see above^

I meant photos, not renderings. :)

How is this reflective material going to look in 5 years?

I don't know. A lot depends on maintenance. Leadership Square seems to be holding up pretty well.

EDIT: Malibu, I'm not sure it exisits yet.

The reason I asked about photos is because Metro said it looks much different in person.


Here's a rendering I found on their website that shows the garage in the background and their planned buildings in gray:

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/ches5a.jpg

Also, they have some cool videos on their site:

Corporate Campus (http://www.chkenergy.com/Video/Video.aspx?id=2&type=1)

Boathouse (http://www.chkenergy.com/Video/Commercial.aspx?id=1&type=1)

The reason I asked about photos is because Metro said it looks much different in person.


Here's a rendering I found on their website that shows the garage in the background and their planned buildings in gray:

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/ches5a.jpg


Just think what that would have looked like going vertical downtown.

CHK has built almost 600,000 square feet at that site to date and have immediate plans for another 300,000.

That's equivalent to a 50-story building.

I agree with CuatroDeMayo, if you go drive by in person, it's alot more asthetically appealing than the renderings show it. Do you honestly think Chesapeake would build something so hideous to match their Victorian style campus?

I'm pretty sure those buildings are Georgian in design, not Victorian.

Victorian...
http://www.historicsmithfield.org/images/Photos/PD_Gwaltney_House_2/PD_Gwaltney_2.jpg

And Georgian....
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Osulibrary.jpg

Fri August 3, 2007
Chesapeake purchases more property north of NW 63
(newly acquired properties shown in blue below)

By Sara Ganus
Business Writer

If it wasn't obvious already, Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s plan to increase its presence north of NW 63 has become even more evident with another property acquisition.


After purchasing Nichols Hills Plaza and the shopping strip at N Western and Avondale avenues in 2005, the company recently bought the property off the northeast corner of Western Avenue and NW 63, which includes Bank 7, 63rd Street Package Store, Irma's Burger Shack and Wild Birds Unlimited.

Tom Price Jr., Chesapeake's senior vice president of corporate development, would not disclose financial terms of the deal or tenant contracts but confirmed the company purchased the property from Andrews Family Trust.

"I'd be happy to tell you the reason why we've done it, and that is it's in very close proximity to our campus and we may use it to either further expand our campus or strictly just to control the quality and commitment of the ownership of neighboring properties to our campus here,� he said.

Price had no further comments.

Tenants said they were informed of the purchase last week.

Wilda Sawyer, owner of 63rd Street Package Store, 6409 N Olie Ave., said she wasn't surprised by the announcement. Her business relocated from across the street two years ago after Chesapeake purchased that property.

"There's no doubt in your mind that they'll be buying us out,� Sawyer said. "I'm sure that's what they're going to do. I'm sure it will affect us somewhere sooner or later.�

Still, Sawyer said she will be under contract for the next "several years� and isn't worried about relocating at the moment.

"We have quite some time yet to go,� he said.

Linda Lee, one of the owners of Irma's Burger Shack at 1035 NW 63, believes the acquisition is a positive change for the area.

"Everything that (Chesapeake Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Aubrey McClendon) has purchased and bought he's turned into beauty — he's done landscaping and all that — and I'm excited,� she said.

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/nhp5.jpg

Having just visited Dallas and driven along Legacy Drive by the massive campuses for JC Penney's and Frito Lay, the opening line of this thread came to mind - calling into question the Chesapeake campus sprawl. JC Penney's has a 1,930,000 sq. ft. home office, for 4,000 employees, on a 429-acre site. Frito Lay has 2,500 employees on 297 acres. EDS, also on Legacy, has a multi-building campus that totals 2,321,000 sq. ft. and can accommodate 10,000 employees (165 acres).

None of these campuses have buildings taller than Chesapeake.

The main difference is that when Frito Lay built, there wasn't an existing neighborhood or community surrounding it. While the corporate community on Legacy brags today about infrastructure, Legacy Drive has been substantially expanded and the nearby Dallas North Tollway, which now moves hundreds of thousands of vehicles fairly efficiently each day, didn't even make it to Corporate Headquarters drive until 1994. It has since been extended to TX-121 and now Gaylord Parkway (Frisco).

The points:

1. If Dallas isn't building up, why would OKC? Name the corporate HQ's in a single skyscraper along 635, 75 or DNT in Dallas that house as many employees and contain as many SQ FT as Chesapeake, Penney's or Frito Lay. Every time you pass a skyscraper outside of downtown Dallas, it is along one of those highways and while it may have one name on the outside, it houses dozens of tenants. That isn't a corporate HQ. For that matter, name a corp HQ in any city where a single corporation is the only tenant in a single skyscraper that doesn't have a concentration of at least 500 employees in some other urban sprawl campus. It's tough....

