in the CBD. We chose Hampton Inn specifically for their pool geared towards younger children, as we have a 3 year old. This hotel was packed with at least 3 different, very large family reunions taking up all of their meeting rooms and staying in the hotel. I don't think I have ever seen Bricktown as busy when there wasn't a Dodger or Thunder game happening. Now there was the Nitro Circus at the ballpark as well as the Bricktown Rocks concert happening which kept BT loud with noise and activity. I mentioned going to Chico Blanco for dinner, as it was new and none of us had been before. The main issue is like most places, they are severely understaffed, as in about half the restaurant was not being utilized, which I bet was cutting into their revenue potential on such a busy night for BT. Other than that, ther service we did received was not bad and the good was really good, definitely the best mexican to hit Bricktown to date. We ended up taking the streetcar up to Midtown for a beer at McNellies and cookies at insomnia before heading back to the hotel for the night. Then the next day after we checked out, we took the streetcar back to Midtown to try out Momocha, which I really enjoyed but the others in my party weren't too keen on them, and some ice cream at Capitals. By this time it was getting a bit too warm to be out in the full sun and we made it back to our car and left for home.

Overall it was a lot of fun, and maybe next time we will hit up Brickopolis or something.

[Richard at Remax]

Been hearing more and more of families doing stay-cations. We did one at the Omni last year and it was awesome. Went to night market, dinner, then pool and spa the next morning. The Ellison is another one that families are doing as well.

[soonerguru]

My wife and I had a blast at Brickopolis a year ago May. It was during the WCWS and the place was packed with softball fans from all over, plus just OKC folks.