OK, I thought I'd do a poll to see which major project should be next on the city's to-do list.

I think you can agree that ALL of these projects need to be done, but Im asking which should come next? Which project should the city do next, to get the best bang-for-its-buck.

Please vote then write why you voted. If you select OTHER, please write-in what you think.

==========================
OKC's next big thing should be:

- Commuter Rail (Guthrie/Edmond to downtown to Norman)
- BRT Express and greatly improved local bus routes
- Downtown Trolley Circular
- City Beautification (sidewalks, lighting, foliage, trees, signage, statues, fountains)
- Build a New Multipurpose Arena
- Highrise tower projects in the CBD, residential
- Highrise tower projects in the CBD, office
- Construct a New Upscale Urban "mall" somewhere downtown
- construct a new city attraction downtown, such as a major museum or tourist draw
- move and combine Frontier City and White Water to a new location in S. Downtown by the river

I'll stop there, since Im sure this will already be difficult for you all to chose from.
Have fun everyone.

Continue the Renaissance!!!

Hi all.

Having trouble voting???

I have some thoughts about some of the choices that I include below. Please feel free to consider this as a baseline or if you agree with me then, fine. :bright_id

====================
Poll Choices, more info

- Commuter Rail (Guthrie/Edmond to Downtown to Norman)
the obvious first route would be Edmond to downtown to Norman, possibly starting at Guthrie since it is/would be a huge tourist draw.

Commuter Rail will be a tremendous step forward to getting people out-of-their-cars and our moving toward a sustainable city and should be first on the list.

- BRT Express and local bus routes
instead of doing commuter rail above, start with BRT in that corridor. Could also do Shawnee to MWC to downtown and El Reno to Yukon/west OKC to downtown, and Piedmont to NW Business District to dowtown.

Park N Ride or transit centers would be built at the major suburb locations, as well as Crossroads Mall, Moore, Mustang, Quail Springs, and Choctaw with local bus routes feeding from them. Due to rising gas prices and the fact that we want to remain a clean-air city (and do even better), we should improve our existing transit system by implementing BRT and Park N. Ride and improve local bus routes.

- Downtown Trolley Circular
instead of the Metro proposal, build a more comprehensive route (ie more initial downtown coverage) using low-floor modern Streetcars/light-rail similar to the Portland Streetcar. This would be the city's first step in recent times toward mass transit and would encourage growth of residents, businesses, retail, and tourism in downtown while providing a catalyst for future expansions and commuter options.

Continuing the momentum of the Renaissance downtown is essential and because of its positive contribution, the Streetcar network should be first on the list.

- City Beautification (sidewalks, lighting, foliage, trees, signage, statues, fountains)
A comprehensive plan to bring OKC to the 21 Century in urban living, which would include foliage and trees throughout the city but especially at the major entry points, an urban sidewalk network to compliment the bike routes and encourage transit use, improved lighting especially along the new sidewalks, improved signage (even freeway signs) which promote attractions in okc and DOWNTOWN in general as the major attraction.

We care about how others perceive our city when they visit since OKC is getting great exposure now (in addition to our own visual pleasures), so City Beautification should be first on the list.

- Build a New Multipurpose Arena
Forget waiting, let's go ahead and build a new one to ensure we get an NBA team. Let's show Stern and Clay we mean business and build another arena NOW, we're not settling for JUST the Ford Center - make them an offer they can't refuse. Heck, Clay Bennett already has the designs for it via the "failed" King County Events Center that was proposed for Renton, WA (Seattle Area).

With an NBA team, OKC is in the same league as Salt Lake City and with the construction of a world-class arena such as the one Bennett wanted in the Seattle region, there is no way we wont have a team next year. The publicity this would get would put OKC on the map forever, not to mention OKC being mentioned all year long around the world on ESPN, CNN, and the nightly/world news with a NBA and WNBA team.

And think of the added concerts that would come to town, with three arenas downtown; not to mention the probability of being the permanent site for the Big XII basketball championship and drawing the Final four (as well as being an annual NCAA first and second round host). This exposure would help OKC attract new business, flights, and residents.

We should take Bennett's plan and build it here getting him to sign the Sonics and Storm (or some other NBA franchise) and this should be what we do first.