2. If you build it, the infrastructure will come. Preston (parallel to DNT), Legacy and other roads look great today but they are much more substantial than when these campuses began. The fact that the 1994 extension of DNT dumped you off at Corporate Headquarters Drive demonstrates the power of the installed base versus the potential worker base. If anything can move the long overdue I-44/Broadway interchange along, it should be Chesapeake. Ditto light rail from downtown OKC to Edmond. If they want it, it will happen.

3. This isn't apples and oranges. Legacy Drive is now surrounded by housing and other corporations have added their HQ campuses but no one company has had to do the land acquisition of improved properties that Chesapeake has done to-date. The points herein address the issue of low rise buildings that sprawl and are surrounded by mix development and housing. The acquisitions for Chesapeake are just a result of where they initially developed - and as someone who has frequented Western Avenue since 1978, I can say that 90% of it has been a substantial improvement. (I still miss the bridge - can't let go of those high school rivalries.) While the initial land purchase may have been shortsighted in terms of long term growth, would you rather they be doing this in Yukon, NE Edmond, South Norman or some other remote location. Where would this board be if they weren't impacting our lives everyday? LOL

Good points bwana but...

Dallas has also built a ton of tall buildings not only downtown but all over in the last 20 years, where OKC has not.

If every significant corporate development in Dallas were like Legacy Drive, don't you think people there would be raising some of the same issues, particularly if there downtown office market was completely stagnant for decades?

I noted the skyscrapers - tall buildings - along I-635, the North Dallas Tollway, US-75 (aka, Central Expressway) in Dallas but the point is that those buildings are not unlike the Oil Center or 50 Penn Place that dot NW Expressway in OKC: they are designed as multi-tenant buildings, not single corporate headquarters. Many employees/employers favor the campus setting, despite the sprawl and need to walk distances, over the high rise corporate silo. Perhaps we think more expansively in a horizontal, rather than vertical, orientation. I lived in Portland, Oregon for 10 years and despite their sanctity for the environment and adoption of a master development plan that calls for the densest population growth in the US, most companies - be they Intel, Nike or whomever, develop 75+ acres sites with multiple buildings that are low rise. Ditto Oracle in CA or similar Silicon Valley corporations. My thought is that most high rise buildings are created for reasons that are not issues in OKC: high square foot cost of land, development ordinances restricting growth in urban areas, high number of Class A tenants willing to populate a single building with high percentage of offsite parking. The development of new high rise buildings in OKC will signal changes in one of these factors, most likely the latter. If an existing company wants a major local or regional office in OKC, the high rise is attractive - particularly if they can put their name on the outside. It gives their presence high visibility and instant prestige. We just don't have a high number of those situations occurring today. EDS, as an example, isn't looking to populate 10-20 floors of a 30 story building in OKC. When they do, look out!

As much as I'd like to see a new tower downtown, I can't really fault Chesapeake. They've built a nice looking campus and they take care of their area. I love driving down Western at Christmas to see all the lights that Chesapeake puts out. They really take pride in their campus. Now if they'd built several sparwling metal buildings, then I'd really have a problem with it. I think of this as our little version of the Microsoft campus or the Nike campus etc.

I can't fault CHK either, especially since they helped broker SandRidge's acquisition of the Kerr McGee building.

And as previously posted, I'm started to get excited about what they can do with Nichols Hills Plaza. Buying the NE corner means they can really make that intersection look very nice and I'm still hoping they'll build a true Utica Square-like development when the time is right.

xx

xx

I apologize for the preceding posts, I'm new to the site and made an error. What I was trying to convey is that along Classen north of 63rd there is a considerable spate of activity and I'm wondering if anyone has thoughts about it. First an entity acquired in the past couple of years roughly the west half of the block east of Classen between 67th and 68th streets and that land is being cleared, nearly done.
Second the medians on Classen north of 63rd are being landscaped in the Chesapeake style up to at least 68th and there is indication they may go further.
Third the Classen roadbed is being repaired from 63rd up to about 71st. A lot of activity suddenly.

gcald, CHK owns a lot of the property north of 63rd between Western & Classen.

In fact, other than the office building on the NW corner of 63rd & Classen, CHK owns most the property between there and 67th and a smattering up until about 72nd.

