Convention Center

[Urban Pioneer]

I plan on going to this meeting on Monday. If anyone else is, plan on getting there early. It is a mistake for the city to hold this meeting in the regular conference room.

[kevinpate]

Perhaps it wasn"t a mistake ??

[Urban Pioneer]

Perhaps it wasn"t a mistake ??

I don't think it's a conspiracy. Just a bit of cluelessness. Or perhaps the Civic Center large meeting space isn't available. That is where we have had some of our bigger streetcar meetings.

[jerrywall]

Things are absolutely not slowing down in Oklahoma City.

We have 499 Sheridan and four Clayco towers queued up. Two towers could be starting very soon with another three not far behind.

Then, we have over 100 other urban projects in various stages of planning and construction, including the just-started 21c which is going to completely transform an entirely new area of downtown. LIFT and Metropolitan are under construction and are the two largest urban housing projects to date. Steelyard is underway and East Bricktown is about ready to take off. The Tower Theater is finally under construction and that will be a game-changer on 23rd, which is already percolating very nicely. The Plaza and Deep Deuce are raging and Midtown is getting closer and closer to complete greatness.

I could go on an on.

It drives me crazy when we critique things here (like the issues around the cc, or our demolition ordinances) and a handful of people seize that opportunity to proclaim the entire sky is falling.

It's SOP for a few posters to be doom and gloom, throw up their hands, and flip the table proverbially, every time something doesn't go the way they want. It's not anything new, and I've learned just to gloss over the negative nancies...

[Edgar]

The one thing that most people don't fully understand or anticipate is, what will the new hotel do to the rest of the hotels in the downtown/bricktown area. Right now, everyone is thriving with the convention business that OKC gets. But if the new hotel is lets say 700-800 rooms in size, then all of the sudden you have more space then the Sheraton, Renaissance and Skirvin combined. So if the city is attracting 20-25 conventions of 500-800 participants each and they are all staying in the new hotel, thats 2-3 major hotels that are losing sell out weeks 20-25 weeks out of the year.

Just a thought...

El Shadid was screaming this to the hilltops and got called anti-mo. It's definately unAmerican and contrary to a supposed free market.

[Edgar]

I really have lost a lot of enthusiasm I had for this city. I love OKC and hope it prevails, but this latest rash of news sucks and on top of that, there hasn't been much announced lately. Things have slowed down in last part of 2014 and now this.

All the attention the state has been getting could be a boon for cc business with groups booking for the freak show.

[Laramie]

If OKC has the facilities to attract tier II type conventions, this shouldn't impact the established hotels in the CBD because the new CC & Conference Hotel would attract blocks of 300-400; something they (395 room Sheraton, 311 room Renaissance, 225 room Skirvin & Courtyard Marriott) couldn't handle anyway. If anything, it will put us in a higher tier to attract conventions which could result in spillover if the new convention hotel isn't able to offer full accommodations for a large group.

Especially since you could see the conference hotel built in phases of 520 and 306 rooms as noted by one developer.

[Just the facts]

Downtown has a long ways to go before new hotels start impacting existing hotels. Also, many can argue that each new hotel actually helps the existing inventory by bringing more people to the immediate area, which increases ammenities and things to do.might

[Pete]

OKCTalk - 5-story Fairfield Inn planned for Core to Shore

[Plutonic Panda]

Things are absolutely not slowing down in Oklahoma City.

We have 499 Sheridan and four Clayco towers queued up. Two towers could be starting very soon with another three not far behind.

Then, we have over 100 other urban projects in various stages of planning and construction, including the just-started 21c which is going to completely transform an entirely new area of downtown. LIFT and Metropolitan are under construction and are the two largest urban housing projects to date. Steelyard is underway and East Bricktown is about ready to take off. The Tower Theater is finally under construction and that will be a game-changer on 23rd, which is already percolating very nicely. The Plaza and Deep Deuce are raging and Midtown is getting closer and closer to complete greatness.

I could go on an on.

It drives me crazy when we critique things here (like the issues around the cc, or our demolition ordinances) and a handful of people seize that opportunity to proclaim the entire sky is falling.

my apologies

[s00nr1]

That's somewhat interesting. A Fairfield Inn doesn't really get me excited normally but considering where this development is being placed (first in that area), I am intrigued.

[soonerguru]

Will this city ever see an upscale hotel developer?

[AP]

The renderings for their proposed Downtown Tulsa Fairfield Inn look pretty nice.

[betts]

Not exactly what you'd expect to see on Central Park in NYC. Question is, how much EIFS (none please!) and how urban will the design requirements be?

[Spartan]

I plan on going to this meeting on Monday. If anyone else is, plan on getting there early. It is a mistake for the city to hold this meeting in the regular conference room.

I've been to OCURA meetings in that room... it's awkward walking in and getting to your seat. lol

[Pete]

Reminder this is the same group that has proposed the Canopy Hotel (should probably call it Canopy Hotel West) and that all these various flags can be done to a very nice standard if the developer is so motivated.

Just look how great the Holiday Inn Express turned out.

As a side note, I have no idea where they plan to park people. The building to the immediate west is the large, cool, historic structure and OG&E owns the lot directly north. That area is still pretty rough so I'm sure they have a plan other than street parking.

Unfortunately, they are bad about returning calls so it may take a while to get more info.

[Just the facts]

Not exactly what you'd expect to see on Central Park in NYC. Question is, how much EIFS (none please!) and how urban will the design requirements be?

This won't be on Central Park. In fact, there might be a superblock convention center between it and the park. As for EIFS, if places with names like 'Bricktown' have it, well,..., since it is on 0.7 acres, it will have be urban. They don't have room for non-sense and site plan shinnanagins.

[bradh]

Just pondering this today while sitting at the light at Walnut and Reno, and it's a never gonna happen pipe dream, but how great would the U-Haul site be if you could buy out Harkins and tear it down?

[jccouger]

Just pondering this today while sitting at the light at Walnut and Reno, and it's a never gonna happen pipe dream, but how great would the U-Haul site be if you could buy out Harkins and tear it down?

I like Harkins

But I agree that it would be a great location, and really any location along the canal would be awesome.

[Just the facts]

Just pondering this today while sitting at the light at Walnut and Reno, and it's a never gonna happen pipe dream, but how great would the U-Haul site be if you could buy out Harkins and tear it down?

Why stop at Harkins? Let's get some D9 dozers from Todd Hoffman and Parker, then bring in Tony Beets to oversee it. That site will be cleared by noon tomorrow.

[jn1780]

Replacing Bass Pro with a convention center would be nice. Although there a lot of people who are passionate about their Bass Pro.

Doesn't really seem appropriate for Brick town anymore. Its just a big box sporting good store.

[bradh]

Replacing Bass Pro with a convention center would be nice. Although there a lot of people who are passionate about their Bass Pro.

Doesn't really seem appropriate for Brick town anymore. Its just a big box sporting good store.

I don't think people realize how much of a magnet that store STILL is for the area. I always have customers from out of town stop in there while they are here. Maybe Urbanized can confirm/deny.

[Pete]

The numbers at that Bass Pro have consistently outperformed projections, so they are clearly doing pretty well at that spot.

But almost certainly the people shopping there all drive in and drive out without walking anywhere else.

[Teo9969]

And with Cabela's and to a lesser extent REI, that's going to change in the near future. Move Bass Pro to Crossroads or I-240 :-D

[Pete]

I'm sure they'll continue to do very well.

There is room in the market for more quality competition.