Parking lot swap offered to stop garage across from park

The Oklahoma City Police Association is being asked to decide by Wednesday whether to accept an offer by Dennis Box to swap his 118-space surface parking lot with the association’s smaller 60-space lot to stop construction of a garage that would overlook Bicentennial Park.

Box and the police association, led by Maj. Ed Hill, have been battling over a proposed six-story garage at 601 W Main and whether it is out of scale with surrounding one-story and two-story buildings surrounding the park.

The six-story garage was rejected in September by the Downtown Design Review Committee and is pending an appeal with the Board of Adjustment. The police association’s architect, Scott Dedmon with ADG, has submitted a second application to be heard on Thursday that proposes a five-story garage with a different facade.

Neither Hill or his attorney, Kent Gilliland with Hall Estill Law Firm, returned calls or emails from The Oklahoman.

David Box, who along with his father Dennis Box own the parking lot at 118 W Main immediately south of the police association owned parking lot, believes the response to the offer will reveal the association’s true intentions.

The police association garage is being pitched even as the

newly opened Arts District Garage a block east of the property is running at 53 percent occupancy.

Hill in past interviews has said the garage is part of a plan to consolidate parking for police officers’ vehicles and allow for development on other surface lots they own along Main Street.

The first proposal totaled 262 spaces with 125 for police vehicles, 25 spaces for tenants and customers of commercial space on the ground floor, 100 monthly parking spaces and 12 hourly spaces. The new application cuts the number of spaces to 207 but does not indicate how many if any spaces will be paid hourly or monthly parking.

“We are willing to trade for no money exchanged, even though our lot is twice the size, just to protect the park,” David Box said. “If he doesn’t accept this offer, it means his is about more than storage of police vehicles. It’s what we think it is — a money grab for people going to events at the Civic Center. We believe this site will be better for meeting the needs of the police association.”

We are willing to trade for no money exchanged, … just to protect the park.”

David Box

[RENDERING BY ADG] The Oklahoma City Police Association is submitting a revised design and smaller scope for a proposed garage across from Bicentennial Park while still pursuing an appeal of its original rejected plans that were widely opposed by neighbors.