OKC Central
Potential MAPS 4 projects emerging with vote possible next winter
Read the recap of Steve Lackmeyer’s OKC Central chat.
Q: Do you know what the city is going to do with the Cox Convention Center when the new Convention Center opens in 2020? A:
The city’s ultimate plan is to seek developers for the Cox Convention Center and to look at whether to partially or fully restore the street grid that existed before the convention center was built in 1970. The convention center was never an example of great design or construction, so the idea of tearing it down as it turns 50 years old is no surprise. It’s not aged well and the cost of maintaining it will only get worse as time progresses. The question is what to do on a block that once cleared will be very attractive piece of real estate. The hotel market is saturated and Omni has an agreement that makes a hotel on that block unlikely. Housing? Unless the city gives that land away, the price of the dirt and the required density will likely have to test our market on what’s doable on the upper end. Offices? We’re overbuilt now. Retail? This is a challenge anywhere right now. Entertainment? Maybe?
Q: So — probably unpopular question here. But how long before there is a need to build a new arena for the Thunder? A:
I have confirmed that neither the Thunder, the chamber or city are talking about a new arena being built as part of MAPS 4. The arena opened in 2002 and has undergone improvements, upgrades and is set to see some roof repairs.
Q: When will MAPS 4 start? A:
We should start to see some things coming together this spring with a vote possible next winter.
Q: Is there a “Mega-project” in the future for downtown Oklahoma City to make it feel like a true downtown like in other states? A:
I’m not sure I understand how or whether it will really happen, but there are some influential folks who are very serious about making the proposed “cap” over I-235 between downtown and the Oklahoma Health Center a reality. Q: Do you see MAPS 4 including funding for the state fairgrounds for anything but a new arena? I feel since the arch blew down and was removed, the space needle wasn’t kept up with and was torn down and the racetrack being demolished, the general public doesn’t want to invest more money in an area that already has a dedicated funding source, as well as lack of historical pieces. A: The fair board has shown their focus is on the equine events and they’ve been consistent in removing the historical and entertainment-oriented attractions that were favorites of locals. Not sure how else I can answer this. They are building a fair park that is primarily for horse shows.
Q: Do you see any parallels between where Oklahoma City is right now in terms of image, infrastructure, population, quality of life, etc. and other major cities that are a step above Oklahoma City that could inform where we might expect to be in 30 to 50 years? For example, Seattle was considered a forgotten, sub-arctic city by many people before the 1962 World’s Fair. Now we know differently. What’s the “one thing” you could see realistically launching Oklahoma City into the next level? I’m talking big picture, shoot for the stars things that we could truly pull off in the next decade. Since we can’t control geography, and seem to have little control politically, leave those factors out for this exercise. Thanks for all you do. I told your colleague Linda
Lynn her work and yours are why I subscribe.
A: Thank you for subscribing!
OK. We don’t have mountains and we have long neglected the area of town (east side) with the most natural beauty in terms of hills and trees.
Our city’s pioneers put a lot of effort into planting trees, a legacy we see throughout our historic neighborhoods and parks. We have Oklahoma City Beautiful and the Tree Bank continuing that work, but we can do more as a city.
So that’s one we can definitely do.
We can put a lot more resources into our public transit system, which I’ve already discussed.
But first, more important than any of this
... we have to work on not just having “good” schools, but creating the
“best” school system in the country.
Q: In one of last year’s chats, another reader asked about adding taller buildings to the skyline. I think your answer was to improve education and then we could expect half a dozen skyscrapers. What exactly would this look like?
A: Start with the basics and go from there. It’s 2019 and we should not accept any school not having a complete sidewalk connection to nearby neighborhoods. We should realize that there are forces out there who claim they are against more funding for schools because of perceived waste and I’ve seen and heard these same folks talking about how they really want to do away with public education.
Realize that and understand that’s where they are coming from, right or
wrong.
If we are to continue having a public school system, then make teacher salaries among the highest in the country to attract the best talent.
Look at housing down payment assistance as a way to draw talent in the same way Tulsa is offering $10,000 per person to relocate to their city (hint: having a more targeting effort aimed at public school teachers will go a lot farther in impact).
Expand and improve after-school programs for kids. Get CareerTech to open visible branches at inner-city schools. Put your best people, your best resources, at the worst performing schools.
These efforts will attract the people who build cities.