My guess is they want to make all that retail at some point to compliment the total re-do of NH Plaza.

My husband has dealings in the oil and gas industry and when he tells people from other states were he lives they all comment about the campus that Chesapeake has built themselves here. It may not be high profile in the literal sense but it surely is known around the country as being quite impressive. Just because we can't see it from several miles around does not mean it is not "seen".

gcald, CHK owns a lot of the property north of 63rd between Western & Classen.

In fact, other than the office building on the NW corner of 63rd & Classen, CHK owns most the property between there and 67th and a smattering up until about 72nd.

My guess is they want to make all that retail at some point to compliment the total re-do of NH Plaza.

I've been told Clay wants to build a "Chesapeake Village" in the area surrounding his campus, to include housing and businesses such as grocery, pharmacy, dry cleaning, etc., as well as a hospital. And I would assume the piece de resistance will be the Plaze, which will probably be primarily commercial/upscale retail, since he may not get permission to add a third floor, which would have been lofts or condos.

You mean Aubrey?

Whoops, yes Aubrey. I guess I have Sonics on the brain.

I'm just tired of them taking places piece by piece up there than have been staple businesses of the area for decades. If they start taking places like Flips, I'm gonna go brazerk. Things like the burger joint, ok whatever, and they are paying WELL for these places. But where does it stop? At what point do you tell them ENOUGH.

I believe Jeff Records owns the land Flips is on, so that won't be going. I don't think there's any way to say enough is enough unless people don't sell. And Aubrey pays top dollar so everyone is happy to sell. I've got a friend who swore he wouldn't, until he got the offer.

bombermwc, what are the businesses that are gone now, but should have remained??

Other than Pearls I can't think of any.

The one thing that does concern me is that they have removed lots of businesses (Pearls, Wendys, Subway, Laredo and soon to be Irmas and others) and have replaced them with their own internal services, like a company cafeteria. So effectively, they are removing public services and replacing them with private ones.

I'm sure that will change at some point but I have the feeling lots more businesses are going to close before they get to the point of adding anything back for the community.

bombermwc, what are the businesses that are gone now, but should have remained??

Other than Pearls I can't think of any.

Laredo's was a lunch staple for us. The owners started building on NW Expressway, but apparently ran into problems with their contractors/subcontractors. As far as I can tell, they've lost their asses on this project.

(RE: Businesses - public access to private.) Very true. In the case of Pearl's, I think the new restaurant is far superior to the old one - a very modern and comfortable facility. It has great atmosphere and good traffic/turnover when I visited recently. I hope the new location works - it is a bit off the beaten track and their neighbors to the north are not likely to recommend it. I also wish it were far closer to the original site.

Irma's has quickly become a landmark - it is hard to duplicate the cramped ambience that seems essential to their brand - although midtowner's should weigh in. Chesapeake needs Western to continue to thrive as a restaurant/retail row north of 63rd and for original concepts in that area, i.e., Flip's, to continue to prosper. If not, much of the value of the area for their employees is lost because the majority will not be indulging in daily lunches at more upscale fare that will likely come to NHP, ala The Coach House.

Regarding the new Laredo's location - is that the domed project at the old Classen circle and NW Expressway? I thought that might be another Casablanca. I never saw the sign but don't frequent that intersection too much.

Irma's has quickly become a landmark - it is hard to duplicate the cramped ambience that seems essential to their brand - although midtowner's should weigh in....

Regarding the new Laredo's location - is that the domed project at the old Classen circle and NW Expressway? I thought that might be another Casablanca. I never saw the sign but don't frequent that intersection too much.


You are right about the new Laredo's location, just next to the Chili's and IHop on the West End of the Belle Isle Plaza off of Classen. It's been in its current state for about a year now. I believe someone else in this thread noted they were having serious contractor/construction issues. I heard they'd lost their shirts more or less and that the whole thing is wrapped up in court. I don't have a source to back that up, so it may be just rumor.

As for Irma's, I tried the new Midtown restaurant for lunch last week. Staff friendly, food as good as the original, but it lacks the homey kitchen ambiance the original has, and of course, there's no patio. I wouldn't mind a repeat lunch trip to this Irma's once in a while, but it's no replacement for the real thing, that's for certain! I'd hate to see the one on 63rd go anytime soon. I actually saw Aubrey in there not too long ago eating with his wife and oldest daughter. They were on the patio next to us. Ironically, he was seated looking to the north, away from his empire, which gave me a chuckle.

I had heard that the original Irma's was going to stay as part of "The Empire".

