So we all probably know what the speculative dreaming is for Core to Shore, (i.e. housing additions, office parks, retail towers, residential towers, etc.)

My question is if we pass a MAPS III including some sort of mass transit (light rail, better bus lines, etc), a Central Park and the Convention Center, what would be next? Most everything else will have to be privately funded, so what do you think would be the first thing to be built?

Casino...

Casino...

:doh:

You asked for opinions and that is mine. I see that as a very strong potential, I hope it doesn't happen but I think people are fooling themselves if they think there is no chance of a casino making its way into that part of the city.

Don't be surprised if you see "canal extension" in the near future, not saying it's the best use of the money, but don't be surprised..... Outdoor amphitheatre would also be a good possibility.

You asked for opinions and that is mine. I see that as a very strong potential, I hope it doesn't happen but I think people are fooling themselves if they think there is no chance of a casino making its way into that part of the city.

I was not slapping my head because of your answer, I was doing it as a "Crap if they do" kind of gesture. I just really hope one is not near that area. In 2005, the Shawnee tribe talked about opening one in BT and it wasn't very well received if I remember correctly.

I was not slapping my head because of your answer, I was doing it as a "Crap if they do" kind of gesture. I just really hope one is not near that area. In 2005, the Shawnee tribe talked about opening one in BT and it wasn't very well received if I remember correctly.

It wasn't at all...which I think is ridiculous. It's a huge draw and right now, tax dollars are being spent OUTSIDE OKC at Lucky Star and Riverwind. Remington is an OK draw, but is nothing compared to Riverwind.

Why is the idea of a casino on the outskirts of Bricktown so awful anyway? People will a) come to OKC more, and b) spend more money in Bricktown. It could be a major cornerstone of the Bricktown entertainment district.

Why is the idea of a casino on the outskirts of Bricktown so awful anyway? If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand the answer anyway

It wasn't at all...which I think is ridiculous. It's a huge draw and right now, tax dollars are being spent OUTSIDE OKC at Lucky Star and Riverwind. Remington is an OK draw, but is nothing compared to Riverwind.

Why is the idea of a casino on the outskirts of Bricktown so awful anyway? People will a) come to OKC more, and b) spend more money in Bricktown. It could be a major cornerstone of the Bricktown entertainment district.

I understand your side of it, I am also looking at the design side of the building and how it reflects on the district.

"Putting the land in trust would exempt it from normal zoning and architectural restrictions and also would exempt the tribe from bringing a proposal before the Bricktown Urban Design Committee."

This is the problem I have with it. If they can get the land, they move it into a trust and they can build whatever they want to. I don't have anything against any of the tribes or what they are doing, I just don't like that they do not have to answer to anyone.

I understand your side of it, I am also looking at the design side of the building and how it reflects on the district.

"Putting the land in trust would exempt it from normal zoning and architectural restrictions and also would exempt the tribe from bringing a proposal before the Bricktown Urban Design Committee."

This is the problem I have with it. If they can get the land, they move it into a trust and they can build whatever they want to. I don't have anything against any of the tribes or what they are doing, I just don't like that they do not have to answer to anyone.

I bet they are willing to make concessions in that regard in order to be able to build.

Why is the idea of a casino on the outskirts of Bricktown so awful anyway? If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand the answer anyway

Oh, please enlighten us with your brilliant perspective. I'm thinking I, and the rest of the board, can handle it, n00b.

Why is the idea of a casino on the outskirts of Bricktown so awful anyway? If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand the answer anyway

Ain't that the truth...


I understand your side of it, I am also looking at the design side of the building and how it reflects on the district.

"Putting the land in trust would exempt it from normal zoning and architectural restrictions and also would exempt the tribe from bringing a proposal before the Bricktown Urban Design Committee."

This is the problem I have with it. If they can get the land, they move it into a trust and they can build whatever they want to. I don't have anything against any of the tribes or what they are doing, I just don't like that they do not have to answer to anyone.

Exactly. One needs only to make a visit to Winstar on near the OK/Texas border to see what an Oklahoma tribe is capable of. An indian casino in Bricktown would make Bass Pro look like an upscale urban destination.

I think extension of the canal makes sense, personally, I would like to see them add a canal leading from the Oklahoma River to the State Fairgrounds.

I also think we need a dedicated Maps (or something similiar) for the OKC Parks Department.

Ain't that the truth...



I also invite you to make a convincing argument of why a casino located somewhere on the outskirts, but connected to, Bricktown is such an awful idea it should never be considered.

