A SOCCER PITCH
Sprawling Producers Coop to be purchased by soccer team owner Bob Funk Jr.
The sale of the largest plot of land available for development in downtown Oklahoma City is set to close next spring with a group of local investors led by Bob Funk Jr. buying the 37-acre Producers Cooperative plant south of Bricktown.
In an interview with The Oklahoman,
Funk, owner of the Energy soccer team, confirmed his plans include working with the city on a long-term plan to build a stadium in a mixed-use development that would include housing, retail, hotels, parks, fountains and structured parking.
Members of the Producers Cooperative voted in June to approve the sale contract for the site, which housed the co-op’s cotton seed processing operations since the early 1900s. The plant was closed last year and operations were moved to Altus, in the heart of Oklahoma’s cotton crop region.
“The co-op wanted local developers — people connected to Oklahoma City who want to see the city prosper and offer a dynamic vision and capability to transform this site to reach its full potential,” Funk said. “They wanted a group who would work with them through their process, which required every member to cast a vote. In the end, the vote was unanimous in favor of selling us the land. We are pleased and honored to have gained their trust and
support.”
The sales price and members of Funk’s team were not disclosed.
The property was at one time eyed as a possible site for a new convention center, which is now being built one block to the west between E.K. Gaylord Boulevard and Robinson Avenue.
Funk is teaming up with investors to develop 27 acres of the site into housing and retail while going through a perhaps decadelong discussion with the city on whether to build a stadium of up to 20,000 seats to add Oklahoma City to the list of expansion teams with Major League Soccer.
The Energy, now in its third season, plays at Taft Stadium.
“Our goal has always been to get to the MLS,” Funk said. “But we knew that this is a long-term play. And to get to the MLS, we always knew we would need our own stadium and a place for that stadium.”
Five sites were considered by Funk, including State Fair Park, Wheeler Park and Wiley Post Park. He said Wheeler was a top pick, but it fell through after the discovery of title work that reverts the land back to descendants of the Wheeler family if alcohol sales are attempted on the property.
Purchase negotiations between members of Funk’s team and the Cooperative board started about three years ago.
Funk is cautioning the project won’t quickly become a reality. The property was once part of the original Oklahoma City oil field so contamination studies and clean up will be needed. Title challenges include a wagon trail easement and railway tracks that once serviced the cotton-processing plant and an adjoining lumberyard.
Funk also is coordinating plans with Fred Mazaheri and hotelier Champ Patel, who last year bought the adjoining former lumberyard with plans to build up to three hotels on the site. He said both sides have agreed to put together a master plan for both properties.
“We’ve had good conversations,” Funk said. “We both understand what the sites mean to each other and we’re on the same page on how they need to work together. They need to be seamless and connected together with the same vision.”
Funk said development likely will be done in phases, with the site to be cleared in 2018 shortly after the completion of the new downtown boulevard that will run along the old Interstate 40 alignment just north of the cooperative.
Housing may be done first, with retail and parking to follow. Funk said he will not rush into getting a stadium built.
“We are several years away before we will be in a position to actively pursue a Major League Soccer team,” Funk said. “But it is clear, Oklahoma City’s best opportunity to secure a Major League Soccer team leads through the OKC Energy. The sustained success of the OKC Energy has caught the attention of the league, underscoring the receptivity of the market to professional soccer. When we are in a position to earnestly pursue a Major League Soccer team, we are confident we will have a compelling case for Oklahoma City to present.”
Funk has kept a small circle of city leaders updated on his plans, including Mayor Mick Cornett.
“It’s a natural extension of Bricktown,” Cornett said. “From a real estate standpoint it makes a world of sense to do something special, a preplanned development that takes advantage of the boulevard and all the things going on downtown.”
Both Funk and Cornett say they are looking long term at the city’s growing interest in soccer.
“I would think the city’s involvement would be tied to an MLS franchise,” Cornett said. “We wouldn’t be building it hoping a franchise might come, we would build if a franchise were coming. Bob is doing all the right things. If the MLS continues to expand toward a maxedout 32-team league, I think Oklahoma City fits into those plans.”
Major League Soccer currently has 20 teams.
Funk sees his development as the key link to creating a seamless connection between the Oklahoma River and its boathouses and recreational venues, Bricktown and the Bricktown Canal, the new boulevard, Deep Deuce, the new convention center and park, the Chesapeake Arena and Myriad Gardens.
“Our investors and development team are avid downtown Oklahoma City enthusiasts,” Funk said. “As we imagine the possibilities of this development, we want to take advantage of how cultural variety and diversity intersect in Oklahoma City’s core to create an incredible urban experience offering something for everyone.”
Doing it right, Funk emphasized, will require patience. Plans include visiting similar projects across the country. He said the new 22,000-seat stadium in Kansas City is a top inspiration for what he envisions in Oklahoma City, but added that the Kansas City stadium is too removed from the heart of the city.
All along, Funk said, he was passionate about finding the right spot downtown that could attract soccer fans from north and south Oklahoma City. The Energy currently plays about 16 home games a year, but Funk wants a stadium that can accommodate multiple sports, even high school football championship games, as well as rugby, concerts and other special events.
“Oklahoma City has matured in the past 10 years and is now attracting and retaining a new generation of residents who desire a vibrant urban living experience,” Funk said. “They want energy, walkability, beautiful buildings, colorful streetscapes, well-designed streets and entertainment amenities with a variety of restaurants and shopping options — and they love water. The development we envision will have these offerings and amenities and more.”