Still looking for a new downtown OKC grocer

The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer fielded questions Friday during his weekly OKC Central chat. This is an abridged transcript of that conversation. To see the full transcript, or to participate in next week’s chat, go to NewsOK.com.

Q: Do you think the former Mercedes dealership downtown (near 13th and Broadway) is going to become a grocery?

A: That sure would be a great place, wouldn’t it?

Q: What happened with Walmart sniffing around downtown but eventually bailing on that idea (seemingly)?

A: Walmart looked at West Village and they looked at Bricktown. They also looked at a couple of other places downtown as well. They approached developers. And then, this last year, the conversation went quiet. It is possible they may have chosen a site and I’m not aware of it, or they may be waiting to see what happens with the former cotton oil mill site.

Q: In your ideal world, what route would the initial OKC streetcar have taken? I know you’re a big fan of the Kansas City streetcar and have concerns about OKC not following their successful model.

A: Smarter people than I suggest that a dual track along Sheridan from the Steelyard to West Village, a dual track along Robinson and/or Broadway and a dual track up and down NW 10 might have gotten us a lot more traction. But there are a lot of smart people in the world and who am I to say which ones are right.

I can say that there is almost nothing that we’ve chosen to do that follows the example of the highly successful Kansas City streetcar model whether one is looking at routes, starting off with free fares or consistent service on Sundays.

Q: When should we expect to hear which design proposal (of the four submitted) is selected for the affordable housing project around the new convention center garage?

A: This is set to move quickly. Cathy O’Connor, director of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, wants an agreement in place in July.