You guys are clearly full of smartass, I wanna see the smarts.

The other problem that I forgot to mention is that casinos do not pay taxes, therefore what they make would not help improve the area. In fact, I think it would take business away from what we consider the bricktown area because most likely they would have restaurants and that sort of thing.

I also invite you to make a convincing argument of why a casino located somewhere on the outskirts, but connected to, Bricktown is such an awful idea it should never be considered.

You guys are clearly full of smartass, I wanna see the smarts.

This issue has been discussed in multple threads before...do a search and you will see nearly all the arguments. There is no need to re-hash it again.

Exactly. One needs only to make a visit to Winstar on near the OK/Texas border to see what an Oklahoma tribe is capable of. An indian casino in Bricktown would make Bass Pro look like an upscale urban destination.
There are some very nice tribe owned casinos, granted most in Oklahoma are not those but it can be done. I don't think a tribe would go to the effort to acquire "Bricktown area" land with all the political ramifications at risk and put a sprung up like Winstar. Although, Winstar has started building some more permanent structures down there, Dryvit monstrosities but better than the glorified tent. I think OKC could use something like this near Bricktown/downtown like across the river/current I-40 from Bricktown and across I-35 from the Native American Center rather than out off I-40 near Shawnee like Firelake.

Here are some blurbs about the two large tribal casinos in Connecticut.

Mohegan Sun - About Mohegan Sun (http://www.mohegansun.com/common/)
A world at play and a world to its own, Mohegan Sun, created in 1996 by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, is one of the world's most amazing destinations with some of New England's finest dining, hotel accommodations, retail shopping, live entertainment and sporting events. It is also host to the fabulous Kids Quest/Cyber Quest family entertainment facility, a luxurious day spa, convention center and meeting facility, as well as three major entertainment venues with seating from 300 to 10,000. People from across the globe come to see live concerts with some of today's top headliners, along with major sporting events including Mohegan Sun's very own WNBA team, the Connecticut Sun.

Every turn leads to a new adventure with an indoor 7-story waterfall, the world's largest and most spectacular planetarium dome and the awe-inspiring Wombi Rock, a glowing crystal mountain made of imported stone that serves as the focal point of the Casino of the Sky.

As a premier destination worldwide, Mohegan Sun includes:

* More than 300,000 square feet of gaming excitement, including smoke-free areas
* A 34-story, 1,200-room luxury hotel tower
* A 20,000 square-foot world-class spa by Elemis
* The Shops at Mohegan Sun, a 130,000 square-foot retail shopping experience
* 30 restaurants, food and beverage outlets
* Three entertainment venues including a 10,000-seat Arena, a 300-seat Cabaret Theatre and 350-seat Wolf Den
* More than 100,000 square feet of meeting and function space, including one of the largest ballrooms in the northeast
* A professionally-managed business center
* 10,000 square-foot indoor pool
* A 17,500 square-foot outdoor sun terrace
* 3-story crystal mountain
* A 55-foot indoor waterfall

http://www.avservicescorp.com/eshowbooks/1494/English%20(US)/02hotela.JPG



Foxwoods Resort Casino - About Foxwoods (http://www.foxwoods.com/AboutFoxwoods/)
In 1986 the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation opened the original high-stakes bingo hall. Today Foxwoods comprises six casinos that collectively offer more than 7,000 slot machines and an incredible 400 tables for 17 different types of table games, including 100 for poker. There's a luxurious, high-tech Race Book, as well as the world's largest Bingo Hall.

Foxwoods is the largest casino in the world, with 340,000 square feet of gaming space in a complex that covers 4.7 million square feet. More than 40,000 guests visit Foxwoods each day.

Accommodations at the resort total 1,416 guest rooms and suites, including the 824 room Grand Pequot Tower, 312 room Great Cedar Hotel and the 280 room Two Trees Inn. For conventions and group events, Foxwoods features more than 55,000 square feet of meeting space and 25 conference rooms.

MGM Grand at Foxwoods has added nearly 2 million square feet of overall space, featuring significantly increased hotel, entertainment, restaurants and gaming venues as well as enhanced corporate retreat, meeting and convention resources.
http://blog.procrastinatorspitstop.com/__oneclick_uploads/2008/02/foxwoods.jpg

This issue has been discussed in multple threads before...do a search and you will see nearly all the arguments. There is no need to re-hash it again.