You are right about the new Laredo's location, just next to the Chili's and IHop on the West End of the Belle Isle Plaza off of Classen. It's been in its current state for about a year now. I believe someone else in this thread noted they were having serious contractor/construction issues. I heard they'd lost their shirts more or less and that the whole thing is wrapped up in court. I don't have a source to back that up, so it may be just rumor.

I'm not sure about the contractor issue but what I do know is this. When designing the new restaurant, they decided to go bigger but did not properly anticipate the extra construction costs. They also do not believe in getting credit to build a restaurant. If you notice, they now have windows when this time last year they didn't. I have reliable sources. ;)

I had heard that the original Irma's was going to stay as part of "The Empire".

That wasn't a rumor okclee, that was published in the paper last week. I can't remember which paper (JR, OKCBusiness or Daily Disappointment). Irma's had mentioned they are staying put and not going anywhere soon. I imagine Aubrey will keep that place put for awhile at least until he gets some of his private retail going.

Something tells me Aubrey McClendon won't mess with Irma's too much. If he likes the place enough to take his family there, he will make sure that a suitable replacement location is found for them, similar to the whole thing with Pearl's.

As much as the ambiance of that old building is great, it is a little ridiculous, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind some new digs if it came to that.

Who owns Irma's? I wonder if Aubrey has a personal relationship with that ownership group...

i agree that the irma's structure on 63rd & western is a bit ridiculous... however, i think the ambiance outweighs that. the same was true with pearl's. the design of that building caused some quirkiness but it had character. while the new pearl's location is a lovely facility, it just doesn't have the character that the old one did. if irma's were to move to new digs, i think that the same would be true.

-M

^^ I think that the Pearl's situation with their old building vs. new building is what Okc is all about.

Many in Okc think that a new, planned, and well designed building is always better. That is not always the case, because you can't necessarily design character.

Amen.

^^ I think that the Pearl's situation with their old building vs. new building is what Okc is all about.

Many in Okc think that a new, planned, and well designed building is always better. That is not always the case, because you can't necessarily design character.

And Irma's is a perfect example of that. As others will discover, the Midtown Irma's is fine, but lacks is terribly lacking in ambiance - something the original Irma's has in spades. You can't put a price on character, nor attempt to replace it any cost. It simply does not work.

Thus far, CHK has not renovated anything they own... They merely completely scrape buildings then replace them with something new.

Apart from the obvious loss of history and true (versus manufactured) character, it also means they have to clear out lots of existing businesses then at some point try to get them and additional ones to come back to an area that is gradually becoming vacated (we've already lost Pearls, Wendys, Subway, Laredo and The Varsity).

My biggest fear is that they'll build some beautiful new buildings but that all the businesses in that area will have already relocated or decided just to cash their big checks and move on.

There's a long article about Aubrey and his plans in the DOK today that will undoubtedly be posted here. The quote I thought was interesting and probably refers to what I had heard about a "Chesapeake City" plan is:

"The concept we want to establish is a place where you can live, work and play,” McClendon said. "I want a place where you can walk to work, or to a restaurant, or to a bar or the cleaners ... I'm not trying to replicate anything. We're trying to do something original.”

Here you go betts:

Chesapeake CEO spends his energy on city's future

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

DRAW UP A LIST of civic leaders changing the face of Oklahoma City and it will include Aubrey McClendon.
In the past month alone, the 48-year-old chief executive of Chesapeake Energy Corp. has completed deals that include downtown's landmark Kerr-McGee tower, a large swath of land along the Oklahoma River and, of course, additions to his company's campus at NW 63 and Western.





To date, the community has been left to wonder about McClendon's grand vision — what might be the billionaire's next acquisition, what will be the city's new landmarks, and what will become of its existing landmarks?

After celebrating the opening Monday of his latest venture — the iconic "POPS” on Route 66 in Arcadia — McClendon agreed to reveal more about his vision for a city he's proud to call home.

This is clear: he's not spending time worrying about what people say about him, his company or his various projects. He points out he was considered a failure much of his career — and never discussed that failure with others. And he's not about to delve into chit-chat over his successes.


The Kerr legacy
Visitors to downtown Oklahoma City can not escape the Kerr name. When oilman Robert S. Kerr died in 1963, he not only guided the city's largest company, Kerr-McGee Corp., but was also considered the uncrowned "king of the U.S. Senate.” His name graces downtown's Kerr Park and Robert S. Kerr Avenue. And his great grand-nephew is none other than Aubrey Kerr McClendon.
"My father worked at the company for 35 years,” McClendon said. "Robert S. Kerr was my great uncle, and growing up with the name Kerr, you always paid attention to how the company was doing.”

