Strawberry Fields

[Pete]

I went by yesterday and saw absolutely no movement on the existing buildings they plan to renovate or anywhere else.

I would feel much better if they would actually do something other than draw up renderings.

[shawnw]

I didn’t call it a gift. But what is it and why is it not a standard policy that every developer can take advatange of?

I'm no TIF expert but every developer can ask (development has to be in a TIF district first of all). It's up to the city to choose whether to grant or not.

As to the question of what is it, it's on the city website.

[BoulderSooner]

I didn’t call it a gift. But what is it and why is it not a standard policy that every developer can take advatange of?

you didn't "richard at remax" did ..

[Oski]

I never really was a fan of this development. Seems like a long shot, and will take decades to build out.

I'd rather see empty lands than half-assed, ugly things are built there, which I'm worried that's the direction we're heading. OKC should put most of the efforts into developing the Innovation District then Bricktown then Midtown before investing in this area, the companies are there, the jobs are there, the people are there, this area has none of those. Once we have those districts filled up, it's natural to see money is flowing into Strawberry Fields, OKC needs to add another 100,000 people to its population and attract a bunch of companies before we can see a vibrant downtown.

I still believe no developer in OKC can handle project at this scale, building mid/high-rise offices/apartments is way more expensive and harder/slower to sell.

[Pete]

Anything built fronting the park has to be of a minimum height and everything in that area has to pass design review.

I'm sure the city is going to be very picky about anything visible from the park, considering the massive public investment and the importance placed on the convention center.

[G.Walker]

I'd rather see empty lands than half-assed, ugly things are built there, which I'm worried that's the direction we're heading. OKC should put most of the efforts into developing the Innovation District then Bricktown then Midtown before investing in this area, the companies are there, the jobs are there, the people are there, this area has none of those. Once we have those districts filled up, it's natural to see money is flowing into Strawberry Fields, OKC needs to add another 100,000 people to its population and attract a bunch of companies before we can see a vibrant downtown.

I still believe no developer in OKC can handle project at this scale, building mid/high-rise offices/apartments is way more expensive and harder/slower to sell.

I wouldn't go that far to say that. I think the Humphreys are doing great things across the river with the Wheeler District. If the Humphrey's had this project, they would of been able to do it.

[Oski]

I wouldn't go that far to say that. I think the Humphreys are doing great things across the river with the Wheeler District. If the Humphrey's had this project, they would of been able to do it.

Sorry, I wasn't clear earlier.

I still believe no developer in OKC can handle project at this scale, building mid/high-rise offices/apartments is way more expensive and harder/slower to sell than mostly single family houses that are being built in the Wheeler District. You can build a house and sell it in four months, recoup your capital and proceed to the next house(s). You just can't build 100ish unit complexes and fill them in four months, and there are a bunch of those in this project. This area is designated for heavy mixed use development by the city, unlike the Wheeler District. Moreover, people prefer to own houses to condos in OKC.

A project like this takes several billions and decades to finish.

[BoulderSooner]

Sorry, I wasn't clear earlier.

I still believe no developer in OKC can handle project at this scale, building mid/high-rise offices/apartments is way more expensive and harder/slower to sell than mostly single family houses that are being built in the Wheeler District. You can build a house and sell it in four months, recoup your capital and proceed to the next house(s). You just can't build 100ish unit complexes and fill them in four months, and there are a bunch of those in this project. This area is designated for heavy mixed use development by the city, unlike the Wheeler District. Moreover, people prefer to own houses to condos in OKC.

A project like this takes several billions and decades to finish.

there are developers in okc with Billions and/or access to Billions

[chssooner]

there are developers in okc with Billions and/or access to Billions

Can't tell with the small potatoes projects here. Tulsa has like, 8 times as many cranes as OKC. Hopefully the Uhaul lot comes to fruition, or there will be no high-rise projects on the horizon.

[BoulderSooner]

Can't tell with the small potatoes projects here. Tulsa has like, 8 times as many cranes as OKC. Hopefully the Uhaul lot comes to fruition, or there will be no high-rise projects on the horizon.

maybe in 20 years tulsa will get to where OKC is today ...

[dankrutka]

maybe in 20 years tulsa will get to where OKC is today ...

I seriously doubt Tulsa will move to where OKC is today in central Oklahoma. I think it’ll remain in northeast Oklahoma.

[Plutonic Panda]

I seriously doubt Tulsa will move to where OKC is today in central Oklahoma. I think it’ll remain in northeast Oklahoma.

New Madrid fault line is closer to Tulsa than it is to OK€.

[josh]

maybe in 20 years tulsa will get to where OKC is today ...

As someone with no dog in this fight, this just seems like a very ludicrous thing to say. In my unbiased observation, OKC is not 20 years ahead of Tulsa.

[dankrutka]

As someone with no dog in this fight, this just seems like a very ludicrous thing to say. In my unbiased observation, OKC is not 20 years ahead of Tulsa.

Exactly. I just checked with friends and it's apparently the year 2022 in both cities. I even double checked, "Are you sure it's not 2042 in OKC? Because BoulderSooner on the Internet said OKC was 20 years ahead of Tulsa!"

[Laramie]

Tulsa is very competitive with Oklahoma City. We did get an advantage with our convention center & luxury hotel complex. And with developments that will be finished between 2022-2024, OKC has an edge.

Let's see how both cities take advantage of funds and grants in Biden's Infrastructure plan where Oklahoma will receive $5 billion to spend on infrastructure.

