View Full Version : Enogex to move 400 jobs to dt OKC!



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dmoor82
07-02-2011, 11:21 AM
Enogex will move Four Hundred jobs to dt OKC!http://newsok.com/enogex-moving-to-downtown-oklahoma-city/article/3582207?custom_click=lead_story_title

SkyWestOKC
07-02-2011, 11:56 AM
First quarter 2012 will be big for the CBD. Nearly 750 new employees. (400 Enogex, 250 Continental Resources, 100 new SandRidge jobs by then, too) Not counting normal growth of the existing companies downtown, not to mention Devon who will most definitely keep hiring.

This is all great news for the housing, restaurant, and retail offerings for sure.

Larry OKC
07-02-2011, 12:35 PM
Where are the employees now? The address given in the article sounds like one that IS downtown already??

SkyWestOKC
07-02-2011, 12:36 PM
That address is on I-44 near Lincoln Ave. East of the CHK Empire.

Larry OKC
07-02-2011, 09:12 PM
Thanks for the info! It was the Central Park thing that threw me since the MAPS 3 "Central Park" and all. Figured the City had gone ahead and named a street for it (like the have the Boulevard).

Just the facts
07-03-2011, 08:59 AM
I think it is a sad commentary on the City in general that a street called "Central Park Drive" is not exactly where one might expect to find it. Of course, this is the same city that took out Main Street and replaced it with a parking garage.

BG918
07-03-2011, 09:35 AM
OG+E has a lot of office space in those buildings off Central Park Drive so it makes sense that Enogex was there too. Didn't Sonic at one time have several floors in One Leadership Square before moving to Bricktown?

Larry OKC
07-03-2011, 11:11 AM
I would presume if there is a Central Park Drive that there is already a park named that in the vicinity that it goes to/around/through? But I may be too focused on a recreational "park" as there are other types (business park etc). Is it named for the apartments maybe? I had forgotten about those. That may confuse people to, if someone is thinking about those apts, that it has/will have a view of the MAPS 3 Park. Sort of like when folks mistakenly believe anything with Bricktown in its name is in Bricktown.

dcsooner
07-03-2011, 07:03 PM
Don't know, but it sounds like companies are just moving around withnin the metro. One districts gain is another losses so OKC is not truly gaining businesses just shufflling the deck. OkC needs new businesses to relocate to the city from other places or startups. How long can these relatively few energy companies continue to prop up the entire city>

dmoor82
07-03-2011, 07:09 PM
Don't know, but it sounds like companies are just moving around withnin the metro. One districts gain is another losses so OKC is not truly gaining businesses just shufflling the deck. OkC needs new businesses to relocate to the city from other places or startups. How long can these relatively few energy companies continue to prop up the entire city>

Few energy companies?I think alot the city is being "propped up" as you say, but every major city in the country does not have there entire city 'propped up"!I agree with the shuffling for the most part.

SkyWestOKC
07-03-2011, 07:23 PM
Yes, economically in the grand scheme of things OKC does not gain a ton from this move. But, downtown gains a lot. Having more jobs downtown only helps to stimulate the overall economy of downtown as it is grasping out to become self sufficient and hit the "critical mass." It's getting close. It also is about absorbing vacant office space downtown. We won't see many office buildings come up until the existing inventory is absorbed.

Larry OKC
07-03-2011, 07:40 PM
True but in the shuffling of the deck, that leaves empty space in the old location (unless there is a replacement tenant that hasn't been announced). Half a dozen of one, 6 of the other sort of thing.

dmoor82
07-03-2011, 07:45 PM
Well continental and enogex are filling alot of the dt vacancies,Most of the vacancy class A space in dt OKC comes from the idle First National tower!Enogex will be filling vacancies in dt but will be leaving alot of vacancy for the North side of town.

SkyWestOKC
07-03-2011, 07:56 PM
Filling that space will be cheaper. Won't be nearly as expensive as filling downtown space.

ljbab728
07-03-2011, 11:35 PM
I think it is a sad commentary on the City in general that a street called "Central Park Drive" is not exactly where one might expect to find it. Of course, this is the same city that took out Main Street and replaced it with a parking garage.

