Convention Center

[Spartan]

"Dwarfs the city behind it"?????? Really!? That's strange. It is a very beautiful structure and almost anyone would be lucky to live by it, I know I wouldn't mind living by it.

Well I guess it's not much different from the Edmond "Rt 66" Walmart towering over the Fox Lake neighborhood.

[Plutonic Panda]

Well I guess it's not much different from the Edmond Walmart towering over the Fox Lake neighborhood.

Spartan, I am not understanding what you mean by it dwarfing the city? Nashville has huge skyscrapers that stand over this. It adds to the city, imo. Just out of curiosity, what exactly do you not like about it?

[Plutonic Panda]

I agree. They should have just put a giant guitar shaped building there.

But OKC can not afford NOT to build a CC that can compete with KC-STL-Austin-Ft. Worth-Denver ect. It's time for OKC to take a step up and move ahead of the Tulsa's-Whichita'-Omahas of the world. You either get on board of get left behind. If OKC wants to grow and become a serious contender then a new world class cc. needs to be built. If it costs 500 mil. then so be it. By the time we pay it off we can pass another maps for a new arena and keep momentum going. Maybe the maps project needs to include all the counties surrounding OKC next time since these suburbs also benefit from a strong OKC. Your either with us or against us.

+1

[Plutonic Panda]

they kinda did on the roof. Not the purtiest ge-tar I ever seen, but might look better if one is flying over and looking down.

Yeah, I didn't know if I was the only one seeing that or if they did that on purpose. I like it.

[ljbab728]

It looks like something may start happening on this as per Steve's article.

Oklahoma City council reviews condemnation sought for convention center site | News OK

The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday will be asked to approve starting condemnation on a proposed site for the new convention center in what is being described as an “amicable” process of determining the property’s value.

[catch22]

Glad to see they are being adults about this, instead of how the Brewer's handled their negotiations with the city regarding Santa Fe Station.

[Pete]

Some quick calculations:

REHCO owns 11.7 acres and are being offered $12.8 million by the City. That's $1,092,000 per acre.

Stage Center just sold it's 3.17 acres for $4.275 million for $1,349,000 an acre.


I bet the City ends up paying closer to $15 million.

[Spartan]

That would be a steal if the city can acquire it for that price, although the site is still more desirable as a contiguous park or private development. If they entire arbitration we are locked in and could pay as high as $30-40 million.

[Laramie]

We they get the convention center land acquired and the development started before Dr. Shadid's recall petition is processed and possibly voted upon?

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[warreng88]

We they get the convention center land acquired and the development started before Dr. Shadid's recall petition is processed and possibly voted upon?

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

That's what I was thinking a few pages back. But the city council has to approve the purchase of the land and you better believe ES is going to fight hard to not get it passed. I am curious if it has to go to a revote if the purchasing of the land has to be delayed. Steve?

[PhiAlpha]

That's what I was thinking a few pages back. But the city council has to approve the purchase of the land and you better believe ES is going to fight hard to not get it passed. I am curious if it has to go to a revote if the purchasing of the land has to be delayed. Steve?

haha, given how much the rest of the council seems to despise Shadid now, I wonder if he'll be the lone dissenter.

[ljbab728]

As Per Brian Brus' article in the Journal.

OKLAHOMA CITY – City Council members approved the acquisition of properties downtown for the development of a new convention center under the MAPS 3 tax issue on Tuesday.

The approval sets in motion condemnation and a third-party appraisal, said Brent Bryant, head of City Hall’s MAPS projects department. Bryant said the appraisal will be scheduled soon.

Guess who wasn't there to vote. LOL

The council agenda item passed without discussion in a vote of 5-0. Four ward representatives, including Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid, were absent from the proceedings Tuesday.

[kevinpate]

Guess one could say this was a DRED-less decsion.
Who were the other three who were absented, or would that be absentED?

[warreng88]

As Per Brian Brus' article in the Journal.

Guess who wasn't there to vote. LOL

How long until Edgar comes on here saying Mick planned the vote for when ES was out of town? End of the day?

[catch22]

How long until Edgar comes on here saying Mick planned the vote for when ES was out of town? End of the day?

Seems about right. Perhaps Ed is in NYC working on a business degree.

[Bellaboo]

Guess one could say this was a DRED-less decsion.
Who were the other three who were absented, or would that be absentED?

I guess Ed was being 'transparent', as in invisable, as in a no show...... talk was very cheap in that last election.

[Just the facts]

I guess Ed was being 'transparent', as in invisable, as in a no show...... talk was very cheap in that last election.

Not sure I would say that. Ed probably paid a higher price (in more ways than one) than he anticipated.

[catch22]

Not sure I would say that. Ed probably paid a higher price (in more ways than one) than he anticipated.

Thread is going off topic. So I will just make one post on this subject, and then back to the convention center...

Talk was cheap but we all paid a huge price during this election. Because the local political scene has certainly changed for quite a while, and the false allegations and smear campaign did damage to the trust of voters.

Just like convicting someone of a terrible crime, and them later being found not guilty can be extremely damaging to an individual. Accusing those in leadership of the city of being corrupt, even if innocent, the accusation is damaging to trust. And Ed got away with that damage, even if he was wrong in his accusations. He still caused damage.

And I'm done with that topic in this thread. Steering back towards the convention center...

Not a huge fan of the site. But still glad to see this move forward, and not backwards.

[warreng88]

Does anyone know how long the rest of this process should take? I would think the condemnation itself wouldn't take too long but the appraisal probably would. A few months maybe?

[Pete]

The MAPS 3 Board will meet 3/27/14 to consider approval for the final conceptual design.

Some highlights:

This design reserves much of the western half of the project site for the convention center, leaving open land along the southwest edge of the property for private mixed-use development along the new downtown boulevard. This utilization of the site also preserves the entire east half of the site for the proposed convention headquarters hotel to be privately developed, which can front Robinson and enjoy proximity to major intersections at both Reno and the boulevard. In this location, the hotel can offer easy access to Bricktown, the Chesapeake Arena, the new Downtown Park and the Central Business District, not to mention the potential for a direct below-grade guest connection to the convention center.

Exhibit Hall Level (50 feet in height, all below ground):





Meeting Room (Ground) Level:





Ballroom Level:






Parking Study:

[soonerguru]

It might raise public support if they were to make the underground exhibit halls accessible to people during tornadoes. I know this raises other safety issues, but it would seem to be a safe place to be in the event of a large tornado.

[urbanCOWBOY]

50 feet below ground? That may not be the best idea in Oklahoma. Just a thought.

[Pete]

Looks like they are planning to market all the property along the Boulevard to private developers.

[Urbanized]

Eliminates a lot of the objections some here and elsewhere have suggested previously.

[LakeEffect]

50 feet below ground? That may not be the best idea in Oklahoma. Just a thought.

Why?