- Highrise tower projects in the CBD, residential
Im tired of OKC not having many residential highrises. I want the city to get a developer who will come in and create a new residential highrise district.

This will create the "urban density" and critical mass required to sustain the streetcar and new retail coming into downtown, therefore this should be first on the list.

- Highrise tower projects in the CBD, office
Im tired of OKC not having a new signature skyscraper built since 1984. That's way too long and since we are a growing city which is starved for Class A space, we need the city to offer incentives for developers to construct new skyscraper(s) downtown and possibly expand the CBD.

This will be a huge boost to OKC's office supply and might lure some companies to locate white-collar jobs to the city, and for this reason as well as the appearance changes it will bring - new skyscrapers downtown should be first on the list.

- Construct a New Upscale Urban "mall" somewhere downtown
Its taking way too long for building owners to spruce up their storefronts to attract local and national retailers downtown. Most of them are still sitting on their buildings instead of updating the ground floor (at least) so that new retail can move in. And the "Century Center" is a far cry from a successful upscale urban mall.

So why dont we have the city build a new urban mall concept somewhere downtown. This could be topped with an office/hotel tower(s) and would be a HUGE return of retail to downtown. It could be anchored with major upscale retailers like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks, and Bloomingdales along with the other signature boutiques like Chanel, Cartier, Niketown, and Louis Vitton - and would be the ONLY location in the state for most of these retailers.

This would be a HUGE boom for downtown and a tremendous boost for OKC in general and would go hand-in-hand with the NBA's coming to town. Im not so sure we can keep depending upon local developers to bring in upscale retail downtown and because we are going to get even more exposure to the nation and world very soon, I think the city should put this at the top of their list.

- construct a new city attraction downtown, such as a major museum or tourist draw
Oklahoma City has a great start at a museum/arts district downtown but it is hardly that compared to other major cities. We need to think big-time and construct a (few) new city attraction(s). We have great museums and attractions throughout the city, but we really need a true museum/arts district in our urban core - especially since there is already a wealth of art deco there.

Since the city is getting tourism and great exposure now and this will increase with the NBA coming to town, we need some world class attractions downtown so that people will leave with a big city feeling of OKC. I think the city should either construct a few developments or ask the state or some NGA to come in and do it here, and this should be first on the list.

- move and combine Frontier City and White Water to a new location in S. Downtown by the river
I think we all could agree that even in its current conditions, a combined Frontier City and White Water would be a tremendous attraction for the city. But I worry about the locations of both today, one is far in the NE and the other is "landlocked" in the west.

While Frontier City could grow in its current location, why not move both to downtown and keep the natural forest of trees we have in the NE? Making the combined park would be a tremendous boost for downtown and Oklahoma City as a destination along with opening up the existing location of White Water for Hospitality district development.

I think the city should convince the new owners to combine and move the parks downtown due to the status symbol it would be for the city and I think this should be first on the list.

=================

Here are some other ideas I have but did not include in the vote (I will just show their titles).

- Add to the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, creating a major league park (and attract a MLB team)
- Construct a new world-class convention center (on the other side of I-40) and tear down the Myriad (reclaiming the land for CBD expansion)
- Encourage the Ford Dealership to relocate and expand the Myriad Gardens
- Expand the Bricktown canal
- Move the bus terminal and reclaim that area for upscale development or a new tower
- We need a new YMCA residential tower/hotel, while we're at it we also need a YWCA downtown
- Constuct a new city hall, adopting the existing facade but building a tower on top
- Construct a new OCPD headquarters and city jail
- work with the county to do something about the OK County jail (perhaps make a suburban location as a reliever jail - like King County, WA did)
- redo the mistake that Metro Transit did and construct a multipurpose transit center (serving local, commuter, express, and inter-city bus, possibly commuter rail and Amtrak), maybe even as a tunnel and reclaim the land at NW 5 for a skyscraper
- shell-in improvements to the Underground like storefronts not JUST tunnels to make it an upscale "mall" of sorts, add in new signature entrances

- redo the mistake that Metro Transit did and construct a multipurpose transit center (serving local, commuter, express, and inter-city bus, possibly commuter rail and Amtrak), maybe even as a tunnel and reclaim the land at NW 5 for a skyscraper



HotRod,

As I looked through your list, this was the one that I really found to be the most important, at least in my mind. To really draw folks here for long-weekend getaways, etc., the city needs to have a multipurpose transit center that is directly accessible to/from the airport, the train station, and that will allow for immediate linking with the various levels of bus networks. Include the light rail system into the mix, and suddenly most visitors might actually make downtown OKC their home base for business and pleasure exploration when they are here... and they won't necessarily have to rent a car and/or stay near the airport to do it.


