Oklahoma City to acquire Santa Fe Depot after objections dropped | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-to-acquire-santa-fe-depot-after-objections-dropped/article/3924607)

It won't be open for us non-subscribers until tomorrow, I guess, but at least there was some good news today.

From Steve's article:


Court-appointed commissioners in September set the sales price at $4.5 million, which the city council on Tuesday agreed to pay into an escrow account. But attorneys for the Brewers filed an objection, arguing the city could not show it intends to use the depot to facilitate “intermodal transportation,” which is defined as “the movement of people involving more than one mode of transportation during a single, seamless journey.”

Assistant city attorney Dan Brummett said that objection was dropped this week, though Brewer Entertainment can still ask for a jury trial to seek further damages.


Brummett said Thursday the station's ownership will be transferred to the city and that existing leases with a cupcake shop and a billboard company will be honored.

A spokesman for the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, meanwhile, said Brewer's operation of the adjoining parking lots is likely to end once the city acquisition is completed.

Thanks Brett!

Charlotte Makes $12M Bet on Streetcar - Mass Transit (http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/11300939/charlotte-makes-12m-bet-on-streetcar?utm_source=MASS+NewsViews+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MASS140122002)

Charlotte is expanding their streetcar system. Personally I prefer the method OKC has chosen to fund construction of our system. I prefer federal funding to be a nice bonus that permits additional expansion rather than necessary for getting the project started.

I guess they just can't help themselves and have to follow the script.


Extending the streetcar, one of the region's most controversial transportation projects

How come new freeways, interchanges, etc are never described as 'controversial'?

I guess they just can't help themselves and have to follow the script.



How come new freeways, interchanges, etc are never described as 'controversial'?Probably because the majority of people prefer cars.

Some people don't have cars or would prefer not to have them... So what is more controversial, forcing everyone to drive and not spending money for transit, or balancing the equation by spending money on mass transit as well as roads.

Why even say 'controversial' at all. Why can't they just say...


Extending the streetcar is expected to cost $126 million

instead of


Extending the streetcar, one of the region's most controversial transportation projects, is expected to cost $126 million

^ I suspect it's to reference opposition to it. To acknowledge that there was opposition. Poor choice of wording if so. They could have said "extending the streetcar, which has been opposed by some, is expected to cost"

Well like I said - they are just following the template.

I'd say it is because it involves a local vote. Rarely do interchanges require local public initiative. They are part of "freeways" remember?

How come new freeways, interchanges, etc are never described as 'controversial'?

Must have missed the hub-bub regarding the crosstown and its connections.

Must have missed the hub-bub regarding the crosstown and its connections.

I recall the location being controversial, but I don't recall "NOT replacing the old I-40" as being an option. I think everyone assumed a freeway was going to be built somewhere between I-35 and I-44.

I'd say it is because it involves a local vote. Rarely do interchanges require local public initiative. They are part of "freeways" remember?

You know, that is a darn good point. How come ODOT can't just put in a train from Norman to OKC to Edmond all on their own with no public input? We didn't vote on widening I-35 or building I-235. ODOT just did it on its own.

You know, that is a darn good point. How come ODOT can't just put in a train from Norman to OKC to Edmond all on their own with no public input? We didn't vote on widening I-35 or building I-235. ODOT just did it on its own.

The I 35 and I 235 expansions had lots of public meetings

The I 35 and I 235 expansions had lots of public meetings

...but no public vote right? Do you think ODOT would put the new downtown boulevard up to a public vote?

...but no public vote right? Do you think ODOT would put the new downtown boulevard up to a public vote?

To be honest, I kind of shudder at the thought. Something tells me it would pass resoundingly on the back of "relieving congestion".

I recall the location being controversial, but I don't recall "NOT replacing the old I-40" as being an option. I think everyone assumed a freeway was going to be built somewhere between I-35 and I-44.

The no-build option is always a part of the environmental process.

To be honest, I kind of shudder at the thought. Something tells me it would pass resoundingly on the back of "relieving congestion".

Maybe, but what if the dollar cost was publicized. Anyhow, we strayed from Streetcar so I'll give someone else the last word on this tangent.

Probably because the majority of people prefer cars.

If you're in a bar where they only sell subsidized, cheap 3.2 beer and high-dollar absinthe, the majority of people will prefer beer.