I view this as a copout.

if nothing else, Foxwoods is a fair piece prettier than most local hotel construction

Ummm.... So the casinos here don't have to be on tribal land?

This issue has been discussed in multple threads before...do a search and you will see nearly all the arguments. There is no need to re-hash it again.

Hey Cuatro, guess who you're turning into? :poke:

Have any of you looked at the results from the MAPS 3 survey? By far, the most requested city upgrade from citizens was mass transit (668 votes). The new convention center received a whopping 40 votes from citizens, which is far down on the list. Is there something we don't know about the importance of convention centers? Or is the city council running their own agenda?

Have any of you looked at the results from the MAPS 3 survey? By far, the most requested city upgrade from citizens was mass transit (668 votes). The new convention center received a whopping 40 votes from citizens, which is far down on the list. Is there something we don't know about the importance of convention centers? Or is the city council running their own agenda?

I think the biggest reason is that a new convention center can actually bring in money whereas mass transit is usually a drain on budgets. And a convention center costs much less than an extensive public transit system. I think they should be able to do both though.

The convention center is to attract larger conventions to get out of towners to come to OKC. The city and convention planners I am sure would consider that more important because it gets tourist dollars and larger conventions have typically more people that spend more money.

To locals, transit issues will always be more important.

I view this as a copout.

Get over yourself.

If you really wanted to know the answer to your question, you would read the previous threads about it.

But if you just want to have an internet fight, I dont' have the time.

Bluedog: I know it can be done well...but Connecticut is a world away from OKC. As for Winstar, a lot less people die when a 707 goes down as compared to a 747 crash...but it is still a fatal plane crash.

I guess I could live with one one the river. However, how ironic would it be to have a place that celebrates Native American culture across from a indian casio?

Have any of you looked at the results from the MAPS 3 survey? By far, the most requested city upgrade from citizens was mass transit (668 votes). The new convention center received a whopping 40 votes from citizens, which is far down on the list. Is there something we don't know about the importance of convention centers? Or is the city council running their own agenda?

BOTH. I would almost guarantee you will see some form of mass transit and convention center in MAPS3. Won't be surprised to see the canal extension in there as well, or if not a seperate mechanism for it.

Not to mention that allowing one casino in Bricktown/Downtown/River area would set PRECIDENT and then others would want to cash in and build. We don't want to turn our downtown into Biloxi, MS.

Not to mention that allowing one casino in Bricktown/Downtown/River area would set PRECIDENT and then others would want to cash in and build. We don't want to turn our downtown into Biloxi, MS.
I can see the bumper stickers now: Don't Biloxi my Bricktown!

I can see the bumper stickers now: Don't Biloxi my Bricktown!

Where and when can I get one of those?

I wouldn't mind having one down there. I'm sure some people have been to the Harrah's in DT new Orleans. I think its a perfect "other option" for out of towners to do. My friend is a dealer at Riverwind and said that a couple players from the Jazz came down there and played poker for hours the last time they were here. I understand the negatives of casinos, especially in a urban setting, but if you build it right and surround it with the right thing, it could be successful

I would like to see one or two casinos down on the Oklahoma River, on the south side of the river shores. If the City of Okc would set the building codes and requirements to be first class, the casinos would do it. This could be a win - win for the city and the indian casios.

The city could work a deal with one or two casinos. The deal could be set up in a way that the casinos must build large high rise hotels with conference rooms along with multi-story casinos. Another requirement could be that the casinos must do all the necessary utility improvements along both sides of the river, and maintain the shores along both sides of the river.

Basically I think that you could have casinos bending over backward to locate along the Oklahoma river and they (the casinos) would do anything to be located in this area.

how do you control it to one or two casinos without discriminating, setting precident, etc? Also, the whole idea was brought about because of a "loophole" in the law. The topic was originally brought to light because a tribe was trying to acquire land in Bricktown and then put it into a trust to get it deemed "tribal land" even though its not currently on tribal property or deemed historically significant tribal land at the present time.

I think that the State or City could zone an area along the Okla. River for Hotel Casinos only. This area would have the highest buidling codes and requirements that would benefit the city in so many different ways. The area of land that would be zoned for hotel casinos would restrict the number of casinos that could fit into the area along the river.

I am not sure how much land area that a first class hotel casino would require, but zoning only a small area that could only fit one, two, or three is how the city could control the number of casinos.

The city could then open this area for bidding by casinos. The best package put together by a casino would get the land to build and operate a casino.