On inner city parks, river parks, cleanliness, roads and bridges, I'll give Tulsa a BIG advantage. Both cities have commercial & industrial developments in various stages.

Future developments and tourism, 2022-25 we'll see which city creates distance. OKC vs Tulsa population growth, OKC far exceeds Tulsa.

Oklahoma City has MAPS 4 and Tulsa Vision 2025, advantage OKC; both cities with visions that will enhance Oklahoma's two largest cities.

Casinos, Tulsa... State Fairs, Tulsa... State Fair Complex, Tulsa... Job growth, Oklahoma City...

Airports & Zoos: Tulsa International vs Oklahoma City Will Rogers World, OKC a slight edge; also a bigger & better zoo - OKC 119 acres vs Tulsa 85 acres.

My good friend, Shawnw, get that OKC-TUL thread ready. 'Strawberries, Cherries..."

[ourulz2000]

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is 15 minutes from OKC. Checkmate.

[Bellaboo]

OKC has the NBA - Thunder..... Nothing in Tulsa to compare with.

OKC has been completing MAPS projects since the 90's, and a lot of them. Tulsa was late to the party on that one even though the Gathering Place is excellent.

[shavethewhales]

LOL, don't start that OKC vs Tulsa argument again. I don't know how many times it needs to be pointed out that the two cities are in wildly different positions regarding just about everything that affects development and growth. Both are fine places to be regardless.

Here's one thing that's the same everywhere: it's hard to get projects off the ground in this economic environment. There aren't enough workers, building supply shortages are still occurring, and there are issues getting the necessary funding with all the economic turbulence. I think the biggest thing is just the logistics of getting tenants to sign on in such uncertain times. There are a lot of companies questioning how much space they'll need in the next five years.

[Sooner.Arch]

This development is gonna have to cost billions of dollars to ensure its done right. It's not cheap and I don't think the current people have the resources to do it right and well. By now they would have came up with a solid plan for the entire district. It's all up in the air and conceptual because it's too big of a project for them. I remember when this project came out they posted pictures on their Instagram about biking and walkability. They posted images of European styled streets, a focus on human scale. Now this project doesn't even know what it is anymore. Talk about identify crisis lol. This whole thing is a flop. I hope they fix the old buildings they said they would fix but at this rate who knows.

[Plutonic Panda]

This development is gonna have to cost billions of dollars to ensure its done right. It's not cheap and I don't think the current people have the resources to do it right and well. By now they would have came up with a solid plan for the entire district. It's all up in the air and conceptual because it's too big of a project for them. I remember when this project came out they posted pictures on their Instagram about biking and walkability. They posted images of European styled streets, a focus on human scale. Now this project doesn't even know what it is anymore. Talk about identify crisis lol. This whole thing is a flop. I hope they fix the old buildings they said they would fix but at this rate who knows.

Yeah I could be wrong but just to get the infrastructure to par with how they depicted it be on the renderings would cost close to or maybe more than a billion alone.

[GoGators]

This development is gonna have to cost billions of dollars to ensure its done right. It's not cheap and I don't think the current people have the resources to do it right and well. By now they would have came up with a solid plan for the entire district. It's all up in the air and conceptual because it's too big of a project for them. I remember when this project came out they posted pictures on their Instagram about biking and walkability. They posted images of European styled streets, a focus on human scale. Now this project doesn't even know what it is anymore. Talk about identify crisis lol. This whole thing is a flop. I hope they fix the old buildings they said they would fix but at this rate who knows.

IMO this area needs to put some decent mass on the park frontage lots and then make the rest a dense residential neighborhood with some small retail thrown in throughout. It would allow them to build and sell as they go and they wouldn't need so much up front capital to get the project moving. Plus, I would imagine an area focused on human scale, gentle density with such easy access to every amenity in the core would pretty much sell itself.

[Plutonic Panda]

IMO this area needs to put some decent mass on the park frontage lots and then make the rest a dense residential neighborhood with some small retail thrown in throughout. It would allow them to build and sell as they go and they wouldn't need so much up front capital to get the project moving. Plus, I would imagine an area focused on human scale, gentle density with such easy access to every amenity in the core would pretty much sell itself.

Agreed. That is how real urban fabrics work. It wouldn't hurt to try and run a streetcar through here. Need a couple two way protected cycleways as well. They also should convert SW 4th St. to ban cars and either make it a pedestrian paseo or bus/delivery trucks only. Extend a pedestrian walkway through the large vacant land to the west and curve it up to connect the Farmers Market district.

[shavethewhales]

I haven't looked into this extensively, but I don't think the intention was ever to build it all out at once. They will probably find a few foundational tenants and build out a few lots with them, and then go from there. The early renderings of huge multi-story, multi-use city blocks was probably too bullish for an area that is currently mostly empty. Getting one spec office tower off the ground would be a challenge considering how much empty space is currently available in the area, not to mention the multitude of buildings this development plan shows.

They just need to get started with some of the residential lots. Easier to fund and a great way to kickstart an area.

[Pete]

As of yesterday, still no movement at all on this project.

Work to start on first project in Strawberry Fields

Design plans have been submitted for the first project in the massive Strawberry Fields development just to the west of Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City.

A local investment group has systematically acquired nearly 300 lots near the new park and is planning a large mixed-use development.

Plans show the intent to renovate two historic brick buildings at 716 and 726 SW 3rd; a small structure between the two would be demolished to create a plaza. New space would be created for a bar, restaurant and other commercial uses.

MA+ Architecture is performing the design work.

[Pete]

City is set to award the Strawberry Fields owners $16 million in TIF money for "underground infrastructure".