Edmond Ideas

[Frustratedoptimist]

Working on a project and could use your ideas please.
If you could help shape the future of Edmond, what would you suggest?

[Debzkidz]

Like what kinds of things are we talking about? Like another new shopping center? Putting turn lanes in all the roads? Getting rid of all the city officials that want to hogtie all development? Loosing all those stupid statues? Or are we talking about something bigger? Something more abstract or idealistic?

[Frustratedoptimist]

Sorry, should have been more clear. The things you listed are a good start. Both abstract and idealistic ideas are welcome, nothing's off the table. General locations would be helpful. Here are a few I heard today to get us started (and feel free to comment on them as well):
- More downtown parking
- Colorful spraygrounds at a couple of parks
- A "campus corner" in downtown
- More affordable housing near UCO
- Hotel and conference center near UCO

[Questor]

There needs to be more fun stuff to do in Edmond... That was part of the reason I left that area... just kind of boring. Dave and Busters, something like a campus corner... Maybe more like university park/lower Greenville in Dallas (kind of upscale). Things like that.

[stlokc]

I grew up in Edmond but I admit I haven't been back there in a long time. My parents moved back into North OKC when my bro and I went away to college. But I always thought Downtown Edmond had really good "bones" that weren't fully exploited. The neighborhood between downtown and UCO can be reimagined with creative, 2 and 3 story infill with urban buildings with shops on the street level and apartments above that can be marketed to college students. "Campus Cornee" as it exists in Norman won't happen because you don't have the influx of game-day masses and besides UCO is a commuter school. But that doesn't mean there's not a market for coffee shops, funky stores and the like. I also think lots of west Edmond look kind of shabby with huge boring box stores and acre upon acre of parking. I doubt serious mass transit would work in Edmond but at least there can be higher standards for construction a la Spring Creek. Great landscaping in public areas, along streets, etc. would be a plus. And Broadway from 33rd up to Second needs a lot of aesthetic help.

[stlokc]

Edmond is big enough to have a nice, Marriott-quality, maybe 5 story hotel in the downtown core. I could see this positioned somewhere between downtown and UCO. I'm not familiar enough with UCO to know whether this exists or is needed but I could certainly see a "town and gown" partnership for a performing arts space, maybe attached to said hotel.

[EdmondBrad]

The planned new YMCA in Mitch Park is a great start. I think that any kind of family type (not fast food, maybe a chili's type place or something like Rudy's in Norman) restaurant would do great in that area around the new grocery store or somewhere behind the other businesses on the coffee creek corner.

[sacolton]

Movie Theater (24 screens)
Edmond Shopping Mall
Barnes & Noble

[BrettM2]

I'd like to get rid of all the trees/bushes that the city put in to the medians on 15th St. I can barely leave my neighborhood without at least the prospect of not seeing a car through the shubbery.

[Celebrator]

I grew up in Edmond but I admit I haven't been back there in a long time. My parents moved back into North OKC when my bro and I went away to college. But I always thought Downtown Edmond had really good "bones" that weren't fully exploited. The neighborhood between downtown and UCO can be reimagined with creative, 2 and 3 story infill with urban buildings with shops on the street level and apartments above that can be marketed to college students. "Campus Cornee" as it exists in Norman won't happen because you don't have the influx of game-day masses and besides UCO is a commuter school. But that doesn't mean there's not a market for coffee shops, funky stores and the like. I also think lots of west Edmond look kind of shabby with huge boring box stores and acre upon acre of parking. I doubt serious mass transit would work in Edmond but at least there can be higher standards for construction a la Spring Creek. Great landscaping in public areas, along streets, etc. would be a plus. And Broadway from 33rd up to Second needs a lot of aesthetic help.

Perfect response! Thanks, I don't have to think about/write a post because you hit it all and are exactly right. So...what stlokc said...

[Frustratedoptimist]

Nice job. Sharp people on this board. Appreciate your ideas and insights. Keep'em coming. Maybe I'll send these to the city when we're finished.