Again, but what's to stop a tribe from buying a prime piece of property, putting it in federal trust, claiming it as "tribal land"? Keep in mind Native American tribes are their own "nation or nation-state."

What is stopping the tribes from already doing that?

I believe that the state has some sort of legal agreement with the tribes and their casinos. The state agreed to allow a certain type or class casino in exchange for the state having a certain say in the location of the casinos. Remember the state had to agree a few years ago and that allowed indian casinos to bring in more games, the state got something in return other than money.

I wouldn't mind having one down there. I'm sure some people have been to the Harrah's in DT new Orleans. I think its a perfect "other option" for out of towners to do. My friend is a dealer at Riverwind and said that a couple players from the Jazz came down there and played poker for hours the last time they were here. I understand the negatives of casinos, especially in a urban setting, but if you build it right and surround it with the right thing, it could be successful


That's why I believe that when there was talk about it, and I guess they still have it in their plans, the casino that was suppose to be built north of Remington Park on the west side of I-35 between Wilshire & Britton would/could/will be a success. Everything that's with that project is AWESOME. And the best part of it, it's not in Bricktown or near downtown, which I think is a huge benefit. Look at Kansas City's AmeriStar Casino or Harrah's Riverboat Casino. They are nowhere near downtown. They're on the east outer loop of I-435 and they're successful in that location. So for us, I think that area north of Remington would do just as well. And since OKC is so big, we'll get more tax revenue no matter where the place is built. And like I said before, it's nowhere near downtown, which is more aesthetically pleasing to me!

Commuter Rail is the only thing that will work in OKC currently from Norman to Edmond. That should be tried first and if it is successful work down from there.

I think after Maps 3 (commuter rail, convention center, and central park), Maps 4 should be a new football stadium. We could have a bowl game here and all the state playoffs then draw an NFL Team. I am sure by 2025, we will be big enough for one. Along with the football stadium we should look at funding an art institute. That would draw more creative people after the School of Rock is up over 2,500 students in 2025. They should also look at extending the canal with all of the Maps votes. They could also look at doing things for the rest of the city. Maybe a Botanical Garden (like Tulsa) or instituting the same philosophy that NYC has done with small parks throughout the city. OKC could revamp the parks it already has and add small parks as well as large parks in the sprawling areas that aren't close to parks, and I don't just mean a jungle gym and covered area for picnics, actual parks with landscaping and some sort of water feature or sculpture, A park that attracts people to come and relax and admire the beauty of it.

I would love to have huge areas of hotels/casinos and entertainment. I think it would make OKC look more upscale and attract more things to relocate here. It would be best for these upscale places to build along side the river, so they have the duty to fix up a portion of the river in front of their businesses.

As for mass transit, I'm not sure if this is a train or bus. If it is a train, I think some sort of a fancy train that is capable of slots machine. Funding for the services can be collected thru these slots machine.

I agree we need a newer and larger convention center. I took a quick look at the convention centers of comparable cities. It seems the average is roughly three times the size of the Myriad (Cox). Several of these competing convention centers are attached to mid-sized arenas and convention hotels.

This has left me wondering... if we build a shiny new convention center with 450,000 square feet of exhibit space and all the other bells and whistles, and if this attracts a couple major hotels, what is to become of the Cox? What happens to the Cox arena? What happens to the two existing hotels already connected to the Cox?

The Cox is boxed in and it will be extremely difficult or impossible to expand it to meet today's standards. But, it seems wasteful to build a new convention center when we have this facility (the Cox).

Have there been any proposals for the Cox? Will it be demolished?

It would seem like a good site for the Ford Center replacement in 20 years, or so. Or just sell it off as a private building site.

I believe the tentative plan or at least speculation is to eventually make the Cox site a TOD.

http://www.transitorienteddevelopment.org/

I agree we need a newer and larger convention center. I took a quick look at the convention centers of comparable cities. It seems the average is roughly three times the size of the Myriad (Cox). Several of these competing convention centers are attached to mid-sized arenas and convention hotels.

This has left me wondering... if we build a shiny new convention center with 450,000 square feet of exhibit space and all the other bells and whistles, and if this attracts a couple major hotels, what is to become of the Cox? What happens to the Cox arena? What happens to the two existing hotels already connected to the Cox?

The Cox is boxed in and it will be extremely difficult or impossible to expand it to meet today's standards. But, it seems wasteful to build a new convention center when we have this facility (the Cox).

