Steve Lackmeyer pointed out that Oklahoma City is getting ready to spend almost $100 million on downtown streetscape improvements, including new streetlamps, furniture, bus shelters, and more.  A plan has been put together by some of the top urban designers in the nation, and now it is up to city staff to purchase the fixtures and implement the improvements – and apparently they are purchasing fixtures soon.  It is imperative that this money go towards proven solutions that will provide a urban look and pedestrian-friendly feel for downtown.

Here is how you do it –> NYC Street Manual. It is free to download, but I purchased a hard copy on the recommendation of Jeff Speck, and find it to be true to his words. It offers worthwhile suggestions on lights, street furniture, and bus shelters – along with host of other street design best practices.

Oklahoma City should not attempt to reinvent the wheel when it comes to good urbanity, whether we are talking: design guidelines, sidewalk surfaces, or street furniture & lighting. We should learn from cities that have dealt with urban/pedestrian issues for a long time. We can save our bold efforts at originality for a day when we have the basics figured out.

And in case you think we have the basics figured out, I offer this humble reminder.

• Various bits of life and other interestingness — memo.ryecroft
  This image, worked on over 7 years ago, has a mind of its own in regards to where it appears. I’m hoping it’s getting people to say “what if,” because initially it was a simple idea about reusing the existing Santa Fe rail station and the elevated infrastructure to stimulate investment, interest and excitement.

  Oklahoma City Santa Fe Station Concept

  It basically evolved because I got tired of hearing about “remember when” regarding downtown Oklahoma City. While Oklahoma City didn’t have a chance to develop a historical core prior to the explosion of automobile usage (in the east coast NYC/Boston/Philly sense), Oklahoma City’s development history was uniquely shaped by intersections of a river and national rail lines. This infrastructure shaped our past growth and the sketch is a result of wondering why couldn’t our rails and right-of-ways still be utilized to shape our future and program the way the city would continue to develop?

  (tags: okc oklahoma.city transit brandon.specketer)
• The Journal Record – Article
  The city currently funds the South Oklahoma City Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber and the Capitol Chamber. Those chambers collectively receive about $300,000 from the city budget, Assistant City Manager Cathy O’Connor said.
  The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s contract was not part of the PUMA review, O’Connor said, nor was the $1 million dedicated to the Economic Development Foundation and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
  (tags: okc oklahoma.city chamber)

The final plans for the MAPS 3 ‘Central Park’ implementation have not been set, at least, that is what these statements from a recent Gazette article lead me to believe.

Asst. City Manager Cathy O’Connor on the park:

Assistant City Manager Cathy O’Connor said the total estimated price tag to the city is $130 million for the parks portions of the “Core to Shore” project.

“It is still a concept plan. It isn’t the final version of the plan — that won’t be done until after the election, if the election is successful,” O’Connor said. “Then we’ll have a much better idea of what everything’s really going to cost.”

And Planning Director Russell Claus:

“these amenities and the associated numbers are extremely conjectural. (This is) based on a very preliminary evaluation of the possible content and functions of the park,” he said.“As such, inclusion of all amenities mentioned, estimates on size and other numbers cited are subject to significant change before they are finalized — a process which will not happen until after a successful vote.”

I trust both O’Connor and Claus when they say the plans are not completely final, but I hesitate to get my hopes up that the average Oklahoma City resident will have any role to play in the finalization of such plans.  Over $500,000 has already been paid to Hargreaves & Associates to formulate the existing Central Park plan (see Council items – 8/4 9/29).  The latest fee addition added $24,000 for the consultant to help “educate” the public, as stated in the September 29 Council Agenda:

Public education for MAPS 3 has been deemed to be of critical importance for this project and, therefore, it is in the best interest of the Trust to direct the Landscape Architect to prepare and provide project presentations to various City stakeholders and officials.

Educating and engaging are two very different things.

ASIDE

Even while the consultant’s fees continue to climb, the estimated price of the Central Park has been falling, from the $154 million estimate, stated in both the June 16th and August 4th Council agendas, to the $130 million estimate released on September 29th and now widely publicized.  September 29th was also the day that MAPS 3 was announced by the City Council and the final MAPS 3 project list and budget estimates were released.  If all of the project estimates have undergone such whittling, the 2% contingency may be even thinner than initially suspected.

• OKCBiz > Capitol corridor seeks ‘Asian’ renaissance
  Over the past four years, the city of Oklahoma City already has invested more than $9 million on the corridor for decorative lighting, landscaped medians, sidewalks, road resurfacing and waterlines in an effort to stimulate growth.

  But more is yet to come.

  Back in March, Oklahoma City Councilman Skip Kelly shared his vision of his northeast quadrant district. It was also the same day he told attendees Ward 7 would get approximately $9 million for further infrastructure projects. The work of the previous streetscape project, which Kelly says improved the area but didn’t go far enough, would be enhanced.

  But money – while helpful – wouldn’t be enough. That’s why Kelly lobbied for and won stronger ordinances for the area.