I hardly see the naming of a particular street as a sad commentary on the City in general. There is a street in OKC named Tulsa which is nowhere (which has nothing to do with Nowhere, Oklahoma in Caddo County) near Tulsa. Does that have anything to do with anything?

It's not unusual for a new street in a new development to be named after that development.

Naptown12713
07-04-2011, 07:19 PM
Does anyone know if Tronox is still leasing space downtown? If so, where is their corporate office now based...hopefully somewhere downtown.

progressiveboy
07-04-2011, 08:34 PM
Don't know, but it sounds like companies are just moving around withnin the metro. One districts gain is another losses so OKC is not truly gaining businesses just shufflling the deck. OkC needs new businesses to relocate to the city from other places or startups. How long can these relatively few energy companies continue to prop up the entire city> Agree. OKC seems to have it's eggs all in one basket. Hardly enough diversification. What happens when oil and gas prices plummet? Not a pretty picture.

Steve
07-04-2011, 08:54 PM
Tronox consolidated its offices at its research campus in far northwest Oklahoma City. It was a smart move - if they were to survive, they had to cut costs.

kevinpate
07-04-2011, 09:22 PM
Anyone hear anything on who might want the space enogex will vacate when it goes dt?

okcpulse
07-04-2011, 09:56 PM
Enogex, Continental Resources, Devon, Sandridge, Cheaspeake... My list of potential employers is growing. Although Enogex is already in OKC, moving downtown puts them in a position for stronger growth.

dankrutka
07-04-2011, 10:01 PM
Don't know, but it sounds like companies are just moving around withnin the metro. One districts gain is another losses so OKC is not truly gaining businesses just shufflling the deck. OkC needs new businesses to relocate to the city from other places or startups. How long can these relatively few energy companies continue to prop up the entire city>

Yeah, but if businesses are going to move around in the metro, I'm glad that they're moving to downtown. THe more action concentrated in the downtown (or the downtown area) the better. We need to quit sprawling and most any movement towards the core (business, residential, commmercial) is preferable.

Larry OKC
07-04-2011, 10:49 PM
Oooops. We will be needing 400 more parking spaces! But no fear, there isn't a parking problem DT...

:sofa:

mcca7596
07-04-2011, 11:43 PM
Oooops. We will be needing 400 more parking spaces! But no fear, there isn't a parking problem DT...

:sofa:

Unless that literally puts the number of jobs downtown at a higher number than the number of parking spaces, then you're correct, there's not a parking problem downtown.

ljbab728
07-05-2011, 12:36 AM
Oooops. We will be needing 400 more parking spaces! But no fear, there isn't a parking problem DT...

:sofa:

Larry, you're assuming that none of those employees might decide to live downtown or wouldn't use some other kind of transportation to work besides a car. But you're correct anyway that the parking will not be a problem.

Steve
07-05-2011, 03:45 AM
Larry is also clearly unaware of the parking surplus created by the doubling of the City Center garage by Devon and move of their employees. Santa Fe garage has a lot of vacancy right now and should be able to accommodate much of this influx.

kevinpate
07-05-2011, 04:48 AM
should parking ever really become a problem that closes in on the perception of some, it's not like some folks couldn't get together and decide a structure or three, or recently vacated lot in the core isn't really all that and a bag o chips. Once decided, it would be oh so okie dokie to go ahead and knock it down, clear it out, and put in a surface lot or maybe even a multi-level garage, depending on who's doing the deciding.

Just the facts
07-05-2011, 05:59 AM
Larry, you're assuming that none of those employees might decide to live downtown or wouldn't use some other kind of transportation to work besides a car. But you're correct anyway that the parking will not be a problem.

This is the new urbanism at work. Live downtown, work downtown, play downtown - no need for a car or a parking space. Add in a ZipCar at some point and the need to own a car will be gone 100%. That will save the average person $500 per month (car payment, insurance, gas, oil change, parking space, etc).

bombermwc
07-05-2011, 06:31 AM
OK, I don't understand this move. So they're a couple hundred folks....only 5 floors in LS. They're going to significantly increase their costs by moving downtown rather than where they were. Now the building they were in is nothing fancy...it's a cookie cutter building you see of various heights all over OKC....even MWC has a 4 floor version. But you give up the 30 second walk free parking world for downtown's parking fun (oh yeah there isn't a parking problem, right....cough). That also means the cost to the employee goes up. Having to pay to park every day can be a huge burdon for someone in an entry level position. They actually would make more money not following the company downtown.