[JAW]

"Big Ideas":

Streetcar connecting downtown, UCO, OC, Hafer Park, 15th and Bryant, Boulevard and 9th, and maybe the High Schools
2+ 300+ foot towers downtown
2+ destination amenities: museum, indoor amusement park, "world's biggest video arcade", ect, located in or near downtown
A reeducation program to get Edmondites to stop being such stuck-up, pretentious, intentionally-driving-10-miles-per-hour-below-speed-limit-in-the-left-lane snobs

[Hollywood]

For this city to survive the citizens will need to stand up and elect people to the Council and as a Mayor who do not believe the ideas the council held in the 80's.

The first thing is development. They NEED to help with anything that gets Covell and I35 developed. Then could add a "district" with places such as Dave and Busters, a Warren style theater, etc. For too long the city has wanted nothing but housing development with the occasional 7-11/Liquor Store/Dry Cleaners on the corner. The population is increasing as a result but city services are not since we aren't bringing in and developing anything which results in sales tax. If we can't boost police, fire, and utility services to match the growth then it will be ugly when it becomes evident.

For new stuff... center around Covell and the freeway as the modern "downtown." Makes sense as it is pretty much the geographic center of the city and there is actually room to work with.

[kevinpate]

Covell and i-35 is "pretty much the geographic center of the city" ?

Wowsers, I guess it's been a lot longer since I was in Edmond than I realized.

[Debzkidz]

Covell and i-35 is "pretty much the geographic center of the city" ?

Wowsers, I guess it's been a lot longer since I was in Edmond than I realized.

This is correct, but while it is geographic center it's still not the center of development. There isn't much other than some residential areas east of I-35.

It would be wonderful if they would start with the development at the Covell/I-35 area. It would help bring a lot of tax dollars into the city. It so funny, I have relatives that have driven through Edmond on the interstate many times, but until we moved here, they had no idea how big the town was. From the interstate it just looks like a little town. When my sister, who'd been through many times but never stopped, came to visit shortly after we moved here she said, "wow I see Edmond finally got a Walmart (the one on I35)". When I told her that in fact we had 2 Super Walmarts as well as a Super Target, and that we had 3 high schools here, I thought her jaw was gonna drop. She was shocked when I told her what the population was. She told me she thought it was just a little farming community and that if she'd realized how big it was she would have stopped here while passing through, rather than in Norman, which is her usual stop.

[Celebrator]

I actually have communicated by e-mail with one of our city council members making suggestions on how I would like to see the city's retail grow and change and had a nice exchange with her. They are open to suggestions (at least I felt that during my communications). She even mentioned that she was hoping to, in the next five-ten years, to work on renovating/redesigning the ugly retail core centered around 2nd and Bryant. I was impressed with what she had to say to me.

I think the downtown area has HUGE potential and Sunflower Market on its edges are a good start. With UCO so close and walkable, that area should be and CAN be more dynamic with more businesses that locals and students want to frequent...especially in the evenings. My wife and I would LOVE to spend more time down there and we just don't because there are no shops and restaurants (who need to have more patios/eating areas along the sidwalks) that we want to go to.

I know that we will see this area change over the years to come, it is just a bit behind the times, that's all. There is tons of potential.

[Debzkidz]

[QUOTE=Celebrator;499132]I actually have communicated by e-mail with one of our city council members making suggestions on how I would like to see the city's retail grow and change and had a nice exchange with her. They are open to suggestions (at least I felt that during my communications). She even mentioned that she was hoping to, in the next five-ten years, to work on renovating/redesigning the ugly retail core centered around 2nd and Bryant. I was impressed with what she had to say to me.

I think the downtown area has HUGE potential and Sunflower Market on its edges are a good start. With UCO so close and walkable, that area should be and CAN be more dynamic with more businesses that locals and students want to frequent...especially in the evenings. My wife and I would LOVE to spend more time down there and we just don't because there are no shops and restaurants (who need to have more patios/eating areas along the sidwalks) that we want to go to.

I agree. Downtown has great possibilities but some things need to change. Outside dining options would be great, but the only place that has any outside seating is Othello's and that's only a couple of tables. And the bad part is, because of the parking situation, cars are parked right in front of the tables. Nothing very exciting about sitting eye level with a hot cars grill. Maybe if the streets were more pedestrian friendly. Wider sidewalks. More planters and trees. Less front door parking. There's plenty of space to park in the back of the businesses. They've made a good start on this. It just needs some tweaking.