  (tags: oklahoma.city 23rd.street okc Capitol NE)

• Best Places to Launch: Oklahoma City is a heartland haven – Oct. 13, 2009
  Stable and affordable, Oklahoma City is a haven for entrepreneurial risk takers. It boasts the second lowest foreclosure rate among large U.S. metro areas (one for every 305 housing units, according to foreclosure data firm RealtyTrac), along with the second lowest median rent ($728 per month for a two-bedroom apartment, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). Through the Great Recession this former Dust Bowl capital has been spared many hardships, with a diverse local economy spread across medical research, energy, education and government. In 2008 it boasted the fastest per capita income growth (5.4%) of any large metro area, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis.
  (tags: oklahoma.city business okc list ranking)

Cool graphic.  Take note of “Pedestrian Accidents.”

• Canal Society promotes Broad Street project | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle
  "We're not talking about the romanticism of a waterway where you see an old canal boat and people are clapping as it goes by. We're talking about something substantial and useful for the city," said Thomas Grasso, president of the Canal Society. "There is proof that there is nothing like waterways in an urban setting to create economic revitalization."

  Grasso said similar projects occurred in England, France, Denmark and in the United States, including Indianapolis and Oklahoma City, which developed a nearly one-mile waterway through its downtown. The Canal Society organization provided three aqueduct tours Saturday as part of Rochester River Romance Weekend.

  "I think we could use something like this in downtown to bring more people in," said Anne Hughes, a Rochester native who attended the tour.

  The old Rochester Aqueduct was built in 1840 and allowed the Erie Canal to cross the Genesee River at Rochester. Eventually the space housed the Rochester subway from 1929 to 1956.

  (tags: maps3 canal rochester oklahoma.city okc maps downtown bricktown)

PEOPLE WHO SHOULD COME

If you enjoy the content of this blog and want to join me, some of Oklahoma City’s top real estate and planning professional, and two of my favorite fellow bloggers for a night of candid discussion on all things OKC, then this is the even for you.  I have had the pleasure of being involved with the ULI organization over the years.  Initially in Oklahoma City as part of an effort to found the Oklahoma District Council and since as a student involved in the annual urban design competitions.  I think highly of the organization, especially the group we have working locally, and have high hopes for the impact ULI can have on the land use and development practices in our city.  So it was truly an honor to be asked to sit on the next ULI panel this Tuesday night at the Midtown Deli…

ABOUT THE EVENT

Okay, enough with the fluffy intro.  This event is billed as a “candid ‘back room’” event and I am going to try to make sure we deliver (though I would request that if I do get run out of town, someone will at least drop me off at the airport).   Here is the event description from ULI:

Some of the best insights about OKC Real Estate and Urban Planning are found on the web! Now three very popular BLOGGERS join us up-close and in-person! This will be a candid “back room” event — not the usual Yada Yada. 20 bucks buys you drinks, eats, and some stuff money generally cannot buy. If you come, bring a business card.

What will we talk about?  A lot of that is up to you.  Bring a business card so that we can put you on the “Roulette Wheel”. If the wheel lands on your name, you get to ask any question you want. Obviously, we will probably have to talk about MAPS 3.  Hopefully we can offer a multifaceted view of the program.  Even as an admitted fan of MAPS 3 and someone who plans to vote yes, it definitely isn’t perfect.  We can also talk Devon Tower, Downtown Streetscapes, and the future of Bricktown, Automobile Alley, and the burgeoning Midtown district that is hosting the event  Finally, while we have a suburban developer downtown, we should venture into some of the more technical aspects of development and the differences between urban and suburban development models – this might actually be a very beneficial discussion that we don’t have often enough.

ABOUT THE PANELIST

I can’t explain how I am qualified to be on the panel with Jeff and Steve, so I won’t try.  I like and admire both of them, but we definitely view the city from varied perspective.

Jeff Click
Blogger at ModernLandRun, President of the Central Oklahoma Homebuilders, and  also authors the funniest tweets on the web about the hilarious remarks of his 4 yr old daughter.

Steve Lackmeyer
Reporter for The Oklahoman, literally wrote the book on downtown development in OKC, is always blogging away at OKC Central

SEE YOU THERE

Register in advance or just come on by Midtown Deli on Tuesday at 5:30pm.

View Larger Map

Register Online for this event

• Tulsa World: A-list designer to guide Jenks
  "The idea that The Village on Main is an extension of downtown Jenks is a very exciting opportunity to bring good urbanism to the city," Merrill said.

  Sasaki won't fully design the project's eight buildings. Instead, the firm will develop general design guidelines for the area.

  The goal is to make the area feel diverse yet unified, as well as give large tenants a degree of freedom in their building designs, said Bob Eggleston of The Village on Main LLC.

  "Instead of having a design with one style, we wanted it to feel like a village with different styles within a certain set of guidelines," he said.

  The goal is to incorporate "smart growth" — a building strategy in which developers use a limited amount of land in the most efficient way — with green areas, pedestrian-friendly spaces and a general feeling of openness.

  (tags: jenks urban.design development oklahoma)

• Construction begins on $750M Devon tower in OKC | Business news | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle
  "So often, in an office building, people design what I call simple, dumb boxes," Pickard said. "Devon headquarters is not. … In a normal work facility, they would bar the gate. They would lock the public out. But Larry, from day one, said we want the public to be invited in."

  The building will be 850 feet tall, which would make it Oklahoma's tallest building. The state's tallest building now is the 52-story BOK Tower in Tulsa at 667 feet tall. Oklahoma City's tallest building is the 36-story Chase Tower at 500 feet.

  (tags: devon.tower oklahoma.city okc downtown skyscraper)