Again, I just dont understand what it gets them. So now they have proximity to other energy companies. So what. It's not as though they interact with each other....there's no B2B there.

betts
07-05-2011, 07:13 AM
Maybe they're moving downtown for the same reason I did. It's fun to be downtown, there's more going on, it makes you feel current. Company owners are as subject to those sorts of feelings as anyone. Why did Sandridge put their offices downtown? Why did Larry Nichols build his new building downtown? There's your answer, I suspect.

PhiAlpha
07-05-2011, 07:23 AM
OK, I don't understand this move. So they're a couple hundred folks....only 5 floors in LS. They're going to significantly increase their costs by moving downtown rather than where they were. Now the building they were in is nothing fancy...it's a cookie cutter building you see of various heights all over OKC....even MWC has a 4 floor version. But you give up the 30 second walk free parking world for downtown's parking fun (oh yeah there isn't a parking problem, right....cough). That also means the cost to the employee goes up. Having to pay to park every day can be a huge burdon for someone in an entry level position. They actually would make more money not following the company downtown.

Again, I just dont understand what it gets them. So now they have proximity to other energy companies. So what. It's not as though they interact with each other....there's no B2B there.

OGE is enogex's parent company, I'd imagine it has something to do with them being closer to each other.

Just the facts
07-05-2011, 08:30 AM
Can someone (bombermwc) please define "parking problem". What exactly is it that is perceived as the problem? Is it because you have to pay for it? Is it because you have to walk a couple blocks from the parking spot to where you want to go? Is it because you literally can't find a parking space (as in - there are 500 parking spaces and you are car 501)? What is the 'problem' in 'parking problem'?

rcjunkie
07-05-2011, 08:39 AM
Can someone (bombermwc) please define "parking problem". What exactly is it that is perceived as the problem? Is it because you have to pay for it? Is it because you have to walk a couple blocks from the parking spot to where you want to go? Is it because you literally can't find a parking space (as in - there are 500 parking spaces and you are car 501)? What is the 'problem' in 'parking problem'?

I think that with most, it's a matter of perception, people are lazy and want to park at the front door, rather it's at home, shopping or work.

Pete
07-05-2011, 09:23 AM
For years, I worked in Leadership Square -- in fact, our offices were on the 3rd floor of the north tower, which is part of the space being taken by Enogex.

I loved working down there. Whatever small inconvenience regarding parking was more than off-set by tons of lunch options, being able to walk to my bank and dry cleaners, and run lots of other errands without having to get in my car. Plus, I knew plenty of people that also worked down there so we frequently met for lunch or afterwards for happy hour or dinner. And of course, there are now tons of entertainment options as well.

I'm sure there is some synergy with OG&E but regardless, lots of people love working downtown and for most, that will be seen as a plus when considering a job or staying at one.

Also, keep in mind that our downtown is in the geographic center of the metropolitan area. While it may seem to some that everybody has moved to Edmond, there are lots of employees of any large company that live in Moore/Norman, Mid/Del, and Yukon/Mustang. Downtown is very easy to get to from all those areas.

Just the facts
07-05-2011, 09:27 AM
I think that with most, it's a matter of perception, people are lazy and want to park at the front door, rather it's at home, shopping or work.

But I want to hear the reason from some who thinks there is a problem. We can sit back and say it is a perception issue but for someone like bombermwc, he doesn't see at a perception problem. It is a real problem for him. I just want him to identify the problem.

TStheThird
07-05-2011, 09:55 AM
I park downtown all of the time for multiple different events during day and night and never have issues. Paying $5 or walking a couple blocks is not a parking problem.

stlokc
07-05-2011, 11:44 AM
Pete's comment about geographic location is right on point, and not something that is discussed much. OKC may be sprawling, but at least it manages to be sprawling in 3 or 4 different directions, which keeps downtown near the "center." If I were a company looking at recruitment, I would think about this a lot. By locating on Memorial Road, companies make it very hard to attract qualified employees from Moore or Norman. Same thing if a company were to locate far South. How many Edmond or NW OKC people would drive down there? Also, about parking: many employers in Downtown St. Louis split parking costs with their employees as an added benefit. I would imagine companies in OKC would do the same thing.

