Oklahoma River Development

[Watson410]

Does anyone know if they're doin any cleaning up on the river near the hotels their building on Meridian?

[bombermwc]

They dredged it out like 2 years ago to widen the "banks". As for actual river work...nothing. Right now it looks like they are clearing out the debris that was burried on the hotel sites off of 15th. It's been months and months of dirt work and no real building yet....there's so much scrap concrete in that dirt it's crazy!

[Nixon7]

A friend of mine informed me of what Dallas is doing with the Trinity River by downtown....for a comparison, check it out....

vision plan map area 2

We need a bridge like this!!!....

Trinity River Corridor Project, Dallas, Texas

[kevinpate]

nice, but I'd rather see us with a bridge that made our neighbors to the south wish they had it ... be a nice change of pace it would

[metro]

Here's an update on the Staybridge Suites / Holiday Inn they're building on the Oklahoma River just east of Meridian off SW 15th. The last pic is a pic of the entrance sign to the river park just next to the hotels.

[CuatrodeMayo]

I like the signage...I doubt the hotel will be anything to write home about.

[metro]

New boathouses planned for river
The Journal Record
March 12, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY –The Chesapeake Boathouse on the Oklahoma River is set to have some new neighbors.

Mike Knopp, executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, a non-profit community foundation that operates the Chesapeake Boathouse, said plans are in the works for four new boathouses and numerous improvements in the area.

The $3.5 million Chesapeake Boathouse sits on the north shore of the river just south of Bricktown and opened in 2006. Knopp said a master plan being put together now calls for boathouses for Oklahoma City University, the University of Central Oklahoma and University of Oklahoma. The user for the fourth proposed boathouse has not yet been determined. “These aren’t just big ideas,” Knopp said. “These are going to happen; we’re just looking at the logistics of getting it started.”

The $10 million OCU boathouse is set to begin construction by the end of the year. Knopp said he could not attach a specific price tag, or timeline, to the overall project, which is being dubbed Boathouse Row.

The area will get national exposure next month, however, when Oklahoma City hosts the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials for canoes and kayaks. Knopp said the event will bring 80 of the top canoe and kayak athletes in the United States along with perhaps thousands of spectators.T he increased traffic in the area will likely also benefit Bricktown. “A lot of people don’t realize how close we are to Bricktown,” Knopp said. “We’re just around the corner.”

Jim Cowan, executive director of the Bricktown Association, said as the river has developed and hosted events, it has brought more business to Bricktown. He said it is similar to events at the neighboring Ford Center and Cox Business Services Convention Center that spill out participants and spectators into Bricktown. “Now we just feel like the Bricktown and the river are merging,” Cowan said. “As different events go on down there we need to work together.”Cowan said more activities on the river will also spur growth in Bricktown to keep those who are attending events at the river fed and entertained.“We have to be so much more than a street with restaurants,” Cowan said.


Along with the planned boathouses, Knopp said the area along the river could shape up as an entertainment destination of its own that could compliment, and be an extension of Bricktown. “What we’re trying to do is position the river as another venue in Oklahoma City,” he said.

One of the potential projects on the river could be an extension of UCO’s Jazz Lab in Edmond in the UCO boathouse facility. There is also the potential for a privately funded event facility with seating for up to 600. The design of the new boathouses will complement the sleek look of the Chesapeake Boathouse. And while all will have some similar elements and design, each will have its own unique feel.

Knopp said the foundation is gearing up now for the Olympic trials next month, and as a well to further highlight the river and form an ongoing relationship with the Olympic committee.“The reason we’re doing this is we have real potential and we’ve established viability for the venue,” Knopp said.


Members of the Chesapeake Juniors unload at the Chesapeake Boathouse in Oklahoma City on Tuesday upon returning from a regatta in Austin, Texas. Photo by Jennifer Pitts.

[Pete]

Very exciting stuff! So very much potential down there. I especially liked this bit:

One of the potential projects on the river could be an extension of UCO’s Jazz Lab in Edmond in the UCO boathouse facility. There is also the potential for a privately funded event facility with seating for up to 600.

And $10 million for the OCU boathouse when the CHK one only cost $3.5 million? Wow, that should be some structure.

[jbrown84]

The area just north of there I REALLY HOPE gets turned into a park. It already has some great, mature trees, and most of the dilapidated homes have already been torn down. They would just need to remove the streets and add pathways and it would be a nice little park. It doesn't need any fancy monuments really, just some paths and benches.

[Pete]

Almost all that property -- 77 different parcels -- is owned by Walnut Grove Investments, aka Bill Canfield of The Hill fame.

I'm sure he's planning another housing development but I hope he'll clean it up in the short term.

[jbrown84]

GREAT.

He will rip down every single hundred year old tree.

[JWil]

I know I'm fighting a losing battle here... but I despise new comments in ancient threads that are only loosely related to each other. Just sayin.

[BG918]

I think the private party businesses will insure success of this operation at least until legitimate attractions come online. Once there is real places to go on the river, then they might actually become a viable form of transportation for tourists and day trippers.

I'd love to use this corporate enthusiasm to get some landmark pedestrian bridges built as well. How cool would it be to light them up at night and take a cruise to view OKC's lighted bridges? I think when we often try and think of landmark attractions that could motivate tourism to OKC, we usually think in terms of size, but I think a nice series of unique bridges with cool design and lighting concepts would be unique and give Oklahoma City an instantly recognizable feature. How cool would it be to see establishing shots of our televised events showing these boats floating down the river under a light show provided by some bridges?

Our energy companies could use it as an opportunity for good will and power their sponsored bridges using different forms of alternative energy... We could have Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day parades on the river and dress up the bridges for the theme...

Ok, I've hi-jacked the thread enough. Carry on.

I love that idea. There won't be much to see along the river as it is now, but some cool nighttime lighting like what they have on the Lincoln bridge would be awesome on all of the bridges. It would be a unique attraction to take the OKC riverboat to see the lighted bridges at night.

Also we need to really encourage continuing the landscape the banks. I know they are working on it but with all this rain it would've been good to plant more. "Softening" the banks should be a priority, where the rocks are sloped more gently and plants and trees are planted amidst them. Right now it looks too much like a large drainage ditch. Something similar to the banks of Austin's Town Lake would be nice:

[CuatrodeMayo]

Beautiful...and we can do that.

[sroberts24]

not only can we do that, i think what is planned will exceed that for sure.... at least i hope so!

[mmonroe]

Man, have you guys seen the river today, it's high tide for sure.

[CCOKC]

I haven't seen the river today but was just wondering if this will affect the Olympic trials set for next week.

[mmonroe]

I'm sure we can talk to Canton lake on closing their locks, and then release the ones on the river on the far east to control the levels.

[Watson410]

I hate it when it rains!! It always turns the river muddy looking... Damn red clay!!! It for sure doesn't look good for an olympic event.

[mmonroe]

Maybe we should take the name from the Red River and change from Oklahoma River to Red River.

[BG918]

Yeah it will take awhile for the river to clear up after this big rain. I was driving over Lake Thunderbird earlier today, a lake notorious for its red color, and it was redder than ever and very high. In fact all of the beaches were underwater from what I could see.

[Nixon7]

Maybe we should take the name from the Red River and change from Oklahoma River to Red River.

Nah that would be too far out of the comfort zone! It's the Oklahoma River, in Oklahoma County, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma!

[mmonroe]

Boy, we sure love "Oklahoma".

[Saberman]

Is this a great place or what?

[mmonroe]

Well, i'm no Galen Culver.