Wasn't it just this past summer that the Council went round-n-round on the whole sign ordinance thing? Hard to believe no one thought about this before now. LOL
Wasn't it just this past summer that the Council went round-n-round on the whole sign ordinance thing? Hard to believe no one thought about this before now. LOL
i don't see a problem with this .. the sign on the chamber building was at 4th and broadway ... this is facing reno and the Cox building .. and it will be a great addition to our building
Well in 99% of the cases, I would agree that the sign ordinance thing is good. We don't need people putting crap up around homes and making a bunch of light pollution at night. That's why variances exist though. A sign placed in downtown between the two arenas, no where near any residential stuff is fine. You can grant a variance while maintaining the ordinance.
You don't want ordinances being no-tolerance policies folks. The NTP is the mark of an idiot....flash with no brain. You always want to be able to have special cases discussed.
Although this isn't strictly on topic, I know we've had discussions about whether renovating the arena to bring a team here was "worth the money". I've always maintained that the positive press the city gets is immeasurable. Today I had received some proof. I'm in Chicago visiting my daughters and the Thunder came up. My younger daughter said, "It's the funniest thing....whenever anyone asks me where I am from and I tell them they immediately say some variation on, 'Oh, you have the Thunder and Kevin Durant. Cool.'" Ten years ago, I don't think anyoen would have said anything but. "Oh" to her, or "Is that where they had that bombing?"
If there were a like button for this post, I would push it. I've seen the same thing everywhere I go. People now associate us with things like the NBA, economic growth and sustainability, and energy (business, towers, etc.). That's a huge change. I think the improvements to the arena will help slightly as far as public perception goes. It will make it appear more like a "big league" arena, rather than just a simple building that houses one of the best NBA teams in the country.
I'm all for the OKC Arena upgrades. Still am confused about the elaborate main entrance for the Southwest side. Seems to be a cart before horse theory. The bulk of attendees will be coming from and entering from the north, and the "boulevard" is a long, long way off, so why build it on the SW side?
So today I went to a movie in Chicago. Prior to the movie there was a 5 minute ad for the All Star game and the NBA in general. There were only a few teams featured, but multiple shots of the Thunder and the OKC arena, probably as many as any other team. Again, we are getting an incredible amount of publicity from the Thunder. Also, announcers on the television here are calling them "Oklahoma City" rather than the Thunder, I've noticed. We are getting our money's worth with this team in so many ways.
I sincerely hope that is the case, and if it is, the City needs to be banking all of that money coming from it to pay for the replacement arena. Or better yet, let the private, for profit owners of the team pay for their own new arena (place of business). Let the flaming commence....
How much of the Ford Center (Im not gonna call it what it's called now) can you see from Bricktown? Not much. Pretty much only right when you get up on it (on the west side of the railroad wall). The SW corner accommodates a wide open angle of the arena and downtown especially for night sky shots when the games are being broadcast nationally.
ON the South side of the building, they couldn't build an entrance before because of I-40. And there was no reason to at that time. It was a one-sided entrance building. When I-40 is gone (remember that portion of the highway is destined to NOT be elevated anymore and come done...see the Robinson exit information), then there will be room and you won't have to park and then walk around the entire building to get in. It's more of a convenience thing for access from all sides.
And as for public/private - I think between the 3 arenas in town, OKC has proven that when a city keeps its head on its shoulders, it can run a facility well and still make money on it. But we also have to continue to improve the facilties. None of our arenas are historic in comparison to something like Madison Square Garden or something, so you won't see renovation after renovation. But what we do have, is an incredible position in having two lots across the street from one another.
Here's how I see it happening.....in another 20 years or so we'll be ready to look at a new arena and by that time, the new convention center is built so the Myrid is ready to come down. BAM, there's the land for the new building so there isn't anything to purchase, just some demo to do. By then, the Myriad will be 50...time to go. We'll maintain the "across-the-street" status and the Ford Center becomes what the Myriad is now...the secondary arena for meetings, hockey, etc. The hand-me-down's from one arena to the other have done great things for the Myriad in terms of updating it lately (ie the scoreboard from the Ford Center), so we are really in a good place to continue. I think the city sees the value in what is here with the Ford Center and the Thunder. Now the question is, can we maintain that in the future or will one side become greedy and think they deserve more of the pie?
Take a look at a google map or something. The footprint of the Myriad site is almost double that of the Ford Center. The concern should actually be looking at having the one that goes on the current Ford Center site. The Myriad has a plot as large as the Myriad Gardens, while the Ford Center has a little over half of that. They made it "work" by angling the arena on a 45.
I think that the new entrance is as much about creating more space as it is about a new entrance. The southwest corner is really the only area where the arena could be expanded. When I-40 opens next year Robinson will become a primary route of entry into dowtown for westbound interstate drivers.
I think that the 1st stretch of the new Blvd. will be in front of the new Grand Entry. That stretch might be usable sooner than most think.
Wasn't the LED screen going to be right above the future SW entrance? Isn't that what the renderings suggested? Or is that just static Thunder advertisement?
Just as is done in most cities for most professional teams. For the nth time: we are a very small market. We didn't pay a penny to help purchase the Thunder. Bennett has spent almost half a billion dollars to bring a team to OKC. That team has immeasurably enhanced quality of life, civic pride and national and international awareness of our city. Most NBA teams make very little money or operate in the red. It will take the owners decades to break even on their investment, most likely. We are not sharing Bennetts financial risk. I consider it well worth a few pennies a day for a few years, personally.
Betts,
Some will never understand the significant (personal and financial)costs expended by this teams owners (esp Mr. Bennett) to bring world class basketball to OKC. For all the reasons you stated people like me who live out of State buy season tickets to the Thunder because we understand the "value" of them being in my home State. As I have said on numerous occassions, I hope the owners make lots of money! the exposure OKC is receiving across the nation as a result of Basketball has been tremendous. I am extremely proud to talk about, brag about, wear the gear and promote the team and my home State, you cannot place a monetary value on that. Go Thunder!
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