^ Not to mention a few decades of Pavlovian conditioning! :rolleyes:

A lot of people will love the streetcar once it gets built. I have no doubt about that. This is going to be a major asset for the downtown area. I don't think there'll be any controversy with continuing to expand the streetcar once people have a taste of it.

Steve's update on the Santa Fe Depot.
http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3930881?embargo=1


Oklahoma City has secured the key and control to downtown’s Santa Fe Depot, clearing the way for it to be converted into a $28 million transit hub that will serve downtown’s new streetcar system, Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer and a potential new regional passenger rail line.


Assistant City Attorney Dan Brummitt said Wednesday that Brewer Entertainment is still seeking a jury trial to contest the purchase price, which could result in the city paying more or less than the $4.5 million.


Leases signed with the Brewers will continue, including a lease with the Oklahoma Transportation Department for parking for Amtrak customers and access to the depot, leases with Tyler Media for two digital billboards on the property, with Pinkitzel Candy & Cupcakes for a shop in the depot’s freight wing, and MidFirst Bank, which leases parking spaces during Thunder home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Those leases involve complications that are proving to be challenging to the city to sort through.


Conversion of the 84-year-old depot into a transit center is set to begin early next year. David Todd, coordinator of the city’s MAPS office, said design contract negotiations are underway with TAP Architecture.

From what I have heard. Quite literally the "key". As in uno.

^ Is it wrong if I hope the jury lowers the purchase price back to the city's original offer?

A lot of people will love the streetcar once it gets built. I have no doubt about that. This is going to be a major asset for the downtown area. I don't think there'll be any controversy with continuing to expand the streetcar once people have a taste of it.

I was living in Fort Worth when Dallas put in DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit). It became a big instant hit; much was patterned after BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in the San Francisco-Oakland area. They were able to use some of the existing track in addition to new track which was laid to accommodate other expanding areas like McKinney.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Mockingbird_Station_3.jpg/220px-Mockingbird_Station_3.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/DART_Arapaho_Station_and_Dallas_Nova_RTS_WFD_5616. jpg/260px-DART_Arapaho_Station_and_Dallas_Nova_RTS_WFD_5616. jpg
A northbound light rail train at the Mockingbird Station.

Oklahoma City could eventually expand into Edmond, Midwest City (via Adventure District Station), Moore-Norman and Yukon-El Reno (via Stockyards Station). Establishing the old Santa Fe Station depot as a hub for bus and rapid transit is the right direction for OKC.


Oklahoma City chugs ahead with plans to revamp Santa Fe Depot
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTdxEVB0wL944zGonUIYXOy5hr9kGxeT WdjDcn55wMPRn9gsTq1
https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=H.4978611368297524&pid=15.1

Santa Fe Station Depot Central
https://sp1.yimg.com/ib/th?id=H.4887373360859709&pid=15.1
Union Station Depot

Will they continue to use the current bus transfer station at 4th & Hudson? This could eventually be used for buses, commercial transport vans and taxi services.

Could the old Union Station depot be added into the mix?

Rapid Transit future development stages of expansion could serve:

1. Adventure District (Women's' College World Series, Zoo, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum).
>2. Edmond (University of Central Oklahoma)
>3. Moore-Norman (OU Campus, Stadium, Arena, Museum & Attractions)
>4. Yukon-El Reno (via Stockyards or Will Rogers Airport Station).

I'd like to see us sell the bus transit center at some point in time. That's a great piece of property and as space fills up around the CBD, it just becomes more valuable. It could help fund expansion of the hub or a variety of other transit options.

The city spent two years negotiating with the prior owners, Brewer Entertainment, and successfully sought an eminent domain ruling on the property last summer when court-appointed commissioners set the purchase price at $4.5 million.

Assistant City Attorney Dan Brummitt said Wednesday that Brewer Entertainment is still seeking a jury trial to contest the purchase price, which could result in the city paying more or less than the $4.5 million. During negotiations, Brewer Entertainment, owned by the family of the late Bricktown developer Jim Brewer, sought to sell the property for $23.5 million, countering the city’s original offer of $2.5 million.

Brummitt said Brewer Entertainment, which sometimes charged $20 for parking on the property during special events downtown, is no longer involved with any of the property’s operations. Control of the building and lots was transferred to the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA).