As a child, he visited his father at work, toured the executive offices at Kerr-McGee tower as a teen, and then spent lunches at Kerr Park as a young accountant at a downtown energy company.

"I remember the concerts at the park,” McClendon said. "It was quite lively back then. Kerr-McGee was the center of the universe.”

But it wouldn't remain that way forever. When The Woodlands, Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum acquired Kerr-McGee in 2006, McClendon didn't waste time looking at ways to prevent the tower from going dark.

"I was sad like most people in Oklahoma City,” McClendon said. "It was a company around here for 77 years. I was worried about it leaving and about the impact to the community.”

His first reaction was to see whether Chesapeake Energy could move some of its employees into the downtown tower. He and a broker toured the property and talked to "our good friends at Anadarko.”

"We're always short on office space at our main complex,” McClendon said. "So we looked at it ... when we realized it wasn't going to meet our needs, we moved on.”

Within a few months, McClendon learned that Oklahoma City-based American Fidelity Assurance Co. and SandRidge Energy, a company started by his longtime partner Tom Ward, were not progressing in efforts to buy and move into the empty Kerr-McGee Tower.

That part of this story was told and celebrated over the past few weeks: McClendon, in talks to buy natural gas properties from Anadarko Petroleum, sealed the deal by including the Houston-area company's former Kerr-McGee real estate. Chesapeake, in turn, sold the downtown Kerr-McGee tower and other adjoining properties to SandRidge to become that company's new corporate headquarters.


Boom and bust survivor
The 1980s represented the best and worst of times for Oklahoma's oil and gas industry. In Oct. 1988 The Oklahoman published a brief story about Chesapeake completing a $100,000 renovation of newly acquired offices at 6104 N Western Ave. Architect Rand Elliott was to oversee design work for the 6,000-square-foot building, which Chesapeake had bought for $240,000.
McClendon graduated from Duke University and returned home in 1981 to an Oklahoma awash in oil and gas money.

"The boom was characterized by disc jockeys starting oil and gas companies,” McClendon said. "Rock band singers were becoming oil and gas guys, proverbial shoe salesmen were becoming oil and gas guys.”

McClendon was "a kid making $18,000 as an oil and gas accountant.” And he admits if he had been a couple years older, he too might have been drawn into some of the more speculative ventures that would ultimately turn into a decade-long economic depression for both the city and state.

"Tom Ward and I started Chesapeake ... at the bottom of the bust,” McClendon said. "We didn't have much money — $50,000 to start our company. The way we saw it was everybody else's difficulties and challenges might create an opportunity for us.”


Changes
On the same week that McClendon and Ward were announcing their deal with Anadarko Petroleum, Chesapeake was closing on another $10 million purchase: the Nichols Hills First Church of Christ Scientist. It is one of dozens of property transactions surrounding Chesapeake Energy's campus over the past decade.
In the 1990s, McClendon and Ward were too focused on building the company to consider how they could change their community. Early on, they decided to buy, and not lease, a corporate home. Before settling for a building in a quiet office park at NW 63 and Western, the pair looked at sites along NW 122 and May Avenue, NW 63 and Broadway Extension and downtown.

As the Chesapeake campus began to expand through the late 1990s, the public was told repeatedly McClendon had no grand plan for the area.

Elliott, who has been at McClendon's side as both an architect and friend over the past 20 years, said the expansion was a simple response to the company's growth.

McClendon no longer claims he has no grand plan. The company has hired a Boston firm, Antonio DiMambro and Associates, to draw up a 20-year master plan for the corporate campus and surrounding properties that is about 95 percent complete.

"They are a well-known urban planning firm that has done a lot of work in Fort Worth and Dallas. I took a lot of comfort that they are familiar with how people in the southwest live. I didn't want to hire people who think we're all going to get around by gondola or on bike.”

If McClendon has a favorite corporate campus or urban center that he has visited elsewhere, he won't share it with others. He doesn't want the Chesapeake campus compared to anywhere else.

"The concept we want to establish is a place where you can live, work and play,” McClendon said. "I want a place where you can walk to work, or to a restaurant, or to a bar or the cleaners ... I'm not trying to replicate anything. We're trying to do something original.”

McClendon is often asked about Nichols Hills Shopping Plaza, which the company acquired in 2005. Some people have suggested keeping it as is while others suggest razing it and starting from scratch. He said plans include modifications — but the extent of such changes will depend on talks with Nichols Hills city leaders.

