OKLAHOMA CITY | Projects & Construction

[delts145]

I'm really enjoying your posts Peerson! Keep up the great work.

Love those homes being created in the planned district on the former air strip. That is going to be a very popular place to live. Great bygone ambiance to the street fronts.

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by delts145

I'm really enjoying your posts Peerson! Keep up the great work.

Love those homes being created in the planned district on the former air strip. That is going to be a very popular place to live. Great bygone ambiance to the street fronts.

Thanks mucho

I agree. I don't think they'll have any trouble selling those homes.
A number of them have been sold, and people are already moving in.

The Oklahoman (local news media) has posted a nice video about the district with interviews of some of the new residents.
You might find it interesting.

• Video Link

[NYC2ATX]

Originally Posted by Peerson

Your first sentence is very well put. "quietly writing itself" -- that's an excellent way to phrase the situation. Perhaps a little too quietly. That's why I decided to put some posts on this forum.

As for the "pulling one's self up by the bootstraps" aspect, it's both a blessing and a curse. I admit to getting a bit jealous when I see some other city hit the magical "it" status which is followed by out-of-town developers showing up in droves year after year with mountains of cash. Though it is fascinating to watch.

Despite that, OKC is doing fine. There's definitely a kind of excitement in the air with all the movement and plans. I'm intrigued by it.

Ditto to delts' comment and cheers on your keeping the thread active! Especially for interested parties like myself that are not close by.

I think the smartest thing that OKC is doing right now is investing in civic projects designed to create destinations within downtown and in nearby areas that further new development can coalesce around. From the Skydance Bridge, the new parks and the boathouses, to relocating I-40 south and constructing a streetcar system, these are foundational projects that will improve the development landscape for that elusive out-of-town money. Fortunately, there are a handful of "it" cities in neighboring states that will eventually start pricing people out and over to "undiscovered" gems like OKC. All in due time.

Also, the Wheeler District is fantastic. The planning and architecture are way beyond what you normally see in an adolescent, car-dependent plains city, and if it turns out looking anything close to what is depicted in the renderings, it's going to be a huge asset to the city. Perhaps it will draw more folks to south side of the river and to the Stockyards area.

[Peerson]

^ By jove, you know a lot about what's going on in OKC. I'm surprised... and impressed.

As to how the Wheeler District will turn out... only time will tell. It's already progressed farther and faster than I thought it would at this point. The Humphreys do seem well connected. Blair, who led the charrette, is a member of ULI (Urban Land Institute) and is a firm advocate of urbanist principles. I think it may very well all come to pass.

[Peerson]

Dwellings at SoSA

Downtwon condominium project to (ultimately) consist of 14 housing units








The project is being built in two phases -- seven homes per phase.
The first phase is complete.



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=40656&page=8


Seven more condos will be built on the south section of the plot after the already finished units are sold.
Apparently, this is close to happening.


There are some good photos of one of the completed units at their facebook page:

























https://www.facebook.com/pg/thedwellingsatsosa/posts

Edit: I want to add a note that I forgot to include when I first posted this.
These units are not connected. That is, this is not one building that is sub-divided into 7 units.
They are completely separate buildings that are placed closely together.

[Peerson]

The Big Friendly brewery and taproom

The Big Friendly is a mobile beer taproom that's been operating in OKC out of a converted school bus.





They frequently set up shop at the ferris wheel in the newly formed Wheeler District to cater events.











https://twitter.com/WheelerWheelOKC


They have decided to set up a permanent presence in Wheeler by building a new brewery and taproom.

news blurb: http://newsok.com/article/5631574/bi...pen-at-wheeler

Rendering:




This will be located by the old terminal building which itself is being renovated into a restaurant, bar, and mailroom.



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45086

website: http://www.thebigfriendly.com

[Peerson]

Classen 16

3 story mixed-used residential complex to be constructed along Classen and NW 16th

Renderings:








Aerial sketch:




Architectural models:






Some of the renderings make the building appear to be 4-story, however, the architect describes it this way:

The building is primarily three stories with top floor ‘pop-ups’ adding volume and value to these units.