However, on Wednesday evening, a Brewer Entertainment sign was advertising parking in the depot’s north lot for $20. COTPA spokesman Michael Scroggins said negotiations regarding leases on the property are continuing.

Leases signed with the Brewers will continue, including a lease with the Oklahoma Transportation Department for parking for Amtrak customers and access to the depot, leases with Tyler Media for two digital billboards on the property, with Pinkitzel Candy & Cupcakes for a shop in the depot’s freight wing, and MidFirst Bank, which leases parking spaces during Thunder home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Those leases involve complications that are proving to be challenging to the city to sort through.

Garin, Steve has requested that we post a link to his article when posting something from it. He wrote that and deserves credit for it.

Garin, Steve has requested that we post a link to his article when posting something from it. He wrote that and deserves credit for it.

Yeah. You didn't even provide the link or the article name... That's not cool.

Funny bc newsok has a script to add a link beneath any copied text so it must've been expressly deleted.

(Sorry to pile on, but the work Steve does for us is also his livelihood, and I'm sensitive to that bc it's tough trying to put food on the table in urban affairs)

Here is the link to the full article: Oklahoma City chugs ahead with plans to revamp Santa Fe Depot (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-chugs-ahead-with-plans-to-revamp-santa-fe-depot/article/3930881)

And the bit that is most interesting in my eyes:


When will work start?

Conversion of the 84-year-old depot into a transit center is set to begin early next year. David Todd, coordinator of the city’s MAPS office, said design contract negotiations are underway with TAP Architecture.

The city was awarded a $13.5 million federal grant last year that allows it to pursue its full plan for conversion of the depot into a transit center.

Specific improvements include opening a tunnel in the depot through the BNSF Railway viaduct wall facing the Bricktown Canal to allow for a direct passenger connection to the entertainment district, improved Amtrak boarding platforms, ticketing and baggage areas, a pedestrian plaza extending to E.K. Gaylord, and hastened construction of a streetcar alignment in front of the depot.

The work coincides with construction set to begin later this year on the first phase of the streetcar system, which is set to open by mid-2017.

I cannot wait to see the tunnel open up, that is the part I am looking forward to the most.

Here is the link to the full article: Oklahoma City chugs ahead with plans to revamp Santa Fe Depot (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-chugs-ahead-with-plans-to-revamp-santa-fe-depot/article/3930881)

And the bit that is most interesting in my eyes:



I cannot wait to see the tunnel open up, that is the part I am looking forward to the most.


That is going to be pretty exciting. It should be an amazing link between Bricktown and the CBD. I hope we can continue to restore the interior. There are some interesting stories about finding the old chandeliers, but there are some missing pieces. I do hope we can add some modern touches while remaining within the spirit of tthe original design.

Question about the tunnel... will we have approval issues from the railroad like we did with the river/canal link?

Yes, we will. However, prudent engineering usually prevails. A pre-existing pedestrian thoroughfare that is simply blocked off and still yet causes no problems should not be a major issue.

William Crum (https://twitter.com/WILLIAMCRUM) just tweeted some interesting interior pictures of the depot.

Soon-to-be-restored waiting room in downtown #OKC Santa Fe depot, city's new transit "hub." (https://twitter.com/WILLIAMCRUM/status/432963369650237440)

Detail, #OKC Santa Fe depot interior limestone wall. City has acquired the depot for a transit hub. (https://twitter.com/WILLIAMCRUM/status/432968549594718208)

Incidentally, both William and Steve (https://twitter.com/stevelackmeyer) are great choices to follow.

Question about the tunnel... will we have approval issues from the railroad like we did with the river/canal link?

Separate railroad company. That was Union Pacific, this is BNSF.

I think the difference also is in ease of access to the rail right of way. IIRC, it would be relatively simple to walk up the hill from the canal to the tracks. The tunnel restricts access fairly well at the Santa Fe station.

A glimpse at some of the challenges faced by commuter rail operator Metra:

Metra: Behind the scenes | abc7chicago.com (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources%2Flifestyle_community&id=9429275)

300,00 pax daily, 700 trains per day mixed with over 500 freight trains plus over 50 Amtrak trains per day. Tell me again why it would be so hard to run from Edmond to Norman and Mustang/Yukon to MWC/Tinker with maybe 40 freight trains per day.

