Community Meeting Planned fo rI-40 Realignment Area

[Keith]

Community Meeting Planned for I-40 Realignment Area – Core to Shore

Four organizations are coming together to host a community meeting on March 13 to discuss the City’s Core to Shore planning process and how it might affect businesses and residents in the communities south of the realignment project. The meeting will be held from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Cocina De Mino, 6022 S Western.

The meeting will be hosted by the Latino Community Development Agency, the State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma, The Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.

The Core to Shore planning zone includes the 1,375-acre area impacted by the realignment of Interstate 40, south of downtown Oklahoma City. The area stretches from the core of downtown Oklahoma City to the shore of the Oklahoma River.

“A portion of the area in the Core to Shore planning study will impact the Hispanic community. We are interested in sharing information and getting input about the plan. Ideas for a Mercado district and improving the area surrounding Little Flower Catholic Church will be discussed,” said project coordinator Russell Claus.

The first phase of the Core to Shore plan focuses on the planning of a three-quarter mile long, world-class boulevard, stretching from about Oklahoma Avenue to Walker Avenue. The boulevard will function both as a gateway into downtown and an economic catalyst for Oklahoma City.

The estimated completion date for the I-40 realignment is 2012

A steering committee made up of 35 stakeholders and community leaders have been meeting monthly since October 2006 to discuss their vision for the area.

For more information, go to www.okc.gov or email ideas to www.coretoshore@okc.gov.

[okclee]

I would definitely like to see the Hispanic communtiy south of I-40 become the best in the U.S., It has everything to make this possible with a little help from Okc. Imagine having a model hispanic community that all other cities would want to duplicate. This could be great for the diversity of downtown Okc.

[BG918]

^ That would be fantastic, and a real asset to the diversity of Oklahoma City with a booming Hispanic district just south of downtown and booming Asian district to the north.

Question about the plan. I see they have a new convention center being built south of the Ford Center immediately south of the new blvd. So does this mean that Cox would be torn down? I don't think that would necessarily be a bad thing, especially opening up the Cox site to mixed-use development in the heart of downtown adjacent to Bricktown, the Ford Center, Sante Fe Depot, and Myriad Gardens. It would be cool to see Broadway lengthened all the way to Reno straight to the Ford Center. Potential light rail line anyone?

[jbrown84]

I don't think they would tear the Cox down when it was just remodeled as a MAPS project 5 years ago.

[bombermwc]

This is not to replace the Cox Center....just to augment it. It won't be an arena center...just a normal convention center. Hopefully a much larger, much better, much more modern center where things actually work.