Henderson's final deadline...

[John]

Anyone notice work being done on the Legacy site?

<crickets chirping>

I wish I could make it to the OCURA meeting tomorrow with pictures of the lack of progress.

Since he's bed buddies with some members of the board, I'm sure another deadline will be set as to when work will be started.

[Patrick]

Anyone want to play some soccer? Soccer field is still available on the east side of Sycamore Square.

[John]

Anyone want to play some soccer? Soccer field is still available on the east side of Sycamore Square.

haha

I'm guessing it will be available until the next final deadline, too.

[soonerguru]

How many more deadlines will this clown receive? Geez.... Anyone know if it was even discussed at the meeting?

We really, really need to get rid of JoeVan.

[Pete]

I'm sure Steve Lackmeyer is covering the meeting for the Oklahoman and there should be a story in tomorrow's paper about this.

If not, there should be something in the Journal Record.

Hopefully, there will be some good news, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Midtowner]

If someone else were interested in developing that land, OCURA would probably give them the contract, or at least they'd be in court right now trying to get it.

These deadlines aren't set in stone. OCURA wants the area developed, and so far, it looks like Henderson is the only person interested in obliging them. It's hard to understand why he can't put together the financing he needs though. Who wouldn't want to be involved in the downtown housing boom?

[Pete]

If OCURA pulled that property back and marketed it properly, I'm sure there would be other qualified developers that would be interested.

It's been effectively off the market for a couple of years and much has changed during that time.

I'm kind of wishing Henderson doesn't deliver because even though it might be a temporary setback, I think we could get a more imaginative development on that property.

[streuli]

OK, Malibu Sooner ... I'll go one better. How about the story from tomorrow's paper?

URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY OKS THE NEXT STEP FOR SEVERAL DOWNTOWN PROJECTS

BY BRANDICE J. ARMSTRONG
THE JOURNAL RECORD
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City's Urban Renewal Authority approved the next step for several impending projects at Wednesday's meeting.
Voting members approved a shopping list of agenda items on four major projects in downtown Oklahoma City. Projects included The Hill at Bricktown, Block 42, Summit Legacy at Arts Central and the Skirvin Hotel.
Construction documents for The Hill at Bricktown and Block 42, two downtown residential for-sale developments, were approved.
Voting members also gave Urban Renewal's Executive Director JoeVan Bullard the ability to negotiate and contract engineers for the two projects. The Hill at Bricktown officials selected David Todd of Todd Engineers and Grant Humphreys, project manager of Block 42, chose Johnson & Associates.
"There are more houses to be constructed than any time in our history," said Stanton Young, Urban Renewal chairman at the start of the meeting.
The Hill at Bricktown will offer 171 townhouses with two-car garages in an upscale community. One-, two- and three-bedroom units will range from nearly 1,400 to 3,100 square feet. Depending on size, units will cost between $200,000 and $475,000.
Situated on 11 acres between Bricktown and the University of Oklahoma's Health Sciences Center, the Hill at Bricktown will border Interstate 235, Stiles Avenue, NE Second Street and a railroad right of way.
A groundbreaking is scheduled for April 1 and construction could be completed within three years, depending on demand, said Robert Annis, deputy director of the Urban Renewal Authority.
No problems are anticipated, said a Hill official.
Block 42 gained its namesake from blocks 42 and 43 of the Maywood addition in downtown Oklahoma City. Surrounded by Interstate 235, NE Fourth Street and the I-235 service ramp, approximately 87,000 square feet will be developed into 18 townhouses and 12 elevated flats. Units range from 1,100 to 2,800 square feet and cost $160,000 to $485,000.
Six units have sold thus far. A groundbreaking is scheduled for February, yet may be moved back to March or April. Units should be ready for residents one year after groundbreaking, Humphreys said.
Voting members also approved construction documents for the Skirvin Hotel, which included the addition of an exterior ballroom entrance.
When Urban Renewal officially approved Skirvin Partners LLC's redevelopment for the hotel in March 2005, an exterior entrance to the ballroom entrance was not included, although an allowance for the ballroom entrance was incorporated into the $51 million budget, said John Weeman, president of Partners in Development, a partner in Skirvin Partners.
Construction for the ballroom entrance should begin in late spring.
The majority of the Skirvin is expected to be completed by January 2007 with a soft opening scheduled for late January or early February 2007.
Legacy Summit at Arts Central, a 300-unit apartment project west of Walker Avenue between Robert S. Kerr Avenue and NW Fourth Street, faced a setback. Due to financial challenges of getting quotes from potential contractors and lenders, environmental issues as there had been two gas stations at that site and last fall's severe hurricanes, little has been done to the project site. Approved in March 2004, the project was originally estimated at $26 million. It is now expected to cost $33 million, which is in part due to rising construction costs in the aftermath of the hurricanes.
At Wednesday's meeting, the voting members approved a time extension that expires Friday evening for developer Mike Henderson to complete transactions with Housing and Urban Development, which is guaranteeing the summit's mortgage. Financing will be done by General Motors Acceptance Corporation Commercial Mortgage, Annis said.
If all goes as expected, construction could start next week with a completion date of 12 to 14 months later.