6648

Interesting graph and food for thought.

6648

Interesting graph and food for thought.

That should put the cost of mile of highway compared to a mile of rail into perspective. But very few people ever bother to look past the cost required to permit them to go front door to front door and consider that cost irrelevant as long as they get what they want. Cost is no object for the most inefficient mode of transportation, but screams of bloody murder ensue whenever more efficient modes such as rail are proposed.

Listen closely to what they are saying in Denver. Transit & transportation development is for everyone. There is no reason OKC cannot emulate Denver's success if we work together. It may be on a smaller scale, but if we stay the course with the baby steps we have taken the last couple of years, the area around Santa Fe Station can develop into something special - especially once the new CC is complete and we can redevelop the Cox block.


http://kdvr.com/2014/02/28/amtrak-returns-to-denvers-union-station/

Listen closely to what they are saying in Denver. Transit & transportation development is for everyone. There is no reason OKC cannot emulate Denver's success if we work together. It may be on a smaller scale, but if we stay the course with the baby steps we have taken the last couple of years, the area around Santa Fe Station can develop into something special - especially once the new CC is complete and we can redevelop the Cox block.


http://kdvr.com/2014/02/28/amtrak-returns-to-denvers-union-station/

Denver is phasing its transit system right on track. Oklahoma City could look at this piecemeal approach Denver has accomplished in the link above as referenced by CaptDave.

The Santa Fe Station will be our hub with the projected Amtrak (destined Fort Worth), commuter rail development & the eventual city bus terminal. If some kind of commuter rail could be established from Tulsa and/or Wichita to Oklahoma City; OKC could serve as a regional hub for rail transit between Northeastern Oklahoma, Kansas & Texas. High speed commuter rail between Oklahoma's two largest cities could be accomplished if Congress could ever fund financial incentive grants in this area. Metro-Link's mini buses & airport shuttle could operate from the current city bus terminal at 4th & Hudson. Taxi services could also operate from the Hudson transit to Will Rogers World airport. The current Greyhound bus station terminal could remain at Reno & MLK/Eastern Avenues.

It may take time; however as surrounding communities in our region (Denver, Fort Worth-Dallas & Kansas City) green light forward, OKC can learn from a lot of their progress.


Kansas City
http://www.kcata.org/images/uploads/KC_Streetcar_Michael_crop.jpg

Link: Kansas City Streetcar | Light Rail and MAX | KCATA (http://www.kcata.org/light_rail_max/kansas_ctiy_streetcar)

New Animation of MAPS 3 Streetcar | News OK (http://newsok.com/article/3939670)

Yay trees!

Also some interesting tidbits from slackmeyer.

Denver is integrating their bus terminal in with the downtown rail hub. Are there any plans to move the buses to Santa Fe Depot or will they remain over on Hudson?

From the video it looks like they have a base for GTA OKC if the need it down the line

New Animation of MAPS 3 Streetcar | News OK (http://newsok.com/article/3939670)

I love how it travels past empty streets and parking lots and there are no people on the streets or riding it. Makes me very excited!

What?

This is quite a step up in detail from round one. I really don't know why your being such an a** guru.

I agree it is a major improvement. The street life is just very spare. It still is not as exciting as the video you created.

To add, I suspect the streetcar is going to be a bustling nexus of activity. The animation is devoid of people. This does not reflect on the streetcar, it reflects on the animator.

I like the Convention Center Hotel tower height.

I don't. Wish it was at least 5-8 stories taller, but that's ok. This street car is freaking awesome and can't wait for it to be done.

Wanted to link this directly so people can easily find it.

Skyline Ink does an amazing job with their visualizations.

Gj6WvhRk_pI#t=251

Man, just look at how ugly those power lines above the streetcar are... ::end sarcasm::

Good new everyone! Stage Center is still standing and we will all drive Camaros and Audi R8s! OKC! OKC! OKC!

looks great... except for the color! teal?! why not the sky blue color of the state flag? or any other color really

I'm voting for Thunder blue, which is pretty much state flag blue. When we pick cars, we'll be able to pick any color we want (will probably have to avoid red and orange, for obvious reasons)

It would be cool to have multiple colors.

Gunmetal gray