BDP
05-11-2006, 03:54 PM
While the article focused on downtown grocery and retail, I think the side bar from the article below brought up some very interesting topics that could greatly affect the direction of downtown and the city the next 10 years:
http://newsok.com/article/1840624/?template=business/main
Other comments at the Mayor's Development Roundtable
Developer Grant Humphreys expects to close on his purchase of Downtown Airpark later this month. Humphreys said he doesn't expect development to begin until work wraps up on the new alignment of Interstate 40. He is eyeing a mix of offices, housing, retail and possibly a hotel for the site.
"We've got such an opportunity in Oklahoma City to raise the bar and go for something the market has historically not supported," Humphreys said. "We are a different city now than we were in 1987."
Humphreys also suggested suburban developers be required to pay costs for road improvements and other infrastructure for housing built on the city's fringe. The comment was applauded by those from the innercity, but suburban developers stayed quiet.
Mayor Mick Cornett, meanwhile, cautioned developers not to rush to building offices and hotels along the Oklahoma River that should be built downtown.
Discussion repeatedly turned to light rail, even though it wasn't on Wednesday's agenda. Development officials from Portland, Fort Worth and Tempe, Ariz., all described commuter rail systems as being pivotal to their downtown developments as they shared ideas on how Oklahoma City can develop land along the Oklahoma River and between the new I-40 route and future downtown boulevard.
Fernando Costa, Fort Worth's planning director, said the relocation of I-40 is similar in nature to the recently completed reconstruction of Interstate 30 between Fort Worth and the Trinity River.
That project also included construction of an urban boulevard with 12 Art Deco-style sculptures. Costa warned against letting engineers control a highway's planning and design and to use the roadway to promote economic development.
Larry Kilduff, a Milwaukee consultant hired to determine if downtown can support a grocery, urged city leaders to consider closing the underground Conncourse pedestrian tunnels. He said the city is at a disadvantage luring retailers if pedestrians aren't seen on downtown sidewalks.
I love that leaders from similarly sized cities talked about issues like costs of sprawl, light rail, and developing transit routes for economic development. I particularly like the suggestion that developers should pay for infrastructure improvements if they are going to neglect the city and its current infrastructure in order to build on the fringes.
I think these issues bring to light, that while OKC has done many things since 1987, there are some big choices to make if we want to go any further. It's not time to rest. Hard decisions need to be made that will determine whether our recent improvements amount to a temporary boom or the eventual emergence of a city onto a national level.
http://newsok.com/article/1840624/?template=business/main
Other comments at the Mayor's Development Roundtable
Developer Grant Humphreys expects to close on his purchase of Downtown Airpark later this month. Humphreys said he doesn't expect development to begin until work wraps up on the new alignment of Interstate 40. He is eyeing a mix of offices, housing, retail and possibly a hotel for the site.
"We've got such an opportunity in Oklahoma City to raise the bar and go for something the market has historically not supported," Humphreys said. "We are a different city now than we were in 1987."
Humphreys also suggested suburban developers be required to pay costs for road improvements and other infrastructure for housing built on the city's fringe. The comment was applauded by those from the innercity, but suburban developers stayed quiet.
Mayor Mick Cornett, meanwhile, cautioned developers not to rush to building offices and hotels along the Oklahoma River that should be built downtown.
Discussion repeatedly turned to light rail, even though it wasn't on Wednesday's agenda. Development officials from Portland, Fort Worth and Tempe, Ariz., all described commuter rail systems as being pivotal to their downtown developments as they shared ideas on how Oklahoma City can develop land along the Oklahoma River and between the new I-40 route and future downtown boulevard.
Fernando Costa, Fort Worth's planning director, said the relocation of I-40 is similar in nature to the recently completed reconstruction of Interstate 30 between Fort Worth and the Trinity River.
That project also included construction of an urban boulevard with 12 Art Deco-style sculptures. Costa warned against letting engineers control a highway's planning and design and to use the roadway to promote economic development.
Larry Kilduff, a Milwaukee consultant hired to determine if downtown can support a grocery, urged city leaders to consider closing the underground Conncourse pedestrian tunnels. He said the city is at a disadvantage luring retailers if pedestrians aren't seen on downtown sidewalks.
I love that leaders from similarly sized cities talked about issues like costs of sprawl, light rail, and developing transit routes for economic development. I particularly like the suggestion that developers should pay for infrastructure improvements if they are going to neglect the city and its current infrastructure in order to build on the fringes.
I think these issues bring to light, that while OKC has done many things since 1987, there are some big choices to make if we want to go any further. It's not time to rest. Hard decisions need to be made that will determine whether our recent improvements amount to a temporary boom or the eventual emergence of a city onto a national level.