Francis Tuttle Technology Center

[Pete]

Will cost $42.7 million and inhabit 20 acres on the north side of Danforth just west of I-35.

The Danforth Campus will include 155,000 square feet on two levels and feature an entrepreneurial theme. The new campus is scheduled to open in August 2021.

In addition to housing all of Francis Tuttle’s current high school student academies, Engineering, Biosciences and Medicine and Computer Science, the Danforth Campus will house the new Entrepreneurship Academy. This addition guided the design of the new campus, which was inspired by the Stanford University d.school.

[OkiePoke]

Excellent news!

I took a class there last year and it was great. Ex-military get a really good discount on courses.

[Celebrator]

Pass by it twice a day and have watched it come up out of the ground, but great to see it from the air--quite extensive! The only sad thing was that it wiped out a huge parcel of cross timbers woodlands which was just heartbreaking to watch be cleared away last summer and fall. I wish development companies could plan around beautiful specimen and carefully preserve trees in certain places, it would just make new construction so much more appealing. They should have taken cues from the Town Square development immediately adjacent to the west, as they did just that when building that neighborhood. Overall though, this will be a really nice addition to Edmond and the metro at large. Just hurry up and plants tons of trees!

[HangryHippo]

Just to piggyback on Celebrator's comment - it is annoying AF to watch developers just level existing trees in so many developments. As an example, Atlanta does a pretty damn good job preserving existing trees when developing. Doing so here would go a long way to improving the metro's aesthetics.

[jdizzle]

Just to piggyback on Celebrator's comment - it is annoying AF to watch developers just level existing trees in so many developments. As an example, Atlanta does a pretty damn good job preserving existing trees when developing. Doing so here would go a long way to improving the metro's aesthetics.

You focusing on a negative? Who knew jkjk

I think this is great. OK needs to focus more on these types of schools!

[jerrywall]

Considering how valuable trees are, I've also always been amused that developers will spend so much money ripping out trees, and then spend thousands planting new ones. I understand it's easier to work with a clean slate, especially when you're needing to level the ground, but it would have been cool if they could keep more of the native vegetation in some of these developments.

That being said, this is cool news. I'm a huge believer in the vo-tech system, and my kids both went through the FT Pre-engineering academy in high school. I'm sure they'll both complain that this wasn't done before they graduated.

[TheTravellers]

Watched a segment on The Gathering Place on Discover Oklahoma last week, and there was an old tree on the property that they built around, so it can be done. Just did some research and found that they've preserved hundreds of trees in there, took years to map all of it so they could know which ones to preserve and which ones were past their useful lifespan. Good article:

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/loca...45bffca5b.html

[HangryHippo]

You focusing on a negative? Who knew jkjk

I think this is great. OK needs to focus more on these types of schools!

My bad! Think of it more as suggesting possibilities for improvements. I really like the project itself. I'm a huge proponent of these vo-techs and think they're an undervalued asset for the state and am glad to see this.

[Celebrator]

Watched a segment on The Gathering Place on Discover Oklahoma last week, and there was an old tree on the property that they built around, so it can be done. Just did some research and found that they've preserved hundreds of trees in there, took years to map all of it so they could know which ones to preserve and which ones were past their useful lifespan. Good article:

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/loca...45bffca5b.html

Right! It can be done if one wants to invest in it. I personally think it is a great investment of time and money as it increases the value of a property, it has been proven to up the value between 7-19% I have heard. That's a big deal. I have been told that McCaleb homes does this on their lots by going through and tagging trees for removal and preservation. I bet they get a premium for that. Just go through Town Square, again right next door to this development, or Arbor Creek east of I-35 north of 2nd St. in Edmond, and you'll see what it does for aesthetics. I also heard that after complaints were voiced when they cleared this lot for Francis Tuttle that the Edmond City Council was considering some requirement to keep a certain percentage of existing mature canopy on each lot developed within the city. Hope that gets approved and becomes code.

[Celebrator]

I'm a huge believer in the vo-tech system, and my kids both went through the FT Pre-engineering academy in high school. I'm sure they'll both complain that this wasn't done before they graduated.

We live just down the way and my kids are lower elementary aged now. I really hope they can take advantage of some of the programs here. How was your kids' experience with their pre-eng. program? I am a big believer in vo-tech too!

