I-40 meeting planned
3/26/2007 OKLAHOMA CITY – A community meeting on Oklahoma City’s Core-to-Shore planning process is scheduled at 6 p.m. April 10 in rooms 16-18 on the second floor of the Cox Business Services Convention Center.
The plan includes the 1,375 acres south of downtown Oklahoma City affected by the realignment of Interstate 40. Boundaries include the area from Reno Avenue to the Oklahoma River and from Western Avenue to Interstate 235.
“We expect to nail down the major elements of the Core-to-Shore plan in the next few months, thanks to a great amount of input from steering committee members and these public meetings” said Russell Claus, project manager. “Over the past six months, the Steering Committee has discussed some exciting prospects in the areas of public transportation, downtown housing and retail, and expanded convention center facilities.”
A major portion of the plan includes the development of a three-quarter-mile-long boulevard that extends from Walker Avenue to Oklahoma Avenue. It calls for major retail development to the north of the boulevard and a community park to the south.
Construction on the boulevard is expected to begin in 2012, after the Oklahoma Department of Transportation completes construction on the realignment of Interstate 40. The April 10 session will be the second of three public meetings. The last meeting will be scheduled this fall. A steering committee made up of 35 stakeholders and community leaders has been meeting monthly since October.