Excellent transportation options will continue to bring people back downtown. Well, it certainly won't hurt, anyway!

I voted for new signature skyscraper, even though I know it might be branded a more superficial choice than some of the others (and of course I would like to have all the others too). However while other ciities erect new skyscrapers, OKC's skyline has been stuck on hold for almost 25 years, and---superficial or not---image matters. Then too adding new office workers in the CBD will make it easier to realize some of the other choices in the list. Anyway, for me, skyscraper it is!

I voted for city beautification.. I always cringe seeing some of the blight that lines our major interstates.

I was thinking so many people drive these routes but never stop in OKC.. this is how they will remember OK.

We need more trees and sound walls or barriers to block some of the more dilapidated areas (until we get it cleaned up).

I also voted for beautification.

We need new parks (little ones and one big one in C2S), updated parks (Myriad Gardens, Will Rogers, Lincoln), more landscaping along interstates, more public art that doesn't include fiberglass buffaloes, more sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.

Some of the others are far-fetched at this point (upscale mall downtown) or just impractical (new city hall, move FC & WW downtown).

I don't think we could go wrong with a new downtown attraction, city beautification or a new signature tower

If I had my pick...New Devon....I mean new signature tower to put some bling (classy) on our downtown skyline...I think redline's explanation nails it

I think getting the light rail starter line planned and built is VERY important. Here is a quick Photoshop I did showing our initial starter line, the red line, going from OUHSC into midtown and downtown via NW 10th, Broadway, and E.K. Gaylord (Shields) and then down our new grand blvd. that will replace I-40. This line connects to commuter rail from Norman and Edmond at the Santa Fe Depot and a station at NW 10th in midtown.

The other lines would be built later, including a line from OUHSC down NW 10th to Classen and then up to Western and Nichols Hills, and another going from the river up Walker to Classen and on to Penn Square/NW Expressway. Not shown on the map but an historic trolley running down Sheridan from the Arts District through the CBD into Bricktown would be cool, and it could connect to both the red and blue light rail lines. It can't be understated how important these lines are to enhancing dense development along them. I've seen what it's done for Denver and the same can happen in OKC if we start planning NOW!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/bg918/okclightrail2.jpg

The map doesn't show the Oklahoma River shuttle that will take people (potentially) from the Meridian corridor by the airport to Stockyards City and then to the south waterfront around the Walker and Shields bridges and then over to the Chesapeake boathouse where you can connect to the Bricktown Canal and finally onto the Native American Cultural Center.

I also might add that I think a MAPS III-funded downtown cultural attraction, maybe in Bricktown along the canal near the theater, would be a huge asset. Something like a science center, with an emphasis on severe weather, would be something that is unique to OKC and attract visitors from all over. Make the architecture stunning and modern and the exhibits state-of-the-art and it could be a huge draw.

Moving Frontier City/White Water Bay and combining them in a new park south of the river is interesting. That could be a major regional and national attraction too, and having it south of downtown would be awesome especially if light rail served it from downtown. It could really help the Capitol Hill neighborhood as well with jobs and more people in the area. I'd love to see the SW 25th corridor through old town Capitol Hill continue to revitalize, and connect to commuter rail at Shields.

And of course I'd be thrilled to hear about a new tower downtown. The OKC skyline is nice but is WAY outdated and needs a new tower badly. In a city without mountains, ocean, or even a major river our skyline has to be one of the defining pieces of the city...

Added the historic trolley from the Arts District to Bricktown via Sheridan (in orange), and the potential commuter rail from Union Station to the airport...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/bg918/okclightrail3.jpg

combining frontier city and WW sounds like the best!!

Technically, folks can't say OKC hasn't constructed a skyscraper in over 25 years. The Renaissance hotel was constructed in the 90's.