Have there been any proposals for the Cox? Will it be demolished?
Convention center space is typically flat, wide open display space, a 14,000 seat arena doesn't work for that. The current Cox Center is too small in "convention space" to really attract large scale conventions.


It would seem like a good site for the Ford Center replacement in 20 years, or so. Or just sell it off as a private building site.
That is exactly where it should go, that was a big plus for the Big 12 basketball tournament having the men's and women's games right across the street from each other.

Get over yourself.

If you really wanted to know the answer to your question, you would read the previous threads about it.

But if you just want to have an internet fight, I dont' have the time.

Bluedog: I know it can be done well...but Connecticut is a world away from OKC. As for Winstar, a lot less people die when a 707 goes down as compared to a 747 crash...but it is still a fatal plane crash.

I guess I could live with one one the river. However, how ironic would it be to have a place that celebrates Native American culture across from a indian casio?

Not very?

But, it seems wasteful to build a new convention center when we have this facility (the Cox).

By the time the new convention center could be complete, the Myriad would be 50 YEARS OLD. The site is perfect for a new arena to replace the Ford Center. For the time being it should remain an arena because we have such an advantage of having arenas across the street from eachother.

We are on the verge of losing the annual Pre-Paid Legal convention because our facilities are just not big enough. We have to build a new convention center. The Cox is a joke.

As I see it, if we build a new Convention Center....

Then Maps 4 should look at utilizing the Cox Cenvention space for something even bigger! Maybe a downtown Football Stadium to draw a bowl game or NFL team in 35 years! It has the sq footage to house a football stadium. I know parking would be an obstacle, but with light rail and all of the new residential towers downtown in 35 years it won't be as big of a concern as it is today! I just thought I would throw that out there!

That site's not big enough for a modern football stadium.

And you can't fill an NFL stadium just with downtown residents and people coming in on mass trans. It works for a majestic new arena though.

Will the new convention center include a mid-sized arena? Having two arenas in close proximity is a big selling point, and several convention centers in competing markets have them. The Cox is getting old, and it is too boxed in to expanded. I think the land is also too valuable to redeveop as a huge lowrise. If it is redeveloped as a T.O.D., I would like to see a series of connected midrises.

I think I would also only agree to a redevelopment of this block if the new convention center included some sort of replacement for the arena. Perhaps the Ford could become the mid-sized arena and we could build an even larger arena on the same scale as the AA Center in Dallas.

I love casinos...I play cards three or four times a week. The issue with a casino is that every ounce of imperical evidence suggest that casinos are detrimental to society via the social cost (which are very hard to quantify). In general crime increases with a direct correlation to the proximity of the casino.

Again, but what's to stop a tribe from buying a prime piece of property, putting it in federal trust, claiming it as "tribal land"? Keep in mind Native American tribes are their own "nation or nation-state."

It would have to be approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. However, no federally recognized tribes have any historical connection to lands in Oklahoma County. Thus, getting it done might be very difficult.

Thought I would post this on an subject heading at least along the same idea:

Mapping Core to Shore

The Journal Record February 9, 2009
CLICK HERE to view a video presentation of Core to Shore.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett (Photo by Maike Sabolich)

OKLAHOMA CITY – When MAPS-3 finally shows up on voting ballots – before the end of the year, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said – the temporary sales tax issue will likely represent a wide range of projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The question of exactly what projects city residents will be asked to support is yet to be decided, but it appears at least two Core to Shore elements will be included, he said. And because of their place in the city, they may even seem to be the heart of the initiative.

A massive redevelopment just south of downtown Oklahoma City is already under way as a two-mile stretch of the Interstate 40 crosstown is being constructed closer to the Oklahoma River. Once traffic is diverted to the new I-40, the old Interstate bridge will be razed and that thoroughfare converted to a main boulevard. City leaders describe all the projects planned to revitalize the zone as Core to Shore.

“We know Interstate 40 is going to be relocated,” Cornett said. “It’s more evident every day. … And you can see that 2012, when they expect to finish, is going to be here before you know it.”

“We know we’re going to be able to fund the boulevard using largely state money and then add some improvements of our own to make that the most special street this state has ever seen,” he said. “It will be the premier address in Oklahoma.”

“When you look at Oklahoma City with fresh eyes … and look around the country at other cities, what does Oklahoma City still lack to ascend to a new level?” said Cornett. “I think there are two elements: There’s public transit, that we do not fund and do not serve our citizens adequately. And then there’s a large gathering space downtown. We really need a Central Park that we can be proud of.”