The company's latest real estate acquisition adjoining the campus includes Irma's Burger Shack — a popular eatery where the building is considered charming partially because its construction and tight sloped footprint probably wouldn't be considered by today's builders.

Irma's, he said, has a long lease and won't be going away anytime soon. But he won't rule out the chance that a building considered unique or historic by some can't ultimately be torn down and replaced.

"All change can be disrupting to people,” McClendon said. "There are things in my life I don't want to change, that I get accustomed to. But that's the story of human history, of world progress.”

More acquisitions are almost a certainty. McClendon said the master plan will require a couple of parcels the company doesn't own, so details probably won't be shared with the public until those transactions are complete. All three Oklahoma County Commissioners have been approached about the possibility of Chesapeake buying the neighboring juvenile detention center as part of a plan to either expand the county jail or build a new facility.

"We've said we'll do everything we can to be helpful,” McClendon said. "It will be a slow process. A lot of money to raise and spend to make it all happen. ... We would like to help the city and county. It would be a classic win-win for all.”


Arcadia and the Oklahoma River
Billboards remind travelers that McClendon's interests go beyond NW 63 and Western Avenue. Travelers along Interstate 35 are being steered onto old Route 66, where "POPS” — a gas station/convenience store/cafe tribute to soda pop — opened Monday and seems destined to become an instant Route 66 icon. The deal with Anadarko and SandRidge, meanwhile, included a large swath of land at Western Avenue and the Oklahoma River that is across from the former Downtown Airpark being developed by former Mayor Kirk Humphreys.
When McClendon first began buying property in Arcadia, his initial energies went into developing a tree farm that now boasts thousands of plantings destined to add some green to the historically prairielike Oklahoma County. McClendon isn't worrying about the wrong development rising up around "POPS” — he already has secured surrounding properties. He predicts Arcadia will become a development hot spot in the future.

McClendon also has visited with Kirk Humphreys and his son Grant about their plans for the airpark property on the Oklahoma River and has assured them he wants to see Chesapeake's riverfront tie into their plans.

He expresses a love for Oklahoma City, and hopes his children, now in high school and college, might find it offers enough for them to still call it home, as well.

"They're not going to work at Chesapeake,” McClendon says. "They are independent, smart kids ... they'll find their own way in the world. I hope they'll recognize this is a great place to make a living, raise children and pursue your faith. And that's something that is harder to do in bigger cities.”

It sounds very much like he wants to scrape places like Irma's and NH Plaza if he can just get the various municipalities and leaders to go along.

I think this is why he's so incredibly tight-lipped about his plans. It's clear they are very ambitious and no doubt will involve removing lots of existing properties.

I am very uncomfortable about this.

There are a few "Irmas" in the area that are great and full of character. But most of the land he's bought is full of uuuuuugly buildings built in the 60's and 70's and houses that are not particulary significant architecturally and would need to be gutted to be renovated. I suspect he wants a planned community similar to Seaside and others of it's ilk. As long as every house or condo doesn't look exactly like a mini Chesapeake building, and as long as you don't "owe your soul to the company store", I think it's fine. Nichols Hills is already a community similar to that: you can walk to the Plaza, which has a grocery store and pharmacy, and you could walk to Chesapeake or the other businesses in the area. That's actually one of my favorite things about the neighborhood. It feels like a small town. It may be that he wants the same for thing for his employees who cannot afford to live in Nichols Hills.

I'm picturing Plano. Yuck.

sorry, but I can't go along with all this...AM is not doing this for the goodness of all. I think in time the real story behind all this goodness will come out or the bottom will drop out of the oil/gas boom and well, you know the rest of the story...

The great thing is, CHK is quite a lot more shielded from energy crises than the average energy company, because of all the raw real estate they own around the state under various subsidiaries.

I'm not feeling mixed use vibes from the CHK campus yet. I think it would be nice for them to acquire the juvie property so that they could at least briefly postpone any demolition of the retail properties. I wish they would just build a little denser and they wouldn't have to worry about hurting the feelings of famous local businesses and the customers who frequent them.

I hear that they would have already bought the Juvenile facility along time ago but the County Commissioners want to use it as a pawn in an upcoming election so we can get a new jail, etc. Otherwise, they're afraid the bond won't pass to build a new jail on it's own, they need the juvenile facility as leverage. We all know from the money Chesapeake pays for the facility PLUS a bond issue. We could build them all a 5 star resort on the outskirts of town. Personally, I think we should do it, the money from Chesapeake will be generous and is obviously private money so it's not costing us tax payers. Plus it gets lawbreakers out of the heart of the city, and I'd LOVEEEEEEEE to see the County Jail move out of the downtown area and move it on the outskirts of town. Tear it down, and have the land available for future downtown development.