BG918
07-05-2011, 06:35 PM
For years, I worked in Leadership Square -- in fact, our offices were on the 3rd floor of the north tower, which is part of the space being taken by Enogex.

I loved working down there. Whatever small inconvenience regarding parking was more than off-set by tons of lunch options, being able to walk to my bank and dry cleaners, and run lots of other errands without having to get in my car. Plus, I knew plenty of people that also worked down there so we frequently met for lunch or afterwards for happy hour or dinner. And of course, there are now tons of entertainment options as well.

I'm sure there is some synergy with OG&E but regardless, lots of people love working downtown and for most, that will be seen as a plus when considering a job or staying at one.

Also, keep in mind that our downtown is in the geographic center of the metropolitan area. While it may seem to some that everybody has moved to Edmond, there are lots of employees of any large company that live in Moore/Norman, Mid/Del, and Yukon/Mustang. Downtown is very easy to get to from all those areas.

Agree. Working downtown is awesome. You definitely miss it once you've worked there and then are moved somewhere else...

Larry OKC
07-05-2011, 07:59 PM
Larry, you're assuming that none of those employees might decide to live downtown or wouldn't use some other kind of transportation to work besides a car. But you're correct anyway that the parking will not be a problem.


Larry is also clearly unaware of the parking surplus created by the doubling of the City Center garage by Devon and move of their employees. Santa Fe garage has a lot of vacancy right now and should be able to accommodate much of this influx.

You guys are funny!

Sure some might decide to live downtown, but that brings up a couple of obvious questions: How many? And are there sufficient residences for that number that are also affordable and have what ever those folks are looking for? Or are the majority going to continue living wherever they currently do and commute? Maybe they are going to utilize our excellent City bus system, the yet non-existent Streetcars (which are being pushed back in the timeline), the rubber tired Trolleys or maybe the River Cruises. LOL

I am aware of the doubling of the garage in question. We went though the math on this in another thread about Continental Resources coming, and there was going to be a net loss of spaces as a result of that. Don't see how needing a potential 400 more spaces helps any? That said, I take it the Santa Fe garage is in close proximity? Where is Santa Fe garage in relation to the Continental Resources move?

okcRE
07-05-2011, 08:12 PM
another aspect is the psychological effect of moving to downtown; being in a fast pace environment has a positive affect on employees' work ethic and motivation.

Larry OKC
07-05-2011, 08:17 PM
But I want to hear the reason from some who thinks there is a problem. We can sit back and say it is a perception issue but for someone like bombermwc, he doesn't see at a perception problem. It is a real problem for him. I just want him to identify the problem.

Can only speak for myself but you are right. If given a choice (and we have that) I am going to frequent a business that has free parking as close to the entrance that I can over any business that doesn't have parking and either collects the money themselves or uses a 3rd party (paid meters or parking garages/surface lots). Case in point, if a business has another location that is just as close to where I am and they have free, accessible parking, I am going to go there over the DT location (unless I am DT for some other reason already). Zios, Abuelos and Chilenos all come to mind. As much as we liked Spaghetti Warehouse, got tired of circling the block to try to find a metered space and having do make sure you have change, and time it so you either leave before it expires or have to go out and feed the meter etc). Just go to Toby Keith's and free parking.

In today's economy, paying $5 for parking on a regular basis is simply out of the question. Now if you are the Assistant City Manager making a 6 figure salary, or a 20+ year retired City employee with 17 rental properties, that is a luxury that the people I know can't afford.

For some it is a matter of laziness, for others it can be a matter of necessity (walking "a couple of blocks" is out of the question").

bluedogok
07-05-2011, 08:44 PM
If 5.00 is a deal breaker then you better not go to a major city downtown area because the parking is way more than that. If you can't afford 5.00 for parking you probably ought to stay home.

