Downtown Living

[no1cub17]

Thanks to all for the responses on the prices and rentals of downtown properties. I've learned a lot and will pass it along to who asked me. Again, having spent so much time on this forum, I was embarrassed to not know in the first place. As I was reading, I was amazed at all the options, things have changed in such a HUGE way. I read names of places I have never even heard before. Great things happening!

It's pretty wild how high demand is for downtown housing. Units at Maywood Lofts aren't lasting long at all when they're up for resale.

[BDP]

Those brownstones are the poorest built structures I've ever been around.

That'd be a shame, because they're probably the best built homes downtown. Are you talking about The Hill?

[Pete]

This is about a year old but is a great list of all the downtown properties and their corresponding lease rates:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/downtownliving.pdf

[zookeeper]

This is about a year old but is a great list of all the downtown properties and their corresponding lease rates:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/downtownliving.pdf

Great resource. Did you do this yourself? A downtown group? Updated yearly, this would be awesome. Sometimes just a range is all some want, this is perfect.

[Pete]

^

It was done by Downtown OKC, Inc.

[bchris02]

I wasn't sure where to post this and thought this thread would probably be best. Out of curiosity, when a new development opens downtown, such as the new Edge, how fast are the apartments leased up? Is there a heavy demand for more downtown residential? I know with booms like this, it slowly transitions from market-backed to speculative then to bust, I've seen it happen in other cities. Where is OKC currently on that trajectory?

[Just the facts]

My understanding has been that they fill up fast and usually have a waiting list by the time the doors open. One objection I might make though in your time line analysis - this is not a boom. This is people returning to a 10,000 year old way of living. The boom, over build, and bust of sprawl was the anomaly.

[hoya]

I wasn't sure where to post this and thought this thread would probably be best. Out of curiosity, when a new development opens downtown, such as the new Edge, how fast are the apartments leased up? Is there a heavy demand for more downtown residential? I know with booms like this, it slowly transitions from market-backed to speculative then to bust, I've seen it happen in other cities. Where is OKC currently on that trajectory?

LEVEL has a 4 month wait. A friend of mine asked them a few days ago. I think other places are experiencing similar levels of interest.

[OKVision4U]

OKC is in the "very beginning" stage of the UP market for Real Estate. We are not having our "traditional" growth from organic expansion. We are experiencing ( a reverse Grapes of Wrath ) as the West Coast & East Coat are having their long-term issues. ( not good for families).

Thus, here they come. So our expansion cycle could last for decades. This is why we need to be building in a massive way.

[OKVision4U]

So what is the rumor of a Major Retail announcement for Downtown? ...and when?

[benjenn]

Downtown Downsizing: Another beautiful weekend downtown

[benjenn]

You should consider using the blog functionality of OKCTalk rather than just posting your links on different threads.

Thanks, Sid, for telling me there was a blog functionality on here... I'm very new to this forum and haven't had a chance to play with it too much to learn what all it offers. I just posted to my regular blog but also copied it to a blog on here. If you do a search for "downsizing" it will turn up... I'm not sure how else to find it. I'm not sure how many would be interested in it anyway... the idea of downsizing seems to terrify most people for some reason. Very attached to all their stuff it seems. We've loved it and we're loving living downtown, too. It's been really interesting seeing what others are saying about living downtown. Have you ever been involved in the Urban Neighbors group?

[shawnw]

When you read Sid's statement of "no furniture", you probably think no good furniture or not much furniture, but take it from someone that has been a houseguest of Sid's. No means none. Pretty sure it's not possible to be any more minimal than Sid while not also being homeless (and I've seen a few homeless guys pushing two shopping carts around -- i.e. probably have more stuff than Sid).

[coov23]

Haha, thanks for the backup Shawn.

We do love living with very little. Here's our house, shipped to us in Seattle from OKC by UPS:

Wait... You moved to Seattle? Not living in OKC anymore?

[Urbanized]

It looks rainy there.

[wsucougz]

Yes. Tough decision, but we wanted Seattle to be "home base" for us.

That makes at least 3 active Seattleites on the board.

[benjenn]

Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet before you moved. best of luck to you!

[Just the facts]

Sid - you know you can lease furniture pretty cheaply. When I lived in Norman I leased furniture from CORT.

CORT furniture rental for your whole home, room by room or by the piece | Rent furniture for students | CORT.com

[hoya]

Haha, thanks for the backup Shawn.

We do love living with very little. Here's our house, shipped to us in Seattle from OKC by UPS:

You guys must not be very tall to fit in there.

[Just the facts]

You guys must not be very tall to fit in there.

It has to be at least 3X as big as this...

[AP]

Downtown OKC Inc. updated their website along with the downtown housing page.

For those that are interested -> Real estate | DowntownOKC

[ljbab728]

Move to downtown Oklahoma City is satisfying to new residents | News OK

With a family business that was sending Jennifer and J.D. Upton pinballing around the metro area on a daily basis, the couple decided in 2011 that they needed to spend way less time in their cars and way more time enjoying the best Oklahoma City had to offer.
Looking for a new home, a few items topped the Uptons’ priorities list: a central location, great views, reduced property maintenance and less square footage of living space to manage.

Moving from Mustang to Centennial Lofts at Bricktown, 200 S Oklahoma Ave., was, Jennifer Upton said, a move full of surprises — “all of them good.”

Three years into their new urban life, the Uptons don’t regret the move.

Downtown construction accounts for more than 60 percent of apartment construction for the whole metro area, Dirkschneider reported.

That construction is the only thing that came to Jennifer Upton’s mind when pressed about the drawbacks of living downtown.

“But I just remember that’s the short-term cost of long-term improvements,” she said.

Ultimately, the growing pains she and other residents experience in plowed-up downtown streets are not enough to offset the positives of living there.

“I love the fact that my new backyard is The Myriad Gardens,” she said. “And that I don’t have to mow it.”

[mister_s]

This may not be the right place for this question, but oh well. I was wondering how many people on this forum live downtown. I see a bunch of regulars post on here a lot about their ideas on projects and things of that nature, but wasn't really sure how many live downtown. I am moving downtown in August and would like to meet as many 'neighbors' as possible. So, if you wouldn't mind, post where you live, what you like/dislike about living there, and maybe some advice for a new downtowner.

I lived in the Lofts at Deep Deuce (above what is now WSKY Lounge) back around 2006-2008. Absolutely loved it and it's been quite an experience seeing that area change so much. I now live in Central Park (NW 36th and Walker) and love it, too, however I often times think about moving back downtown. A good buddy of mine lives in the 430 lofts, too. His name is Josh M. You may or may not have met him at this point. Nice pads over there for sure though.

[ljbab728]

This presents a few interesting perspectives from some current downtown area residents.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/542...klahoma%20City

[bchris02]

Unfortunately that article is behind a paywall. Can somebody post what it says?