Boeing

[bombermwc]

MWC didn't "miss an opporunity" at all folks. It was never theirs to have. Boeing was in MWC for decades in the Tinker Business Park on 29th and Sooner....much like so many of the other contract companies. It's single story boring plain office space in multiple buildings (and infact the masterplan still isn't complete because the last building has yet to be built...and probably never will). The damned flight line arguement was such a pain for years in getting anything happening there, and on the Del City side of Sooner.

Boeing consolidated offices into their current building....and there wasn't anywhere in MWC with that proximity to the base, that had land to build. Go check out a google map and look at MWC from 29th to 15....100% full until you get out east of Douglas. Right now Boeing is across the street from Tinker, in an area that has a TON of room to grow. That's also 2 miles south of MWC. So like I said, it was never MWC's in the first place. There simply isn't room (in a non-flight-line) area in MWC for something like these projects to go. They had to go to OKC for that. There's no point in building ON Douglas anyway since Tinker has always had it's eye on taking that over and closing access between 240 and 40. So why block yourself in for 20 years from now? They can build where they are now and as the area attracts other businesses like Boeing, Tinker will have a more "secure" back door as well.

[Kerry]

I think the point HotRod was trying to make is this: Boeing has built (or will soon have) over 500,000 sq feet of office space. Plus there is other office space taken up by contractors, sub-contractors, as well as other defense companies. Instead of spreading all of this office space over 3 or 4 square miles around Tinker, they could have created a new suburban business district with mid rise buildings that also included housing and entertainment options. It could have been an aviation dominated business district which could then have attracted other non-defense aviation companies to the state. Where it was built is irrelevant to the discussion.

[HOT ROD]

thanks Kerry, as usual - you get it.

[Kerry]

thanks Kerry, as usual - you get it.

Well, it took me a while but once I understood what you were saying I was on-board.

[Spartan]

This is the problem: You're suggesting we have foresight and lasting value with our development. Egads!

[bombermwc]

But that assumption presupposes that MWC did (or didn't) something that caused Boeing to not look in MWC. I would argue that they couldn't have done anything to keep Boeing in the city limits of MWC. Unless Boeing was willing to pay out their rear to tear out a bunch of land and businesses somewhere on 29th (say west of Sam's). What I mean there, is that to build a building like that in MWC at the same proximity would have cost Boeing at least double what it did cost. They wouldn't have been able to build that building near the old offices because of the flight line....restictions at Sooner for density and height (don't ask me why the on-base structures don't have to follow those rules). The further away from Tinker you go in MWC, the cheaper the land....but then you're further away from Tinker. The spot they chose really was the best place for Boeing...proximity being across the street, cheaper land, room to grow, access to a highway, etc.

So while I understand what you are saying, I don't agree. I would argue that MWC was out of the equation for many many reasons.

[Kerry]

Then take MWC out of the equation. They (OKC, Gardner-Tanenbaum and Boeing) could have built an aviation based town center on the same site they are building on right now. Most town center developers would beg to have someone wanting to lease 500,000 sq feet of office space and Tanenbaum has that dumped into his lap and does nothing with it other than building a 6 story building surrounded by acres of surface parking. A huge opportunity was missed by a lot of people.

[dismayed]

I don't know, I think the answer is pretty obvious. Have you seen that shiny gray, black, and blue building... off by itself, surrounded by parking lot, and then fencing, and then nothing... the message it sends is quite clear... keep out. They aren't some company that makes toaster ovens, they are a defense contractor. They don't want you or some commercial town center anywhere near them.

[Kerry]

I don't know, I think the answer is pretty obvious. Have you seen that shiny gray, black, and blue building... off by itself, surrounded by parking lot, and then fencing, and then nothing... the message it sends is quite clear... keep out. They aren't some company that makes toaster ovens, they are a defense contractor. They don't want you or some commercial town center anywhere near them.

They just moved out of a mid-rise district in Long Beach.

[bombermwc]

Kerry - don't confuse where the long beach office was with what their presense here in OKC has always been. The old offices on 29th and sooner were gated off as well. Most suites don't have signs on them to tell you who is there. It's not an "inviting" place. It's more of a "if you don't belong here, then go away". If I remember right, you don't live in OKC though. So if you haven't been here, I can see how it isn't clear. They are operating locally just as all of the contract companies have. Heck, Chromalloy is another local contractor in MWC acorss from Century (the largest martial arts supplier in the U.S.). That's about the extent of an "industrial" area in MWC and that's next to a soccer complex and the largest park in MWC. Been that way for 40 years. My point is, local folks are indifferent on this because it's exactlly what made sense to us.

[Kerry]

I give up then - since it has always been done that way then I guess there is no use trying something different.

[WilliamTell]

Lock this darn thread. Boeing is moving jobs here, they have a brand new building constructed during the last few years, they obviously built alot a extra space into it to accommodate growth.

LET IT GO, IF THEY WANTED TO MOVE DOWNTOWN THEY WOULD HAVE.

[soonerguru]

Lock this darn thread. Boeing is moving jobs here, they have a brand new building constructed during the last few years, they obviously built alot a extra space into it to accommodate growth.

LET IT GO, IF THEY WANTED TO MOVE DOWNTOWN THEY WOULD HAVE.

Feeling cranky?

[WilliamTell]

Feeling cranky?

No, the pertinent points were already made in this thread a long time ago and you guys have been beating a dead horse for pages now. Let it go and find a better hobby.

[earlywinegareth]

Cheap, available land + quick, easy access to your customer = no brainer

[bombermwc]

And that's my point why they built where they did....

[mcca7596]

http://newsok.com/boeing-to-move-eng...rticle/3637499

[Bellaboo]

High paying engineering jobs moving to OKC - reckon some more of that incentive fund was tapped ?

[SoonerDave]

High paying engineering jobs moving to OKC - reckon some more of that incentive fund was tapped ?

Nope. This was a "closing Wichita" issue, not an "enhance OKC" issue.

[Bellaboo]

Nope. This was a "closing Wichita" issue, not an "enhance OKC" issue.

Are you sure ? They had a "closing Long Beach" issue, which enhanced OKC using the incentive funds ........

[Just the facts]

High paying engineering jobs moving to OKC - reckon some more of that incentive fund was tapped ?

Are these jobs coming to OKC proper? If not then the OKC fund that Continental Resources used are not available to Boeing.

[Bellaboo]

Are these jobs coming to OKC proper? If not then the OKC fund that Continental Resources used are not available to Boeing.

I believe i've read in past news that this same fund was tapped for Boeing. The Boeing facility is just West of Tinker, which is OKC.

[BoulderSooner]

yes the boeing jobs are coming to OKC ... and the some of the GOLT bonds went to Boeing

[ljbab728]

Boeing opens second building and plans to add at least 1200 additional jobs by the end of next year.

http://newsok.com/boeing-opens-secon...rticle/3682369

[GaryOKC6]

Boeing opens second building and plans to add at least 1200 additional jobs by the end of next year.

http://newsok.com/boeing-opens-secon...rticle/3682369

It looks like the State Legislature, the Chamber and the Department of Commerce working together on this for severals years finally got it right. It is just now starting to pay off.