Larry OKC
07-05-2011, 08:49 PM
And that is what I do most of the time (or as I said, I go places that don't charge for parking and such). I might do it for a special occasion, but certainly not on a daily basis.

betts
07-05-2011, 08:53 PM
Or park in Deep Deuce for free. We've got a couple of people who clearly work in DT OKC. I see them getting out of their cars in the morning, jacket in hand, heading into the CBD. And there are plenty of people who park on 2nd St. when there are special events. Of course, when LEVEL and Aloft are completed, the free street parking is going to fall off dramatically.

stlokc
07-05-2011, 10:02 PM
LarryOKC...Enogex is a corporate office, not a pizza restaurant or a clothing store. I doubt seriously whether a business such as this is very reliant on walk-in traffic. If you are a businessperson engaging in the services of Enogex, you are probably not visiting in person so often that the parking situation is a major trauma.

Larry OKC
07-05-2011, 10:15 PM
stlokc,

I am aware of that. But a parking space is a parking space. In regards to Enogex, where are those employees supposed to park? If you have an influx of 400 employees competing for the same number of spaces (within whatever proximity is acceptable) for whatever reason (business or pleasure), doesn't that present a potential "problem"? As I said, it isn't just these 400 coming into DT, Devon seems to be taking care of their own expansion needs and possibly SandRidge is doing the same. But what about Continental Resources? They are bringing X amount of employees with plans for significant expansion rather soon. There are others this is just the last contributing factor. It is a good problem to have, but it can quickly develop into a real problem and not just a perceived one (often perception becomes reality, just ask anyone involved in marketing).

stlokc
07-05-2011, 10:40 PM
Larry, I apologize if I misread your post at 9:17. I thought you were equating the experience of the casual visitor trying to find a Bricktown spot for dinner with the visitors to Enogex. I do agree that perception can become reality ( I actually do work in marketing). All the more reason for the downtown community to actively shape perception. I'm pretty sure a company is not going to move 400 employees without doing due diligence on such matters. And I can't claim intimate knowledge about the downtown garages. But 3 or 4 or even 5 blocks is really not that unusual for an urban area. People in OKC, and I don't say this to judge, it's a point of fact, have become so used to the suburban way of thinking with regards to parking that they are slow to realize that there are trade-offs involved with a reviving downtown. I'm certain that if people with money perceive an unmet need, or the city does, then a new garage will spring up in one of the vacant lots that ring downtown.

mcca7596
07-05-2011, 11:10 PM
I'm certain that if people with money perceive an unmet need, or the city does, then a new garage will spring up in one of the vacant lots that ring downtown.

I believe it has been discussed that Sandridge intends to add two parking garages on surface lots they own at 4th and 5th and Broadway as part of their campus master plan.

ljbab728
07-06-2011, 12:02 AM
You guys are funny!

Sure some might decide to live downtown, but that brings up a couple of obvious questions: How many? And are there sufficient residences for that number that are also affordable and have what ever those folks are looking for? Or are the majority going to continue living wherever they currently do and commute? Maybe they are going to utilize our excellent City bus system, the yet non-existent Streetcars (which are being pushed back in the timeline), the rubber tired Trolleys or maybe the River Cruises. LOL

I am aware of the doubling of the garage in question. We went though the math on this in another thread about Continental Resources coming, and there was going to be a net loss of spaces as a result of that. Don't see how needing a potential 400 more spaces helps any? That said, I take it the Santa Fe garage is in close proximity? Where is Santa Fe garage in relation to the Continental Resources move?

Larry, I'm glad to have provided you some amusement. But you don't have any answers to your questions, either. You just assume that every new downtown employee will require a parking spot and you have absolutely no way of knowing that. Even those who don't live downtown or take public transportation can participate in carpooling. Please try to find a few more negative aspects to downtown growth if you can so we can send all developments to the burbs. I suspect that Enogex didn't make this decision and afterwards suddenly decide "Whoops, where will my employees park and how can they afford it."

Architect2010
07-06-2011, 01:18 AM
Larry. You are incredibly pessimistic, and you EMBRACE that. It's terrifying. ;]

bombermwc
07-06-2011, 06:49 AM
That $5+ charge per day is my #1 complaint for any downtown parking. For a good salary employee, it's not a big deal to spend an extra $100 a month if that's where the job is. But for an entry level worker, parking can consist of almost a 1/10 of their take home pay folks. You're talking about the bread and butter of any medium and large size company. It's a HUGE burdon for those people. So, for example, you take the janitor for Enogex. You're now telling that person that they can expect to have a pay cut of $1200 a year just to be able to park at their job compared to free parking before. For those of us with comfortable salaries, we don't really think about it because it's not a big problem for us. But for some people, that is a HUUUUUGE deal.

