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Thread: Convention Center

  1. #4326

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Downtown OKC project could use affordable housing incentives

    By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record February 1, 2018

    OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority will soon issue a request for proposals for a private commercial development next to the convention center’s parking garage.

    That project could be one of the first to use the city’s new affordable housing money. When the latest 10-year general obligation bond package was approved in September, it included $10 million in money for affordable housing.

    Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City President and CEO Cathy O’Connor said if approved by the City Council, the developer could use some of that $10 million in the private development.

    The site sits between SW Third and SW Fourth streets, with Shields Boulevard and Broadway Avenue on the east and west.

    The site measures about 2.5 acres. The parking garage for the convention center will be developed by the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority. COTPA will issue bonds to fund the project, which is different money than the GO bonds.

    Public Information Officer Michael Scroggins said COTPA will find an architect soon for the garage through the public bidding process.

    O’Connor said during the January Economic Development Trust meeting that the goal would be to bring on the private developer and its team to work together with COTPA’s architect so the site has cohesiveness.

    She said the private development could also help offset some of the purchase price of the land. The private development design could lower the cost of the garage because it could decrease the need for aesthetic. If the private development covers some of the parking garage’s exterior walls, then COTPA would not have to take on the cost of those walls’ aesthetics. She said construction would start in 2019.

    But the entire development doesn’t have to be affordable housing, O’Connor said. Housing studies have shown it’s beneficial to have a mix of income types in a development.

    “We could build a project where people who work at the hotel and convention center could live (in the private development),” she said. “They could walk to work and just have a very urban living experience.”

    The city’s $10 million isn’t the only money available for affordable housing in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency has four products that can work downtown, said Darrell Beavers, housing development team leader at OHFA.

    There are 9-percent federal housing tax credits, which are issued twice a year. They can be used on projects where people make 60 percent or less of the area median income. They are hard to acquire though, Beavers said.

    “There are three times as many applications as there is funding,” he said.

    A downtown Oklahoma City project would get points for location, he said.

    “That’s easily our most powerful tool financially for the production of affordable housing,” he said.

    Another product is a 4-percent tax credit, but that is paired with private activity bonds. Half of the project has to be funded by the bonds, and then the developer is eligible for the 4-percent credit.

    Another option is the National Housing Trust Fund. The state gets about $3 million annually. It has to be used on projects where people make 30 percent or less of the area median income.

    The fourth option is the Oklahoma Housing Trust Fund, which can be used as a construction loan for leased or single-family properties.

  2. #4327

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by jonny d View Post
    You cant really compare SD to OKC. OKC has other things they need to spend money on, in my opinion.
    There are many other cities that have spent billion plus dollars on renovations alone.

    You are correct it isn't fair to compare OKC to San Diego, but my overall point was if OKC wants a nice convention center, it needs to pay up. I am flat out amazed at the amount of money tons of cities around the US are paying for new convention centers, renovations, or expansions. Some expansions alone are upwards of 3 billion dollars. I'm referring to Las Vegas which is a huge convention center market. I definitely see the value of spending a lot of money for our convention center.

  3. #4328

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by hoya View Post
    I disagree. There's still a lot of low-hanging fruit for us to pick. Every time you spend an extra $500M on one project, that's three other projects that aren't getting funded.

    Yes, we need a modern convention center. But there's a lot of other stuff we need just as badly, and we have limited funds.
    I think OKC should go for the high hanging fruit.

  4. #4329
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by Plutonic Panda View Post
    There are many other cities that have spent billion plus dollars on renovations alone.

    You are correct it isn't fair to compare OKC to San Diego, but my overall point was if OKC wants a nice convention center, it needs to pay up. I am flat out amazed at the amount of money tons of cities around the US are paying for new convention centers, renovations, or expansions. Some expansions alone are upwards of 3 billion dollars. I'm referring to Las Vegas which is a huge convention center market. I definitely see the value of spending a lot of money for our convention center.
    Agree,

    Oklahoma City needs to invest in quality & quantity. Our city is on the verge of breakout--no need to half step, do the Texas two step. We have an abundance of land in the core for development, time to enhance, encourage & obtain some crown jewels

  5. #4330

    Default Re: Convention Center

    I disagree. There's still a lot of low-hanging fruit for us to pick. Every time you spend an extra $500M on one project, that's three other projects that aren't getting funded.

    Yes, we need a modern convention center. But there's a lot of other stuff we need just as badly, and we have limited funds.

  6. #4331

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by hoya View Post
    I disagree. There's still a lot of low-hanging fruit for us to pick. Every time you spend an extra $500M on one project, that's three other projects that aren't getting funded.

    Yes, we need a modern convention center. But there's a lot of other stuff we need just as badly, and we have limited funds.
    What would you recommend?