[bluedogok]

Covell and i-35 is "pretty much the geographic center of the city" ?

Wowsers, I guess it's been a lot longer since I was in Edmond than I realized.

I was surprised by that when I was working on the Henderson Hills Baptist Church Master Plan for their new campus on 15th & I-35. Never really thought of it that way but in terms of city limits, that is the case. I know around that time there was a push to more development on that side of Edmond as opposed to the OKC portion that people think is Edmond of which many have an Edmond mailing address but reside in OKC.

I have always felt the downtown area of Edmond was a underutilized resource. I would like to see more quality infill development between downtown and the UCO campus mixed in with the older homes. Much of the retail in that area is poorly done and mixed use development could really transform that area. Something like the West Campus area of UT on a much, much smaller scale.

[Frustratedoptimist]

The list compiled here is phenomenal. It is great to read the frequent mentioning of restaurants, retail and hotels in the downtown area, including the area between downtown and UCO. I also like the fact that some of you recognized the same type of opportunities on Covell. Both of these seem to be the priorities up for consideration, as well as road widenings. I read today that the city council will have a strategic planning meeting on Saturday.

Soooo, if you were the city council and had $10 million to invest in economic development through a public-private partnership, where would you choose to invest?
A. Downtown Edmond and area connecting to UCO
B. Covell and I-35
C. Seed money to widen Covell from Bryant to Coltrane (1 mile). This option would be a public project only - city, state and federal dollars - no private dollars.

[metro]

A.

[Celebrator]

The list compiled here is phenomenal. It is great to read the frequent mentioning of restaurants, retail and hotels in the downtown area, including the area between downtown and UCO. I also like the fact that some of you recognized the same type of opportunities on Covell. Both of these seem to be the priorities up for consideration, as well as road widenings. I read today that the city council will have a strategic planning meeting on Saturday.

Soooo, if you were the city council and had $10 million to invest in economic development through a public-private partnership, where would you choose to invest?
A. Downtown Edmond and area connecting to UCO
B. Covell and I-35
C. Seed money to widen Covell from Bryant to Coltrane (1 mile). This option would be a public project only - city, state and federal dollars - no private dollars.

I choose "A" because there is more in place right now from which to start...it has the best present potential.

[Soonerinfiniti]

The best way to generate interest in downtown Edmond is to support the existing businesses! Vin Dulce (wine bar), Flat Tire Burgers (UCO) and Italian Jims are several very good restaurants. If they are successful, more restaurants and retail will follow.

[stlokc]

I definitely would say "A."

Edmond has so many clusters of suburban, retail and residential areas. I don't understand why it seems important to "get" Covell and I-35 jump-started. I guess I feel like that area and others will develop naturally as the population rises to create the demand. I certainly don't think virgin land on the outskirts of built-up areas are in need of public-private partnerships. Downtown Edmond is fairly unique in Central Oklahoma and an excellent chance to build on a sustainable, interesting area. As a general rule, I would rather see any city subsidies going to areas that are a little "harder" to develop privately.

[cjohnson.405]

Thank you for asking. I have two primary suggestions.

Focus on Downtown and make it unique amongst Oklahoma Cities:

1) Go visit downtown McKinney, north of Dallas. 7 years ago it was boarded up and dangerous. The city invested money in widening sidewalks (for sidewalk cafes/restaurants), renovated the courthouse that had been shut down for decades into a performing arts center and helped a few restaurants get on their feet. They also purposefully worked to end the leases of businesses that did not contribute to tourist/diner interest. 4 years later the place was bustling during the day and weekends. Today, it is busy every day and all night. There is live music in every corner and some really fantastic restaurants have opened. Every corner of the performing arts center is used as 1) a performance hall, 2) museums, 3) every nook and cranny is filled with ballet classes, guitar lessons, and art lessons. The place is brimming and alive and money is flowing out of people's pockets into businesses and back to the city.