Unless you take the approach of working out a deal where your employees park for free somewhere and your company absorbs the cost, then you're shafting your employee.

And just for the record, i don't mind walking a few blocks. Remember I'm the one that complains about people driving their car from one store to the next in a strip mall. I walk the 1/2 mile from one end to the other...even with a stroller with 2 kids in it.

If you move downtown, yes there is more of a delay in getting to your desk...that's part of the world of being in an urban jungle. You just have to personally add more time to your commute to make it happen.

My #2 gripe is the availability of spaces. We see crap thrown out from the city about how many spaces there are...blah blah. If we didn't need more spaces, then why did we have a couple of new massive parking garages that were built at Galleria? Did we not need a garage at the county courthouse either. We've added spaces after years of people complaining and the parking authority ignoring it because it would mean more spaces...ie more supply...so they can't justify the cost as much. It's a lame arguement and we just flat don't have enough parking. And a lot of it is in the WRONG place. I don't often see Santa Fe full. Why is that? Because people don't want to park there and then walk halfway across downtown either. That can add another 20 minutes to the commute. There's a difference in adding a few minutes to get a couple blocks and the city saying, "hey we have 1000 spaces 1/4 mile away, just use that". Would you like it if the city put a parking lot in your neighborhood and told everyone to use it rather than their own driveway? I don't think so.

And just by saying there isn't a problem, doesn't make the problem go away. That's the city's role in this fun. Ignore it.

BoulderSooner
07-06-2011, 07:31 AM
5 bucks to park downtown is nothing ... in denver several of the central lots charge 15-20 bucks a day of course you can park a couple of block away for 5 bucks or you can park further away and take the lightrail/streetcar somethign that will be coming soon to our downtown

Rover
07-06-2011, 07:56 AM
LOL. New York City - $15-65 per day. On an hourly rate it will be from $10-20 an hour. And people walk blocks. Our whole downtown would be considered an easy walk from any downtown lot. Or in a commute, they still have to walk several blocks for a subway unless they are right on the line. People here are spoiled and I think a little lazy.

BDP
07-06-2011, 09:19 AM
That said, I take it the Santa Fe garage is in close proximity? Where is Santa Fe garage in relation to the Continental Resources move?

I'll try and be nice, but really, Larry, you're complaining about a parking problem downtown, yet you don't even know where one of the largest parking structures downtown is or its proximity to Continental Resources future location?

Seriously, there is parking all over downtown and I even park on the street all of the time with little problem. Maybe downtown's parking problem is simply that you don't know where to park...

BDP
07-06-2011, 09:49 AM
If you move downtown, yes there is more of a delay in getting to your desk...that's part of the world of being in an urban jungle. You just have to personally add more time to your commute to make it happen.

Maybe. But you can subtract the time it takes you to do a lot of pre and post work errands and you don't have to bring lunch every day to stay within your alloted lunch break time. (and, thanks for the chuckle... "urban jungle"... ha! :) )



If we didn't need more spaces, then why did we have a couple of new massive parking garages that were built at Galleria?

This is the laziness factor. I know you are not afflicted with this, but many are and despite the fact that most companies in most major cities would not have to incur the cost and allocation of real estate to supply such parking saturation, here you have to just to make it so that most people can park and get to their office without ever encountering a cross walk, because they would otherwise cry "parking problem!".


Because people don't want to park there and then walk halfway across downtown either. That can add another 20 minutes to the commute.

Whoa... what downtown are we talking about? 20 minutes from Santa Fe to the middle of downtown? Even if that were true, I can guarantee you it wouldn't take 20 minutes to walk from one major garage to another, and that's the real measurement: How far away is the farthest destination from a parking garage. No way it's 20 minutes. I know that I can walk from Park to the Ford Center in about 10 minutes and I'll walk past at least 3 good sized parking garages in that span.



There's a difference in adding a few minutes to get a couple blocks and the city saying, "hey we have 1000 spaces 1/4 mile away, just use that". Would you like it if the city put a parking lot in your neighborhood and told everyone to use it rather than their own driveway? I don't think so.