You are certainly right about that, Metro. I think the reason the Renaissance is overlooked in this regard is that, although it is tall enough to meet some definitions of "skyscraper," it did not significantly change the skyline. I think most of the discussion on this topic is directed to a signature tower that would dominate the skyline (or at the very least rise to the height of the existing tallest buildings)

I voted for light rail. This is what clearly is going to help our long term viability as a global competitor. The city should not get in the business of subsidizing or paying for a new skyscraper. Beautification will come in time as tax dollars allow. Our competitors already have a mass transit system better than ours, even if we approved one today, it would take years to implement, thus in a few years we are going to be even more behind and lose out on even more business relocations due to not having a sufficient mass transit system. This is the key!

I voted for the upscale mall idea. I am not a shopper but I think we need to have a reason to bring people downtown and spend money. This should bring the light rail that will succeed if it is easier to take mass transit than to drive downtown and park. I agree that most of the things on the list probably needs to be done though.

But can we get upscale retailers to sign on for downtown at this time? I'm not sure.

Those commuter rail maps seem to serve exclusively middle class/upper class areas.

Good job though.

Those commuter rail maps seem to serve exclusively middle class/upper class areas.

Good job though.

Where would you advocate light rail lines going then? The downtown circular idea hitting the various districts is one that many favor, and you have to connect the OUHSC to downtown, as well as a line serving the Core-to-Shore development area and the Classen corridor, which cuts through our city's densest neighborhoods many of which (especially to the west of it) are anything but middle/upper class. I've shown 2 lines going north to Penn Square and Nichols Hills, because they are shopping (Penn Square Mall, 50 Penn, Belle Isle, Nichols Hills Plaza) and business areas (Valliance Bank Tower, Chesapeake) and provide easy access by car to those parking and riding the train to downtown/midtown. That would way down the road though, the starter (red) line would have to come first and of course the Norman-Edmond commuter rail...

Since light/commuter rail seems to be something people really want to see, where do think the lines should go?

I addresed this in another thread, so I will throw it out here as well. Are we(OKC) really on the verge of any new high-rise buildings? I read on here and other boards and hear from various sources that it is just around the corner and it will happen. Well, I've been hearing/reading this for several years now. Are we just fooling ourselves or are we just behind in this. There is a high-rise explosion going on worldwide, including most cities of any substance in the U.S. I see tremendous growth and development going on in OKC, but no towers. On a thread on SkyscraperCity.com, I see that Austin in currently seeing at least 4 new towers being built. They range in size from 36 floors to 48 floors. Even Memphis is getting two new towers on the river. Somone either encourage me on this or tell me to forget it, it just isn't happening in Oklahoma City. I think 1 new signature tower/high-rise would do wonders for the image of OKC, both inisde and outside the community.

I voted for beautification - like Karried said, the appearance of our city gives a horrible impression to visitors.

There should be standards for signage, landscaping, and maintenance. A simple coat of paint and and a thorough lawn manicure would do wonders for many of our city businesses.

Downtown is truly embarassing, with the homeless bathing in the fountains and accosting passers-by at every corner. Move the homeless shelters and food lines out of the main downtown area; then upscale businesses, and shoppers, will be attracted to downtown.

Maybe the mantra could be - "If you clean it, they will come"!

I voted for beautification - like Karried said, the appearance of our city gives a horrible impression to visitors.

There should be standards for signage, landscaping, and maintenance. A simple coat of paint and and a thorough lawn manicure would do wonders for many of our city businesses.

Downtown is truly embarassing, with the homeless bathing in the fountains and accosting passers-by at every corner. Move the homeless shelters and food lines out of the main downtown area; then upscale businesses, and shoppers, will be attracted to downtown.

Maybe the mantra could be - "If you clean it, they will come"!

I highly agree, Lauri. Earlier in the year, the mayor sounded as if he was going to start a multi-million dollar initiative to conquer the homeless problem in the city's core, but I really haven't noticed a difference. I'm positive that it has hampered some development and peoples' image of our CBD (including my own, somewhat. You can barely do anything on the west side of the district without being hassled for change.), so we definitely need to do something about this and soon.