  7. #4332
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    MAPS3 Re: Convention Center


    Lighting in a variable palette is intended to give the MAPS 3 convention center a dramatic nighttime flair. Latest estimates are the nearly $300 million convention center could open by mid-2020, a little more than two years from now.--Oklahoman, William Crum, February 21, 2018

    An upswept roofline and fields of west-facing glass are intended to draw the new downtown park and convention center together, erasing barriers between indoors and out.

    The design for the complex at 500 S Robinson Ave. includes:

    • A 200,000-squarefoot exhibit hall, bigger than three football fields.
    • 45,000 square feet of high-tech meeting rooms on three levels.
    • A 30,000-squarefoot ballroom, with balcony overlooking the park.

    A headquarters hotel is being developed by Omni Hotels and Resorts across SW 4 Street from the convention center and is to include additional meeting rooms.

    A skyway will link the convention center and a new parking garage to be built adjacent to the hotel. A second skyway over SW 4 could connect the convention center and hotel.

    Extras to be added if bids are favorable include:

    • Surface parking for 750 cars, at $3.5 million.
    • Skyway linking hotel and convention center, at $2 million.
    • SW 4 pedestrian plaza between hotel and convention center, $1.2 million.

  8. #4333

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Perhaps S. Robinson will be renamed in front of the Conventions center? I like Convention Ave. we can then have Robinson, Convention, Thunder, Ron Norrick, and back to Robinson all within a half mile.

  9. #4334
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    they would never be so generic and non-attributional to the city. clearly it would be Oklahoma City Convention Avenue or something thereabouts.

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    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by catch22 View Post
    Perhaps S. Robinson will be renamed in front of the Conventions center? I like Convention Ave. we can then have Robinson, Convention, Thunder, Ron Norrick, and back to Robinson all within a half mile.
    Although the CC will face Robinson; not sure the actual address of the convention center but the fact that the Oklahoma City Boulevard will cross thru there could affect the address they prefer.

    Once the Oklahoma City Boulevard is completed, roughly following the alignment of SW 3 Street and the old Interstate 40, the parking garage and hotel will face the boulevard.

    The hotel will be across the boulevard from Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA’s Thunder.

    The convention center will be south of the hotel, facing S Robinson Avenue and the new MAPS 3 park under construction across the street.

  11. #4336

    Default Re: Convention Center

    The sunken OKC thing is super cool. Really hope that comes through in the final designs.

  12. #4337

  13. #4338
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    Designs for Oklahoma City's new convention center won the city council's approval on Tuesday, clearing the way for construction to begin and for the building to open in mid-2020.



    ...Fronting two blocks of S Robinson Avenue south of Chesapeake Energy Arena, the convention center will anchor a meeting, entertainment, transit and outdoor complex being developed at the intersection with the new Oklahoma City Boulevard.

    • A 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall designed to be divided into four separate spaces.
    • High-tech meeting rooms on three levels, totaling 45,000 square feet.
    • A 30,000-square-foot, third-level ballroom. Glass doors opening to the outside will extend the ballroom to a balcony overlooking the park.

    Plans were to put the project out for bid on Wednesday. Construction could begin in June.--Oklahoman, by William Crum Published: February 28, 2018

  14. Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by hoya View Post
    I disagree. There's still a lot of low-hanging fruit for us to pick. Every time you spend an extra $500M on one project, that's three other projects that aren't getting funded.

    Yes, we need a modern convention center. But there's a lot of other stuff we need just as badly, and we have limited funds.
    The CC is a done deal. Its going to happen. To back out now would cause irreparable harm to many projects built early in anticipation of the new CC.

    If there are other things you think the city needs as that high a priority, list them and discuss how to get them done. Perhaps they can be on the next MAPS program.

  15. #4340
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    Oklahoma City is situated at the crossroads (I-40/I-35) of the United States; our location puts us in an enviable position most cities would like to have.
    Economic Impact of Convention and Conference Centers

    (Presented to the 2nd Annual Conference of the National Council for Urban Economic Development, titled "If You Build It, Will They Come?: Stadiums, Arenas & Convention Centers")

    1. What If They Don't Come?
    2. The Best Facility Isn't Enough
    3. Meeting Facilities Lose Money
    4. Operating Policies Affect Impact
    5. Civic Centers are OK

    Oklahoma City leaders IMO have taken the right approach toward preparation for the new Oklahoma City Convention Center & Omni Conference Hotel.

  16. #4341

    Default Re: Convention Center

    I’m sure this is discussed somewhere upthread, but is 200K square feet really the entire size of the exhibit floor? I was curious so I looked it up and it seems that on a list of the nation’s 40 largest convention centers, the smallest on that list has 350,000 SF on the exhibit floor. Even Tulsa’s “Expo Square” which I’ve never heard of, had 400,000 SF.

    http://www.tradeshowexecutive.com/pd...rs_2013-09.pdf

    Is this convention center smaller than it should be? Shouldn’t OKC’s center at least be among the nation’s 40 largest? If we were planning for the future, shouldn’t we build something in the Top 25? Or what am I missing?

