Up and coming
Is Linwood Boulevard a candidate for the next downtown Oklahoma City area to be developed?
The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer fielded questions during his weekly online chat on Friday. This is an abridged transcript of that conversation. To see a full transcript, or to participate in future OKC Central chats, go to NewsOK. com.
Q: I drive Linwood Boulevard to work every day and that area is ripe for development. It reminds me of the Plaza District ten years ago. How far away are we from seeing movement in the area?
A: My response to this keeps changing as time marches on. Just a couple of years ago, I would have described this area as a patient play, one that might reward investors who buy property and understand their payoff might not follow for 10 to 20 years. But I am seeing accelerated activity and if the momentum continues at the current pace, I see the Linwood Boulevard area starting to build up within the next five to 10 years.
Q: Will we ever see development along the boulevard where there are currently parking lots? Do you think the city will ever buy them back from (Randy) Hogan and then put out a request for proposals?
A: Hogan came close a few years ago to assembling a development for the lot at Compress and Reno Avenues that would have included a hotel and housing. Hogan knows the lot has a higher value than parking. The property also was eyed, at one point, for a garage to be built as part of a longer term plan for rail transit and the transit hub. For a variety of reasons, I don’t see the Urban Renewal Authority being eager to claw back that parking lot. Whether we like it or not, the Lower Bricktown plan pitched by Hogan and approved by Urban Renewal included a lot of surface parking —including this parking lot.
Q: When will we start to see movement or at least plans on the old Co-op?
A: Great question. The original plan was for the sale to close in April. This massive property south of Lower Bricktown comes with a complicated history that dates back to the city’s founding. It is among the oldest industrial sites in Oklahoma City. Any successful master plan is going to take a lot of time, money
and planning to get it right. I have no reason to believe the cotton farmers and Funk aren’t still talking to figure out how to make redevelopment a reality. But have no doubt; this is a very, very complicated property.
Q: When will we see the Oklahoma and Sheridan garage get traction? It seems like the rest of Bricktown is torn up, why not there?
A: Don Karchmer has looked at two different locations for a garage, one on Main Street and the other at Oklahoma and Sheridan avenues. He has indicated he still wants to build a garage. But economic realities, demand and surrounding development have all proven to be unpredictable and volatile. I doubt we will see the garage built as last designed. But the garage isn’t dead. A lot of questions