[TheTravellers]

Right! It can be done if one wants to invest in it. I personally think it is a great investment of time and money as it increases the value of a property, it has been proven to up the value between 7-19% I have heard. That's a big deal. I have been told that McCaleb homes does this on their lots by going through and tagging trees for removal and preservation. I bet they get a premium for that. Just go through Town Square, again right next door to this development, or Arbor Creek east of I-35 north of 2nd St. in Edmond, and you'll see what it does for aesthetics. I also heard that after complaints were voiced when they cleared this lot for Francis Tuttle that the Edmond City Council was considering some requirement to keep a certain percentage of existing mature canopy on each lot developed within the city. Hope that gets approved and becomes code.

That's the key - "if one wants to invest in it". Sooooooooooooooooooooooo many developers just take the easiest, quickest, cheapest way out and raze the site(s), sadly. Be nice if municipalities did have something written in their codes that healthy trees should be preserved if possible. When I went to the Phoenix area years back, someone told me that when their house was built there (in Cave Creek, actually), they strung out (not sure of the technical term) the foundation, went a foot beyond that and nothing outside of that line could be touched. Of course their environment is drastically different from ours, but some places have the will to do it and some just don't care about that aspect.

Anyway, on topic, this will be a good thing overall, nice to see them expanding.

[jerrywall]

We live just down the way and my kids are lower elementary aged now. I really hope they can take advantage of some of the programs here. How was your kids' experience with their pre-eng. program? I am a big believer in vo-tech too!

They both loved it. My oldest ended up going into computer science and my youngest is now working on his double major in mechanical and aeronautical engineering at OSU. I really don't think the latter would have happened without the academy. It can end up limiting in your other extra curricular activities but I think the head start it gives to kids heading into college (or even deciding to go a different direction) is so worth the trade off.

[Plutonic Panda]

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment to preserve natural vegetation. We need to fine developers for tearing trees out. You want to tear a tree down for a new development? Fine but you have to pay money to the city. That money goes to the forestry department so they can plant more trees.

[Pete]

[BlackmoreRulz]

Noticed that walls were going up on the new school at Coffee Creek & Douglas

[rwalker]

They might need to make Danforth 8 or 9 lanes here. This facility + Town Square will drive some serious traffic counts.

[Pete]

From the Baldwin Acoustics & Drywall Inc. Facebook page:

[dcsooner]

Wow! nice

[Plutonic Panda]

It is very nice. They need to widen danforth to 4-6 lanes and widen/reconstruct I-35 and add more access.

[rte66man]

It is very nice. They need to widen danforth to 4-6 lanes and widen/reconstruct I-35 and add more access.

Patience Plupan, it's coming. Widen I35 to 6 lanes from 2nd up to Waterloo and add frontage roads wherever possible. I also believe they will put a full diamond in at Danforth.

[Plutonic Panda]

Patience Plupan, it's coming. Widen I35 to 6 lanes from 2nd up to Waterloo and add frontage roads wherever possible. I also believe they will put a full diamond in at Danforth.

That will be very nice. The danforth interchange rebuild will be so nice when finished.

[tillyato]

That will be very nice. The danforth interchange rebuild will be so nice when finished.

Is this happening? I haven't seen that a new Danforth interchange or widening I-35 to 6 lanes up to Waterloo is on the ODOT 8 year plan...

[MagzOK]

Is this happening? I haven't seen that a new Danforth interchange or widening I-35 to 6 lanes up to Waterloo is on the ODOT 8 year plan...

According to the current ODOT 8-Year Construction Plan, ROW and Utilities projects for I35 from 2nd to Waterloo are scheduled to be let for bid in 4/2023. ROW and Utilities for I35/2nd street interchange is to be let for bid FY2024 with construction in FY2027. Widening of I35 from 2nd north to Waterloo scheduled for FY2028 with bridge and approaches to include Danforth. Of course, the Waterloo/I-35 interchange to be let for bid 11/2022.

https://www.odot.org/cwp-8-year-plan..._work_plan.pdf

[tillyato]

Awesome, many thanks for the explanation and link!

[BoulderSooner]

According to the current ODOT 8-Year Construction Plan, ROW and Utilities projects for I35 from 2nd to Waterloo are scheduled to be let for bid in 4/2023. ROW and Utilities for I35/2nd street interchange is to be let for bid FY2024 with construction in FY2027. Widening of I35 from 2nd north to Waterloo scheduled for FY2028 with bridge and approaches to include Danforth. Of course, the Waterloo/I-35 interchange to be let for bid 11/2022.

https://www.odot.org/cwp-8-year-plan..._work_plan.pdf

that is from last years "8 year plan"

here is the just released .. one for the OKC metro (22-29)

https://www.odot.org/cwp-8-year-plan...ictokc_map.pdf


and for the entire state

https://www.odot.org/cwp-8-year-plan..._work_plan.pdf