  17. #4342

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by mugofbeer View Post
    The CC is a done deal. Its going to happen. To back out now would cause irreparable harm to many projects built early in anticipation of the new CC.

    If there are other things you think the city needs as that high a priority, list them and discuss how to get them done. Perhaps they can be on the next MAPS program.
    Yeah I was going to say, this is happening and has been for 8 years now...time to stop worrying about whether we are or aren't spending money on it...we are and we do need a better convention center. The Cox is trash and only getting worse. Time to start looking forward to what we need to spend future tax dollars on.

  18. #4343

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by mugofbeer View Post
    The CC is a done deal. Its going to happen. To back out now would cause irreparable harm to many projects built early in anticipation of the new CC.

    If there are other things you think the city needs as that high a priority, list them and discuss how to get them done. Perhaps they can be on the next MAPS program.
    Not saying we shouldn't build it. The post you quoted was in response to someone suggesting spending a billion dollars or so on it.

  19. #4344
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    Quote Originally Posted by stlokc View Post
    I’m sure this is discussed somewhere upthread, but is 200K square feet really the entire size of the exhibit floor? I was curious so I looked it up and it seems that on a list of the nation’s 40 largest convention centers, the smallest on that list has 350,000 SF on the exhibit floor. Even Tulsa’s “Expo Square” which I’ve never heard of, had 400,000 SF.

    http://www.tradeshowexecutive.com/pd...rs_2013-09.pdf

    Is this convention center smaller than it should be? Shouldn’t OKC’s center at least be among the nation’s 40 largest? If we were planning for the future, shouldn’t we build something in the Top 25? Or what am I missing?
    City leaders knew the convention center would be the most expensive yet the least popular item on the MAPS 3 Initiative. They have started with 200,000 square feet; IIRC there is room for future expansion. Just don't think that MAPS 3 would have passed if there had been like a $400 million budget attached to the convention center; we still have to account for our subsidy of the Omni Conference Hotel that will need a parking garage.

    OKC dodged a bullet getting MAPS 3 on the ballot & approved by voters.

  20. #4345

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Stlokc- I'm not for sure the list you posted was strictly for convention centers in the way you might think. I've been to two of those and they were clearly expo centers on state fair property. But they also had convention centers more in line with what we're getting downtown also. But we're still coming up short compared to the new Nashville-type convention centers but we did leave room to build on.

  21. #4346
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    MAPS 3 convention center in Oklahoma City to include $9 million in optional work:

    The separate bid items, known as “add alternates,” are a common practice within the MAPS programs to keep projects on budget. Sometimes the bids come in lower than expected and the add alternates are awarded along with the base bid. Other times, the items are dropped and later added, as was done with a pedestrian and overlook bridge at Riversport Rapids... ...The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority remains in negotiations with OGE Energy Corp. to acquire the utility's data center at SW 3 and E.K. Gaylord that would allow for construction of a garage adjacent to the convention center and the Omni.

    David Todd, MAPS 3 program manager, said some of the items like the surface parking likely will be built with other funding if not included in the base project. The central utility plant cost may be reduced dramatically if the city enters into a later agreement with Veolia Energy to provide service from its downtown plant.
    Source: Oklahoman-- by Steve Lackmeyer Published: October 25, 2017

  22. #4347

    Default Re: Convention Center

    Laramie and Kevin Lee- I appreciate your replies. I looked more closely at the list and did see a few expo/fairgrounds type places on there, you’re right. But I go to a lot of trade shows and just in the last year, I’ve been to Houston, Indianapolis, Orlando, Washington, Vegas (Mandalay), Nashville and San Antonio. All of those are traditional and of the type we’re building. I guess I just assumed ours would be a little closer to some of those - especially Indy and Nashville that are closer to our peer group. I know there were issues in getting just the funding we got, but I find it hard to believe we’ll be adding on inside of 15-20 years. But if we can’t fill the space then I guess it’s fine. Just curious.

  23. Default Re: Convention Center

    We will 100% be able to fill the space, and ultimately an expansion will be needed and very justifiable.

  24. #4349
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    Default Re: Convention Center

    The 200,000 is contiguous, which I think is the key. We just have nothing like that now, aside from the brand new MAPS3 Bennett Event Center at the fairgrounds, which is 201,000 sq feet (and that building is HUGE!).

  25. #4350

    Default Re: Convention Center

    How much convention square footage will the hotel have, and would it be normal for that to be included in any conventions at the center?

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