The money needed to fund such a park, a new convention center nearby, and a fixed railway transportation system brings C2S to the intersection with MAPS-3.

The original MAPS, or Metropolitan Area Projects, was strongly approved by public vote in 1993 when residents established a 1-cent, five-year sales tax to fund nine projects, including the construction of the Bricktown Ballpark, renovation of the Cox Business Services Convention Center, and development of the Oklahoma River. A second package identified as Metropolitan Area Public Schools, or MAPS for Kids, kept that penny in play when voters easily passed two initiatives to fund local school districts.

Seventy percent of revenue generated from that sales tax went to Oklahoma City Public Schools for the construction of new buildings, technology and other improvements.

Together, the two MAPS initiatives directly yielded more than $800 million in taxes. So the MAPS identification has been considered by many city leaders as an invaluable brand name.

But action on a MAPS-3 plan, which many expected last year, was pre-empted when voters passed a $120 million temporary sales tax for remodeling the Ford Center downtown to improve chances of luring an NBA team to the city. City leaders had originally intended to include arena upgrades in a larger package of developments, perhaps even MAPS-3.

Because of the short deadline for the NBA board’s decision, the arena question was pushed ahead of schedule.

Cornett said it’s time to invest in the MAPS franchise again, even in a tough economy. When he was asked about the ramifications of failure, he said: “OK, so the economy’s not what we wish it was. Does that mean we want to stop creating jobs, which is what MAPS-3 is ultimately about? Does that mean we want to stop creating a city where people want to live? … If you don’t continue to invest in your city, then you’re going to stop the momentum that’s gotten us this far.”

As he recently told city leaders in the annual State of the City address, Cornett said the city needs a new convention center soon. If the public were to approve funding immediately to get started on a building to hold major entertainment and business events, it would take almost a decade for it to be finished. And by then the Cox Convention Center would be about 50 years old.

Although it’s generally accepted that convention centers are major economic engines that help attract tourism dollars – which means they end up helping to pay for their own construction – Cornett is still concerned that the public be able to easily identify some other benefit in Core to Shore projects to increase the likelihood of passage of MAPS-3. A massive public park would play that part, he said, as would a citywide public transit rail system of some sort, both of which were identified in a 2006 public survey as top interests of city residents.

“It’s easy to see the reasons that a park’s a great idea, and it’s easy to see that public transit serves everyone,” he said. “It takes a little more vision to see a 21st century convention center would help the city because it helps the economy.”

Those three components – convention center, park and mass transit – are a good place to start for MAPS-3, he said. After that, though, Cornett was reluctant to predict the direction of the package.

The sales tax question would have to be set for public vote by Cornett and the rest of the City Council, and for it to seamlessly take up when the last penny tax stops on April 1, 2010, city government must formally set an agenda for public discussions before the summer. The eight members of the council have repeatedly said they support a MAPS-3 package of some sort, but have not yet committed to what projects they would like to see included.
Councilwoman Meg Salyer said it’s likely that such a wide range of issues will be addressed in the final package that voters will likely find a majority they approve of and overlapping interests will carry the rest.

“That was certainly the case with MAPS,” she said. “There were elements that appealed to constituents all around the community.

“MAPS-3 certainly isn’t a done deal. We still need to have a lot of discussion with the citizenry,” she said. “As we begin to move forward, we’ll start to see some of the elements people are most interested in, based on timing and what we think the budget will likely be.”

Cornett said he’s always aware of the risk of city residents dividing themselves into regional sectors without appreciating the larger picture.
“Our citizens realize how important downtown is to the continuity of the city,” he said. “The quality of life, even in the other municipalities and the suburbs is affected by the vibrancy of downtown. And you’ve got to buy into that; you’ve got to realize that the excitement that the Ford Center and the canal and the ballpark all bring to Oklahoma City, brings a vibrancy 10 or 15 miles out away from the city’s core.”

Salyer, who represents one of the inner city wards, agreed with Cornett that Core to Shore projects will win support across Oklahoma City’s 620 square miles.

“As a former New Yorker, the value of Central Park to the entire five boroughs of central New York is unquantifiable,” she said. “There are great parks in other parts of the city, but Central Park is such an important gathering place for everybody in the community. It’s iconic. I think Oklahoma City deserves something like that of its own.”

If you go to the article on the Journal Record, there are two more articles about it.