Beautification could also be involved in the homeless initiative. After all, who will ride the trains if they're filled with the homeless? I'd also have to agree that we need to set higher standards for the exact grievances you mentioned. There's no sense in giving anyone a break just because they're lazy or want to cut corners.

As for highrise development, Sooner, I often wonder how much of the development is hampered by the aforementioned projects in the pole. Either way, cities that seem to invest half of what we do in our CBD seem to be getting a higher return. What's up with that?

Hi everyone.

Thanks for the votes and for the wonderful responses and suggestions. I hope you all keep em coming, as this is a wonderful opportunity for us to address some concerns we have for downtown and the city.

I am surprised with the run-away with commuter rail, I think city leaders really need to get this one going - along with the city beautification. I think BG has some great ideas and it is so nice to see the enthusiasm for the betterment of OKC. Like I said, all of the projects need to be completed its just which should come first is the "problem". I was not surprised to see city beautification as the leader, I didn't vote for it (and I refrained from doing so until there were other votes so not to sway the poll), but I do think it definitely should be done.

By the way, I submitted all of these ideas to the mayor and council via emails and during the maps3.org vote, I hope many of you did also.

I did forget ONE thing that we need to do, which is - finish Will Rogers World Airport. We were promised a new terminal with East and West (and Central) concourses for $110M but only received 1/3 of that. Now I've been to the airport and seen it packed with airplanes and others waiting on the ramp for a slot. This is ridiculous considering we have ample land to build the East Concourse and the funds to do so. Besides that, we have many airlines sharing gates.

I also feel the terminal expansion, while very nice and appealing, should have extended the lobby/ticket counter waiting areas at least 5-10 feet more. It gets pretty dang cramped in there especially with people waiting for pax deboarding planes near the TSA. While it makes the airport look busy, it is difficult for me to imagine what the airport would look like if we had over 4M pax a year - it would be chaos!

It's not on this poll, but I would have an add-in, titled "Complete Will Rogers World Airport design."

Nevertheless, I hope city leaders can view this poll as a non-scientific yet completely valid tool indicating there are many who care about the continued progress of downtown and the city. We dont want the city to stop nor do we want the "small and slow" projects that keep getting built. We want BIG TIME improvements - to move us into the next level, Tier II.

If we want to compete with the Seattles, Indys, and Denvers of the nation then we need some of what they have (and a more 'local' flavor) that sets us apart from them; so companies, visitors, and residents alike would give OKC credit for something other than being the 'fast food capital' and home city of the Sooner Nation. I honestly think the votes point to this issue - we need some major league attractions in OKC to move us forever above the Omaha/Little Rock/Wichita "image" that some still have of us (no offense to those fine cities), I think this list is just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of you pointed out that some of the votes are a little out there but I think that is exactly what we should do, out-of-the-box and big time! And the time is now, esp since we probably more than likely will be getting lots of exposure with the NBA/WNBA coming to town. We want those visiting teams and fans to have a good impression of OKC, dont we? Otherwise, OKC would always be mentioned with a negative during those sports talk-shows.

Keep em coming, this poll does not have an end date so please keep voting for those who have not yet.

Oh, one more thing.

Im not suggesting that the city build a skyscraper nor subsidize one for a private investor. But there are things the city can do to help them materialize such as:

- Change the zoning of some areas, expanding the Central Business District and removing the height restrictions - and impose height minimums

- Develop Architectural expectations for the CBD and other downtown districts, so that once a developer is interested in building - if he meets those standards, then he gets the green light, quickly!

- Provide assistance with developers getting the ball rolling on projects. There should be a city office in-charge of development and they should be doing more than just regulations, but they could be that go-between to facilitate movement.

This would show that OKC is a can-do city, a pro-business city, which would encourage even more businesses to relocate here. By removing the red tape and perhaps 'fast-tracking' projects which meet predetermined expectations, OKC could see growth on a scale that it has never seen before.

One sector I think OKC should consider next in expanding its economy is "back-office administration." The city of Tampa FL (and to a lesser degree, Atlanta) would not exist without the back-offices they have for companies based in New York and Chicago. Well, why can't OKC offer an attractive alternative to those cities - we have available land that is cheap (even in the CBD) and we have a well educated white-collar workforce.