If we didn't have driveways and there were stores, restaurants, and other services between that garage and my house, I wouldn't mind. In fact, that sounds nice.

It's hilarious because there are places where millions of people live and work where it may take you 45 minutes just to find a parking space within a quarter of a mile of your destination. We have, what, maybe 48 square blocks in our CBD with a small fraction of the city's work force working there with parking within two blocks of every destination and we have a parking problem? You're going to walk AT MOST 5 blocks. That's about 15 minutes max. However, many have parking where they don't even hit a crosswalk on the way to their office.

Now, if people here really think we will have a parking problem downtown until we can eliminate the need to use a crosswalk for every worker on the way to their office and do it for free... well, then I guess we're screwed, because I don't think any city core has ever pulled that off in history. And to do so would probably eliminate just about every advantage urban areas have by using up all the real estate for cars and not people. I think this is just another case where a company compared the advantages of being in the suburbs and being downtown and found that, for them, there are plenty of benefits to being downtown that more than outweigh the possible inconvenience of adding a 10 minute walk to the workers day because of parking.

Of Sound Mind
07-06-2011, 10:03 AM
Nice post, BDP.

I work downtown. I love working downtown. I walk two blocks from the parking garage where I park to Leadership Square where I work. It's no big deal. And it certainly doesn't add much time to my daily commute to and from work. From my vantage point, it's a lot of belly-aching based on very little actual experience.

Larry OKC
07-06-2011, 10:15 AM
I'll try and be nice, but really, Larry, you're complaining about a parking problem downtown, yet you don't even know where one of the largest parking structures downtown is or its proximity to Continental Resources future location?

Seriously, there is parking all over downtown and I even park on the street all of the time with little problem. Maybe downtown's parking problem is simply that you don't know where to park...

Thank you for taking the effort to be nice. It can be a challenge sometimes (I fall guilty of that temptation myself from time to time). It is because of the fact that whenever I have had a NEED to go downtown I didn't know where to park etc, and the only things you notice are the $5 here $10 there sort of things. That puts me off of wanting to return voluntarily. I know I am not the only one. For those that know all of the in/outs thats great. more power to you. if our relatively "cheap" DT parking fees aren't a detriment to you, again great! More power to you. But they are to others. The fact that it costs even more in other Cities makes me less inclined to move there (along with other higher cost of living items). So I will stay here.

i like many others are used to free parking that is in very close proximity to the place I want to go to. Simple fact. If given a choice, I am going to go where there isn't a similar "parking problem" (also the reason I avoid Malls during the Christmas season unless I absolutely have to, not because of cost but proximity).

Larry OKC
07-06-2011, 10:16 AM
LOL. New York City - $15-65 per day. On an hourly rate it will be from $10-20 an hour. And people walk blocks. Our whole downtown would be considered an easy walk from any downtown lot. Or in a commute, they still have to walk several blocks for a subway unless they are right on the line. People here are spoiled and I think a little lazy.

Then it shouldn't be a problem convincing everyone in NYC to move here and live/work DT. Go for it! LOL

Pete
07-06-2011, 10:25 AM
Due to the compact nature of downtown, no parking garage is more than .25 miles from any office building (and of course, in most cases it's much closer than that).

The average person walks 3 MPH, so that means the longest possible walk from parking to office is 5 minutes.

Just the facts
07-06-2011, 10:28 AM
If only OKC had some kind of transit system that would allow someone to park for free on the edge of downtown and ride it to within 50' of their final destination.

I also wish someone would create a Downtown OKC App for Android and iPhone. They could include a parking feature that shows the parking garages, rates, and location on map. When the new smart parking meters are installed you could even see how much time is left on your meter, pay from your phone, or see where open spaces are (and have your phone route you to it). Then Larry and Bombermwc could launch their app, find a parking spot close to their destination at whatever price point they choose, and problem solved.

kevinpate
07-06-2011, 10:52 AM
... The average person walks 3 MPH, so that means the longest possible walk from parking to office is 5 minutes.

You've been gone too long Pete. Some of us don't walk. We still mosey. That five minute walk can consume a solid 20 minutes, or more, when ya mosey. <VBG>