Nichols Hills look at city hall swap deal
By Robert Medley Staff Writer
Robert Medley: 475-3566, rmedley@oklahoman.com

NICHOLS HILLS — An offer to Nichols Hills city officials from Chesapeake Energy Corp. to relocate city hall to a church building will be explored soon by a committee, City Manager David Poole said.

Chesapeake has purchased the Christian Science Church at 1203 Sherwood Lane, a company spokesman said.

In two years, the church will relocate, leaving the building empty. Chesapeake officials want to acquire the current Nichols Hills city hall, 6407 Avondale Drive. The building, near Nichols Hills Plaza, also houses police and fire services. Chesapeake bought Nichols Hills Plaza two years ago.

Chesapeake officials are willing to swap for the church building, Poole said.
He said a committee of three will be appointed Sept. 14 by Nichols Hills city councilors.

There's a NH meeting tonight to begin talks about plans for the Nichols Hills Plaza. I'm going to try and go and will report back if there's any interesting news.

That would be great, betts.

Sounds like CHK is trying to get all their ducks in a row so they can start moving forward in the near future. Since the church won't be vacating for a couple of years, that gives them plenty of time to get things smoothed over.

I'd love to see some preliminary renderings of what they have in mind for that site.

There was a brief article in this morning's Wall St. Journal which stated that CHK has embarked on a substantial cost-cutting campaign. It will be interesting to see whether this will have any effect upon their planned real estate developments.

I couldn't make it to the meeting Tuesday night, but I'll find out what I can about what went on. Here's what I read about Chesapeake's land sales in the Motley Fool, FWIW:

By David Lee Smith September 6, 2007
6
Recommendations
Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) is taking steps to deal with sliding natural gas prices and the progressively louder sounds of credit being crunched. The company, which is a Motley Fool Inside Value selection, will deal with these probably somewhat temporary maladies by lowering its production rate, selling marginal properties, trimming its drilling program, and spinning off its midstream operations.

Management of the rapidly growing Oklahoma City-based company has hired the energy consulting firm of Jefferies Randall & Dewey to help market stakes it currently holds in properties in Kentucky and West Virginia. Those properties include about 1.5% of Chesapeake's total reserves and production, and they're expected to fetch about $550 million for the company. They will be the first to go in a planned program that the company has put in place to raise about $2 billion through property sales each six months during the next two years.

At the same time, the company will reduce its current production by about 6%, cut drilling expenditures by about 10% for the next two years, and divest its midstream assets into a master limited partnership or other structure. All in all, Chesapeake expects to monetize about $3.5 billion in assets that it believes aren't reflected in its current market valuation.

In the less than two decades since it was founded, Chesapeake has blown past industry leader ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and such other U.S. independent producers Apache (NYSE: APA), Anadarko (NYSE: APC), and Devon (NYSE: DVN) to become the third-largest domestic natural gas producer. In terms of U.S. production, it trails only giants BP (NYSE: BP) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). When he released results for the company's June quarter, CEO Aubrey McClendon predicted that some time next year the company will move into first place. The company is also in the process of drilling several dozen wells at the Dallas Fort Worth Regional Airport, which rests atop the Fort Worth Barnett Shale, a play management has called the company's most important growth area.

But in the past six weeks, with gas prices sliding and a generalized credit tightening fueling concerns about the company's ability to fund all of its programs, its share price has dropped about 10% to Wednesday's close at $33.89. Tuesday's announced program appears to be a sensible way of dealing with recently changed circumstances.

For instance, the planned property sales clearly involve areas of less importance and promise than, for instance, the Barnett or the Ark-La-Tex, and it's not the role of any producing company to become property pack rats. On the drilling front, I've long been amazed at the scope of Chesapeake's program, so a slight pullback actually could be beneficial. And I won't be saddened to see the midstream separated off. The company's strength has been in finding gas in a concentrated manner, and there seems little to be lost from the spinoff.

All in all, these announced steps seem reflective of a capable and decisive management team that realizes that changing times frequently demand altered approaches.

[QUOTE=MalibuSooner;80049]I took a stab at plotting all the properites they own near 63rd & Western.

The different colors are used just to show they are all separate tracts acquired in multiple transactions.

They also own quite a few properties south of I-44 in the Western corridor and a few others around town that I'll plot later.