The exterior will be made of a reflective material.

The building is clad with a shimmering, scale-like aluminium shake that reacts to the changing quality of light throughout the day.

https://www.ahmm.co.uk/projectDetails/180/Classen16


This will be 48 residential units, one and two bedrooms, with 3,800 sf of retail space.
So far, there's no indication of what kind of retail may be included.

This was originally proposed (and approved) back in late 2016.
But then the project stalled for a considerable time while financing was sought.
Finally, the financing was secured and it's back on track.

A pic from just a couple of days ago shows the foundation in place:



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39587&page=7

Should be finished in eary 2020.

[Peerson]

Arrive Hotel

A new 6 story, 110 room boutique hotel proposed for midtown.
Situated near a streetcar stop at 11th and Hudson, it features retail spaces and a coffee shop on the first floor, and a bar with a patio on the second floor.



(this is an interior shot from their Palm Springs hotel)


Location:





This is right next to the Elk Valley brewery.
(the brewery resides in a renovation of an old movie theater)


Renderings:








The hotel group is based out of Los Angeles and built the first Arrive Hotel in Palm Springs.
Several more are planned including one in Austin which is already in construction and should be complete later this year.

Arrive hotels aim to blend into the neighborhood and offer a different take on services:

The brand places a strong emphasis on connecting with their immediate neighborhood and aims to serve not just tourists but locals as well.
The shops, with the restaurant, are key to appealing to residents.
. . .
Although exact details have yet to be revealed, Arrive attempts to distinguish itself from other hotels such as omitting the traditional check-in desk and instead have guests check in at the bar.

Chris Pardo, one of the founders of this boutique chain, was the architect for the Lisbon Lofts condo development in OKC.

Construction for this hotel would likely begin early 2020.

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44977

[patriotizzy]

So many empty lots in OKC. I imagine before the car, these lots were full of prewar brick structures. So much potential for this city's future.

As a side note, I love the new park they are finishing up near downtown. It's a good way of sparking life and bringing people to a destination near downtown.

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by patriotizzy

So many empty lots in OKC. I imagine before the car, these lots were full of prewar brick structures. So much potential for this city's future.

As a side note, I love the new park they are finishing up near downtown. It's a good way of sparking life and bringing people to a destination near downtown.

So true about the empty lots. And the thing is, in the last 6 or 7 years there has been so much infill added, new buildings over parking lots or empty grass fields. And yet despite this, there are still a zillion of them left.

And yes, downtown OKC used to be much fuller and denser. I could post some historical photos that would show this. But starting in about the mid '50s people and businesses migrated away from downtown, mostly northward and out towards the suburbs. And many buildings became empty, boarded up, demo'd. Urban renewal in the 60's and 70's had a big hand in this as well. This is a tale, I'm sure, that many cities could tell.

At least the momentum is in the right direction now. Even still, with all the activity, I think it could take another 20 years (or more) to fill all this up. Maybe less if we get lucky and the pace picks up.

[Dale]

Take heart, Oklahoma Citians. Charlotte, as recently as the 80’s, looked like it had been nuked, owing to “urban renewal.” Nowadays, you almost have to go looking for empty lots.

[gillynova]

Nice new looking housing units you got coming up in OKC. Are there any proposals coming up in the downtown core?

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Nice new looking housing units you got coming up in OKC. Are there any proposals coming up in the downtown core?

There are a few.

I've just recently posted about the Dwellings at SOSA (which still have 7 units left to build), Lisbon Lofts, The Bower at 4th & Lee, and The Elliott.

Additionally, there is 700 West, Boulevard Place, and several other smaller projects that I am about to be posting on very soon. In fact, 700 West is going to be the very next post.