They may not be headquarters, but in this time and age with terrorism and a growing reliance on the internet and technology - there needs to be back offices to maintain data in case of emergency or disaster. Where better than OKC to base this given our central location, white-collar predominant workforce, and low cost of capital/living/construction.

I think we need to spruce up the university/college scene in the city (on that note, Oklahoma City Community College needs more than just that SW location. How about branches around the city just like is done in other major cities?), to keep up with the latest in technology and business - but the workforce here could easily take on most of what the major markets need.

We should also reach out to international companies, especially targeting companies based/located in our "sister cities", on that note we should also develop tourism arrangements and marketing with our sister cities, what a boon that would be for OKC and them!!

This would be an easy way to justify skyscraper construction downtown (build it and they will come, perhaps), if we begin to market ourselves to the big cities - they could give us a 100-500 person backoffice, which would be located on a floor or two of a new downtown tower. This could also raise the median income in the city which would also give us more disposable income once it reached through the economy.

I see many MANY areas where OKC can improve - most of them are pretty basic and common sense that other cities have long discovered (and are now pretty much past their time).

I could keep going on and on, hopefully the city leaders will consider many of our ideas! They will surely keep our renaissance going!

but only received 1/3 of that.

Don't you mean 2/3rds?



I also feel the terminal expansion, while very nice and appealing, should have extended the lobby/ticket counter waiting areas at least 5-10 feet more. It gets pretty dang cramped in there especially with people waiting for pax deboarding planes near the TSA.

Well they did extend them significantly outward, basically doubling the depth between the outer wall and the counters, but it is expandable on either end, and that would help in the future if it's done. The main thing that bothers me is there's nowhere to sit when you are waiting for loved ones to arrive. The previous airport design was better in that area.

^^ right, Thanks jbrown.

2/3rds of what was promised. I was thinking this but wrote 1/3.

I still think we should lose a lane or two and extend the lobby out even further. We could replace the lane on the other side, but we need about 5-10 more feet so that we could put in sitting areas and queue lines at the ticket counters that aren't jumbled.

HotRod, when are you coming home?

We need you HERE!

I'm writing you in as Future Mayor ...

I'm writing you in as Future Mayor ...

Seriously.

jbrown84, you too. Seriously.

It constantly amazes me that we have so much talent, intelligence and passion for this city on this Board! I could name at least 10 people in under 2 minutes that I would love to have representing our city...just from this board.

The ideas and thoughts, planning and energy directed towards this city is just exciting to see.

Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I could pull it off. LOL

I'd serve on OCURA or something like that. :D

ya, thanks for the compliments.

I agree that we have some great people with wonderful ideas on the forum (and a few that are not on the forum anymore, you know who Im talking about)..

I feel I could best support the city as an advocate though. I like to be a little behind the scenes - sort of the ears and eyes of those in power for the city. Of course, I correct those who may not know about OKC or who have the wrong idea (as most of you on this forum also do Im sure).

I will be in town on business the end of this month. I will only be there for a few days tho, so it will be short and quick.

That's fine with me at this point, I hate the summers in OKC - which is one of the main (and only) reasons why I do not live in the city. I like the fall, winter, and spring there tho, best time to visit IMO (safe the occasional tornado, hehe but hey those are fun too when you're from OK - I remember....).

Otherwise, YOU BET YA I'd be living in Downtown Oklahoma City. In fact, Im thinking about buying a place and leasing it out.

Ill be looking around soon ....

I voted city beautification. But it was a tie with light rail. At first I thought this was a bit ridiculous but the more I hear it tossed around the more important I think it is. Just think of the money people could save on gas that would be freed up to spend in other areas.

As far as city beautification goes. OKC could do some very simple things to leave even the casual I-40 passer through with a positive impression. Take a look at some simple things that Albuquerque and Las Vegas have done to thier freeways. It really does leave an impression on folks. Just some decorative sound walls and overpasses is all it takes. I'd also like to see redbuds lining the medians in OKC wherever possible. I didn't like how Albuquerque's decorations were pink though maybe some red-dirt colored sound walls and stuff would be nice.

I voted for light rail. I don't see beautification in the same class as rail. Maybe if there were more definitive plans for the beautification it would make more sense to me. Right now I would just enjoy someone picking up more trash. Beautification just seems too broad I guess.