2) Attract more upscale bars. Adults like to drink, have a good time, and spend money. I'm not talking Wolf Trap but more places like Vin Dulce. Alcholhol is expensive and generates alot of tax revenue per sq ft.

3) Attract more working art houses, like the glass blowing place at Italian Jims.

4) Attract a couple of upscale coffee & dessert places that feature one person playing music. People want a place they can hang out at the end of a fun evening and visit.

Upscale, upscale, upscale. I'm not talking about a level that prices everyone out of the market. But, everyone likes to go someplace that is contemporary and nice.

Basically, make downtown a place to spend an evening, not just blow by for dinner. People should go have dinner, see an event (performance or working art), hang out a bar, and then relax for coffee and dessert. Capture their money for the evening, not just dinner and then head back home.

Downtown has the bones and is currently UNDERDEVELOPED. The city can spend money to get a few things going and commercial will fill in behind.

What is the investment?
1) Invest in a Downtown PR/Events and Marketing group and money for concerts and live events. They should focus on concerts of people whose names you actually knew 20 years ago but are no longer big names and are affordable (appeal to 30's/40's/50's with money) : Restless Heart, Mark Chestnutt, 10,000 Maniacs, Right Said Fred. Disclaimer: these are not my favorites...just examples .
2) Continue enhancing Farmer's Market to add more and more live event opportunities. Ice skating was great and drew us downtown a few times. Add a concert area and a place for weekend events. This place should be busy every decent weather weekend.
3) Build a performing arts center that is within walking distance of downtown....or make Mitchell Hall more accessible and inviting...and more open to different performance groups and concerts. It should be busy every weekend.
4) Widen downtown sidewalks and narrow Broadway downtown down to 2 lanes (from 4).
5) Figure out how to get get rid of long time downtown businesses that don't contribute to tourist/diner interest. Yes, this is not fair but is in the best interest of the city. Offer them no interest loans to relocate to nicer places. i.e. I would imagine the TV/Appliance place relies on its long time name and not on downtown walk-up business.
6) Offer no interest loans for existing art/museum oriented businesses to remodel/update and stay open later so that they become destinations.
7) Offer no interest loans/special tax breaks to lure specific art and music oriented businesses.

My next suggestion is please do something about traffic. Traffic is miserable here and worse than anything I experienced while living in Dallas for several years. Traffic engineering in Edmond has been a disaster and traffic lights grow like weeds. There is no flow and I detest driving in Edmond. At the very very minimum, invest in a system that times East/West lights and Broadway lights.

Don't get rid of the medians on 15th!!!! These should be all over Edmond. Traffic medians with turn lanes allow cars that are slowing to get out of the flow of traffic and gives them a place to go that is not directly facing an oncoming car in a middle turn lane.

Zoning laws should require less direct access to business parking lots from major streets and push traffic to minor streets by requiring businesses allow flow between parking lots (not shut off their parking lots from other businesses) and push traffic to fewer street entrances. All of these direct access entrances slows down flow on major streets.

I live in far East Edmond and my family and I prefer to travel to BRICKTOWN and WESTERN avenue to go to dinner. Travel time to Western and I-44 is about the same as driving to downtown Edmond. We never venture past Broadway to go to West Edmond. YES - we take our tax dollars OUTSIDE of Edmond because of miserable traffic and dining/evening interest.

If traffic flowed better (timed and fewer business entrance disruptions) and we could spend an evening downtown, we would much rather leave our money here.

[bluedogok]

1) Invest in a Downtown PR/Events and Marketing group and money for concerts and live events. They should focus on concerts of people whose names you actually knew 20 years ago but are no longer big names and are affordable (appeal to 30's/40's/50's with money) : Restless Heart, Mark Chestnutt, 10,000 Maniacs, Right Said Fred. Disclaimer: these are not my favorites...just examples .

Restless Heart is my cousins band, they play festivals, fairs and at clubs/casinos all over the country. Three of the members are from Oklahoma as well, my cousin (bass) is from Altus, the guitarist is from Nicoma Park and the keyboard player grew up in Bartlesville. They have a show scheduled in March to play in Altus, they played there one time at the height of their popularity.