Brandice J. Armstrong reports on real estate, technology, manufacturing, entertainment, tourism and media. You may reach her by phone at (405) 278-2846 or by e-mail at brandice.armstrong@journalrecord.com.

[metro]

I think it is time for all of us to express or extreme DISSATISFACTION with Urban Renewal. I challenge each of you to contact them as we have had enough of their good old boy tactics. They are not operating in the best interests of the city nor like a government agency. Their too coward to have a website or post their email addresses.

Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority
(405) 235-3771
204 N Robinson Ave # 2400
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

[Pete]

Here's another article on the subject:

Review delays Legacy Summit project
By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman

After being told he would get no more extensions, developer Mike Henderson on Wednesday was given two more days to close his deal with the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority to begin construction of the $33.3 million Legacy Summit at Arts Central.



Henderson provided Urban Renewal commissioners a letter from the Department of Housing and Urban Development -- which is providing part of the project's financing -- that said it needed the two additional days for legal review of the financing.

Henderson was accompanied by a GMAC Commercial Mortgages representatives who traveled to the meeting from Plano, Texas, to assure Urban Renewal commissioners that Henderson has his financing ready.

"This is more than a home run," said Daniel Crain, a GMAC vice president and branch manager. "GMAC loves it, the community will love it, the residents will love it. Everything is going great -- we're just not done yet."

Henderson's project has gone through three years of delays and extensions. He was warned when his last deadline expired Oct. 22 that he would receive no more extensions. Henderson was given until Dec. 22 to "remedy the default" in his redevelopment contract.

That deadline passed, and Jo Van Bullard, Urban Renewal director, blamed a title problem for resulting in yet another short extension. He said he was confident construction would start by Wednesday's meeting.

That has not taken place.

In a letter dated Wednesday, J. Tom Miller, director of HUD's multifamily program center, indicated that the agency needed until Friday to finish its review of the financing. Henderson told commissioners he's confident he can close on buying the property at NW 4 and Walker by then, and has instructed his contractor to start work Monday.

Henderson said he was ready to start work in September but lost his contractor in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as prices began to spike for labor and materials.

Bullard said he does not believe the continued delays and extensions will hurt his agency's credibility in enforcing timelines with other developers.

"Development opportunities are such right now that you don't want to take any more time to get a deal finalized and to get construction started," Bullard said. "Construction prices aren't going down, and they're going to continue to go up. And that's the driving force for developers."

Also Wednesday:

Commissioners approved construction documents for "Block 42," an $11 million, 36-unit townhome complex to be built at NE 4 and Stiles, and "The Hill," a $50 million, 171-townhome development planned for NE 2 and Stiles.

The vote clears both development groups to apply for building permits, the last step before starting construction. Both groups reported they now expect to start construction in April, instead of next month as previously announced.

[metro]

I talked with one of the architects on this project last night. He strongly feels Henderson will close by today and break ground by Monday. I have yet to see it. If he doesn't ABSOLUTELY NO MORE EXTENTIONS FOR HENDERSON. Everyone need's to keep calling OCURA and letting them know how they feel.

[Midtowner]

Hey, I saw a pile of rocks out there on the site today! Is that new? Anyone?

[okcpulse]

Now all we need next to that pile of rocks is a pile of dirt. Hopefully not a pile of trash.

[metro]

Yeah and some bulldozers and cranes, then I'll believe

[MIKELS129]

FYI...Legacy Summit closed this morning. Construction begins Monday.
Mikel

[metro]

That is a cool emoticon. Anyhow I'll still have to see construction on Monday to believe it after 3 years of nothing

[Patrick]

I give Mr. Henderson a 30% chance of starting construction on Monday.

[metro]

any dirt moving today? pigs flying? OCURA should be out there with a shovel themselves after all the delays they've handed the citizens

[Midtowner]

No dirt moving as of 8:30AM when I drove by. I'll go by there several times today.. Chances of dirt turning are slight though.

Chances of another extension for their buddy? 100%.

[metro]

Maybe we should all OCURA again today and let them know our extreme disappointment with this project, and frankly with everything they touch

[Midtowner]

metro, they could care less as long as they and their friends continue to make money, mission accomplished. The Deep Deuce fiasco should prove to you how much they 'care' about the long-term development potential for OKC versus the quick bucks made by them and their supporters.

[Pete]

I wish someone would do a hard-hitting investigative report on OCURA and their dealings.

It wouldn't take much to expose a variety of scandals and incidents of self-dealing.


To me, OCURA is one of the biggest hold-overs of good-ol'-boy network that has kept OKC down for decades. The airport and the way it's run is right up there as well.

[Midtowner]

Malibu, it all starts with the old OIA trust, all roads would lead back to them.

-- and no it wouldn't. Who would take them on though? The news companies' owners are all likely co-opted. They don't mind doing their dirty deals out in the open as we saw with the Deep Deuce thing recently.

All of those public trusts are subject to the open records act. Anyone on here who has the time should feel free to expose them for what they are. Good luck getting one of the major news outlets of the city to pick up on it though.

[metro]

Steve Lackmeyer please do an investigative report on OCURA

[BDP]

The best chance for some coverage would be the Gazette. While they may not be "hard hitting", they're not afraid to cover issues usually protected by the GOB network.