Those who voted OTHER, please expand.

Flinty, I agree that "beautification" is a broad term - but I left it broad in the poll so not to sway the results AND because beautification should be a broad issue/concern with many ways of addressing it.

chuck has some great ideas above, I had some ideas around native foliage, fountains/statues, trees (of course), signage, lighting, and sidewalks. All are great ideas, but perhaps a better poll on which beautification methods might suit-your-needs.

I just think ALL OF THE ABOVE would win with regard to beautification in OKC so I left it broad.

Very interesting, Commuter Rail on top with beautification now taking the lead, signature attraction gaining momentum. I'd really like to see what the OTHER voters would like to next. ..

Wow, alot of these ideas are really great. I will go ahead and throw my ideas to add on to these.

Beautification musts: Like most big cities now days, we really need to focus on updating our interstate bridges and walls with decor'. Don't just let them rust but add items that would be sight worthy and leave an impressionable image on the many traffickers who pass through on these interstates. Block those neighborhoods that are not all that well kept with big walls of decor'. Add statues and landscaping to the large areas of grass in the high traffic areas.

My other crazy idea: Now tell me how cool would it be if you could have hop on a river taxi that passes through by the Ford Center and leads you to the (love the idea on moving the Ford dealership and expanding the Myriad Gardens idea) Myriad Gardens. Have a stop along the way of the Ford Center for people to get off at. Just a really wild idea that would probably never happen.

I voted for a new signature tower that will make the biggest statement of OKC's renaissance. As I've stated before, people who come to OKC or pass through, really don't get to see the major construction that is going on here and the growth this city has seen. With a new, gleaming tower downtown, there would be no doubt that the city is booming. When I lived in Nashville, the only way you could tell that the city was busting at the seams with growth was by the new construction downtown and, of course, new homes. I know we've had tons of new things built since the MAPS projects came along, but we still have the same skyline we've had for 25 years and it's fine time that the image of our downtown changes from a physical standpoint.

Actually we don't have the same skyline we've had for 25 years. The Ford Center has been built as well as the Renaissance hotel. They may be "low" in height, but they do make a difference to the skyline, especially coming in from the east.

All this talk about OKC's next major development has me thinking on several ideas. One being that the Centennial Commission really screwed up a huge opportunity. Perhaps it's partial fault of the state legislature for not ponying up enough dough. It seems like most of the "Centennial" projects or events are a joke. Not all, but many. It seems like everything is an "Official Centennial Event". I saw something on the news the other night and it was an "official event" although I can't remember what it was. It could have been equivalent to a bake sale. I guess I'm really seeing a lost opportunity of what we could have done when that now more than ever the media's eye is on OKC as well as the state for the Centennial. Perhaps instead of cheesy murals downtown OKC and an old replica clock in almost every Oklahoma town, the Centennial Commission could have had 1-3 major projects that would have been a HUGE tourist draw for the state. We all know OKC is the economic engine that funds the state with Tulsa not too far behind. Why not build two signature tourist draws in each respective city as we often talk about? Why not build a London Eye, Spaceneedle, St. Louis Arch or some mega-draw attraction instead of peddly little things that most out of staters will never notice? Does anyone see where I'm coming from?


Secondly, this idea perhaps is better suited for MAPS 3. I think in addition to the new downtown boulevard that will replace the current I-40, we should turn Classen Blvd. into a world class boulevard as well. It has soooo much potential and would tie in to the new boulevard. Additionally, Robinson downtown would make an excellent boulevard as well and goes south to the river. It has excellent views of downtown looking north as well. This would tie in GREAT for Core To Shore. Make these world class boulevards with landscaping, public art, and some sort of mass transit system, and we would truly be an international city.

Actually we don't have the same skyline we've had for 25 years. The Ford Center has been built as well as the Renaissance hotel. They may be "low" in height, but they do make a difference to the skyline, especially coming in from the east.

Well, I suppose this is a topic we can simply agree to disagree on. However, I think the Ford Center and The Renaissance, as impressive as they might be, do not really change the skyline. When viewing a city's CBD from afar, the "skyline is that line you get by connecting the tops of the tallest bulidings. Neither Ford nor Renaissance changed this line---they are instead infill. And while infill is welcome and needed, we sorely need a tower that will change the skyLINE.