--nice map excluded--

Interesting to note that the property just south of 63rd, on the west side of Classen (6213 North Classen), has been demolished, but no mention of a sale on the County Assessor's site.... hmmmm, how do you manage that, I wonder? It's been down for several weeks now... I understand that a last, best final offer has been made to the few homeowners to the east... I suppose CHK is trying to make sure as little information is provided as possible to anyone else with land they would like to obtain. I suppose some type of eminent domain deal with the city is next for them....:fighting4

Your map is great!

I need to update all my maps and aerials because CHK has bought several more properties in the area just in the last few months.

That area east of Classen is really a ghost town now. A lot of properties have been demolished and the ones that remain look largely vacant.

Also, Pearls and the other properties on the south side of 63rd are already torn down, which is strange because I don't think Chesapeake has any immediate plans for those properties. At least none they've talked about.


In another thread, betts mentioned CHK is also acquiring the Metromark condos behind NH Plaza. That means they may soon own everything between Grand and Western and could create a development there almost the size of Utica Square, especially if they include some of the properties they own east of Western.

Rumor has it Aubrey wants to build a Chesapeake Village, similar to what Sprint and Google apparently have. It's supposed to have houses, retail such as grocery stores and pharmacies, even a mini hospital. I'm guessing that will go between Wilshire and 63rd, Santa Fe and Western, since he owns so much of that land. Grandmark and the other two apartment buildings on Grand are supposed to be incorporated into the new Nichols Jills Plaza. One of the councilmen for Nichols Hills says the Plaza is on a 5 year timeline, and they're working on establishing guidelines for it right now, as well as working out whether they will trade the existing City Hall and Fire Department for the First Church of Christ Scientist, which would allow Aubrey to expand the Plaza to Western. He's supposedly also trying to buy the office building south of Starbucks which belongs to Jeff Records right now.

Chesapeake buys gas stations, building
by Kelley Chambers
The Journal Record February 7, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Three purchases in late January secured two gas stations and an industrial property for Chesapeake Land Co. in close proximity to the main campus of Chesapeake Energy Corp. at NW 63rd Street and Western Avenue.

The most recent purchases include a Shell station at 6405 N. Western Ave. for $3 million; a Conoco Save-A-Stop/ND Foods at 5022 N. Western Ave. for $1.2 million; and a light industrial building, with about 1 acre of vacant land, at 900 NW 58th St. for $2 million.

The Shell station is just another piece in the puzzle as Chesapeake has purchased many of the surrounding properties over the past few years. The company declined to comment on any specific plans for the newly purchased properties.

One key purchase was the Nichols Hills Plaza shopping center, which wraps around the station on the north and west sides.

Chesapeake purchased the center in 2006 for $27.5 million. Since then, in addition to other purchases in the area, the company has secured most of the property at the intersection and in close proximity on Western Avenue and NW 63rd Street.

The Shell station was sold by the Jack W. Owens Trust. In 2007, the Oklahoma County assessor’s office listed the market value of that station, built in 1969, at nearly $201,000.

The Conoco, however, is not in as close proximity, and sits at the intersection of Western Avenue and NW 50th Street just south of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School.

The seller of the Conoco station and shop, built in 1968, was Metro Mart Inc. Its market value according to county records for 2007 was just over $200,000.
The purchase of the 3,456-square-foot light industrial building, and nearly 1 acre of land, was sold by Cox Enterprises Ltd. The building was listed as unoccupied, and had a market value last year of nearly $144,000, according to county records.



You can see the location of the Shell Station here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/res17zef/NHP4.jpg

I'm actually quite glad they purchased the gas stations as they are an eye sore and despirately need updating. It'd be funny if Chesapeake rebranded them as their own brand of gas stations. Remember when Kerr McGee had their own gas stations??

Yea I do. My grandfather was an accountant for KMG and he only bought gas at their stations.

The only thing that worries me is the purchase of the Conoco at 50th. I've pretty much written off upper western as the Chesapeake district, but lower western has remained largely independent, which is what I think gives it its appeal. However, they bought and closed down Abraham's and have done nothing with the land. I believe they were going to build something exclusively for their employees there, but maybe it’s changed. Either way, it sits vacant today. Hopefully they have changed their minds and will keep lower western as a neighborhood area and not convert it to part of their insular master plan, as well. Western Ave is and has been a good alternative for dining, shopping, and entertainment that gives Oklahoma City some much needed character. It's still hard to tell if Chesapeake respects that or just wants to take over, as they are always silent about their master plan and never give any specifics when they buy property.