There have been a BUNCH of residential housing units added to the downtown in the last 5 years in various different projects (most of whom I've never seen any reference to on this forum).
For example, West Village which was just finished last fall. That one is so nice, that I'm going to sneak a post in about it as well.

[Peerson]

700 West

An affordable housing complex to be constructed at NW 4th and Shartel.

The city owns a 2.5 acre (empty) parcel at that location.
The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA) issued an RFP to develop this lot specifically as an affordable housing site.

They received two responses. The winning entry was submitted by developer Ron Bradshaw.
He is well known to the city for several quality projects including the renovation and development of the old Page Woodson school site.


Renderings:









from OKCTalk:

Dubbed 700 West, the new 4-story development would feature 138 affordable housing units, a pool, playground area, dog park and surface parking.

. . .

As proposed, the 121,425 square foot building would contain 27 studios, 84 1-bedroom and 27 2-bedroom apartments
ranging in price from $675 per month to $1,249 for income-qualified tenants.

Location:




Local area and amenities:




Overhead view:




Floor plan:



http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=36384&page=6


This was proposed in December (2018).
I haven't seen any information yet regarding as to when this project will begin.

[jtown,man]

You probably have had the biggest impact on this site based on how much content you have posted while having less than 50 posts.

Thanks man, good work!

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

You probably have had the biggest impact on this site based on how much content you have posted while having less than 50 posts.

Thanks man, good work!

Woa, now.... stop it with the compliments........ cash will do.



But seriously... not true at all. I appreciate the sentiment, though.

[Peerson]

Peering at the hotel and convention center construction -- from the streetcar stop in front of Scissortail Park:



(May 21. 2019)

source: https://twitter.com/okccta

[Peerson]

Make Ready

An old auto body shop on NW 13th is proposed for a makeover as small office spaces.
The property is owned by Midtown Renaissance, a development group that owns a number of lots in midtown and is responsible for a number of renovations in the area.

The idea is to provide small, inexpensive office spaces for start-up companies and entrepreneurs.


This is the current building:



Location:




Renderings:





from Chris Fleming of Midtown Renaissance:

The Make Ready Building provides commercial space to the small-tenant market segment that currently has limited options in Midtown.
This building could house startup companies that come out of the Thunder Launchpad or the Innovation District or i2E.
Maybe it’s home to a two- or four- or six- person office or maybe a workshop and retail space for a group of artisan makers.

Companies and their employees want to be in Midtown. The Make Ready Building ensures that companies of all sizes can be here.

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44929

[Peerson]

Another great shot of downtown construction, courtesy of Pete at OKCTalk:



Union Station (the old train depot) is at the foreground. It will anchor the southern end of upper Scissortail Park.

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=25597&page=9

[Peerson]

800 trees planted along the downtown river shore

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation (OCCF) recently held a ceremony to mark the completion of a beautification project along the Oklahoma River.



https://www.occf.org/oklahoma-city-c...ication-event/

news item: https://oklahoman.com/article/563149...oklahoma-river


The project started last fall and resulted in the planting of hundreds of trees along a 3.5 mile stretch next to the Oklahoma River.
This extends from Harvey to Portland.

Project details from the OCCF website:

• Planted 800 trees along the pedestrian trail on the north shore of the Oklahoma River to increase shade and tree canopy and encourage greater use of the trail.
  
• Enhanced landscaping along 3.5 miles of the trail with native grasses and wildflowers to enhance the aesthetics and create managed, natural areas along the river.
  
• Added new seating blocks using natural stones to provide respite areas along the trail.
  
• Reactivated existing irrigation systems to utilize river water to irrigate plantings.

https://twitter.com/shanehamp


One final tree (a bur oak) was planted during the ceremony:







https://twitter.com/occforg

This will be great for the riverfront.
Though the area has received a lot of attention in the past few years, especially further east where the stylish boathouses have been built, it's underutilized because of the lack of tree canopy and rest areas along the river.
It gets baking hot in the summer!

This should help with getting people out and about to enjoy the downtown river area.