Well, I suppose this is a topic we can simply agree to disagree on. However, I think the Ford Center and The Renaissance, as impressive as they might be, do not really change the skyline. When viewing a city's CBD from afar, the "skyline is that line you get by connecting the tops of the tallest bulidings. Neither Ford nor Renaissance changed this line---they are instead infill. And while infill is welcome and needed, we sorely need a tower that will change the skyLINE.

We need not one, but two towers. One residential and one office on opposite sides of downtown. That would make a huge impact. Not impossible either with Devon possibly interested in a new tower and high demand for downtown residential units...

Guys, I hope all of this list gets implimented.

I agree with Metro that we clearly missed the boat with the Centinneal. Many of these ideas should have been part of it - think of the state's first light rail and/or commuter rail line. It could have been dubbed, the Centinneal Express or something like that.

But no, we wont even have a new Centinneal Expressway since I-40 wont even begin any REAL construction this year nor will it be complete.

I can't really think of anything that is significant that the state is doing for the Centinneal other than redesigning/sprucing up the Capitol District - which IS badly needed. But even that I - I think is Low Key and somewhat ho-hum.

But it is an improvement, but I think the state could have/should have gone way out on this - they should have treated it like a mini world's fair. It should have been akin to the "second coming" of Oklahoma, a state on the rise!

Nevertheless, at least the capitol campus does look MUCH better than it did in the past. That's all I see from the "2007 celebration"!

I agree we need new skyscrapers downtown. This is why I selected the Downtown Streetcar as the first next project.

In fact, I hope the city can fast-track this apart from a new MAPS III - so that it could be up and running in a few years. I think the Streetcar is needed to make the momentum downtown consistent. And with the critical mass it should create, we could then begin serious discussions regarding new skyscrapers (residential and office), commuter rail, and downtown attractions - since the Streetcar would be the GLUE to link everything downtown together.

Plus, as OKC continues to get national business and conventions - having a visible light rail/streetcar in downtown is HUGE - ***** envy and even just showing how progressive and urban your central city is.

For these reasons, I hope that the city can do the streetcar without a significant package such as MAPS III. Ditto that with the beautification, which is also badly needed - starting with the entry ways/expressways such as everyone mentioned.

I think it is high time that we act like a big city, not JUST in name or resting on the MAPS I laurels. NO, we need another HUGE injection into downtown which would be the impetis for continued development - and the streetcar is the answer.

$50M is not that much money when you consider, in OKC that would probably get us a 3-4 mile line. That would be very good coverage for downtown.

Where would you advocate light rail lines going then?
Since light/commuter rail seems to be something people really want to see, where do think the lines should go?

Actually, it is not true that your proposal exclusively serves middle and upper class areas. The areas on either side of Classen (if I interpret your map correctly) have lots of working class and poor people living there. The OU health center has lots of low income neighbors. The line that goes from the state capitol to Norman will pass through or close to lots of low income and working class neighborhoods.

Presumably this would be combined with added bus service that would support the commuter rail system.

I voted for the commuter rail as the most important big development.

Secondly, this idea perhaps is better suited for MAPS 3. I think in addition to the new downtown boulevard that will replace the current I-40, we should turn Classen Blvd. into a world class boulevard as well. It has soooo much potential and would tie in to the new boulevard. Additionally, Robinson downtown would make an excellent boulevard as well and goes south to the river. It has excellent views of downtown looking north as well. This would tie in GREAT for Core To Shore. Make these world class boulevards with landscaping, public art, and some sort of mass transit system, and we would truly be an international city.

I totally agree about Classen, it is a major thoroughfare that connects the highly populated north/northwest OKC neighborhoods (via NW Expressway and Hefner Pkwy.) to the downtown core passing through some of OKC's oldest and densest neighborhoods south of I-44. It used to have streetcar service back in the day, and that is why I included it as part of a future light rail corridor. It would be great to see the Asian District made into a denser, more walkable district around 23rd Street and future OCU expansion edging toward Classen north of 23rd. Some kind of coalition of businesses along Classen from west of downtown (where the area is pretty rundown) up to NW Expressway would be a good start.