Work continues on BancFirst Tower
The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer fielded questions from readers during this week's OKC Central Live Chat. You can join Steve most Fridays at 9:30 a.m. to add your questions and comments about ongoing developments around Oklahoma City.
Any updates on the construction of the BancFirst Tower? I've seen unneeded columns removed. Are they doing interior work at the same time?
The tower is obviously in the stage of major reconstruction now with the facade set to be completed this year while improvements are ongoing inside. BancFirst is addressing the elevators, mechanical systems, interior space and adding a second pane of windows.
Happy to see a construction crane on the Bricktown Marriott Renaissance site. I thought this project was dead and gone awhile ago! When should we see it completed?
In about a year.
The big surface lot east of the Bricktown Ballpark and south of the Chevy Bricktown Event Space. Is there any future idea of a better use of that lot? Just having the event center so far off the road makes for such a dead space. Would love for a parking garage with first floor retail space to be used their instead just to create better usage of land while retaining needed parking.
The city renegotiated its lease with the Dodgers a couple of years ago to allow for development of the lot, but I'm not sure when that might actually happen, considering a large swath of land immediately east of the parking lot cleared to make way for construction of three hotels is now up for sale with that project now canceled.
Any idea when the Level Phase II will begin in Deep Deuce on the east side of Walnut Avenue?
The Urban Renewal Authority is reviewing a proposal by Richard McKown to build apartments and retail at NE 3 and Walnut Avenue.
What are your predictions for Maps 5 projects?
Good grief. I have no idea.
What is happening on the old Holiday Inn on Main Street?
I talked with developer Jonathan Russell who bought the 10-story former Holiday Inn at 520 W Main in 2018.
Built in 1965, much of the cool mid-century design was muted with an early 1980s makeover, so there is an opportunity to bring it back as part of a historic tax credit project.
Russell is working on floor plans for apartments and going through numbers. But nothing is certain yet how what will be done or any timetable. The building was last home to a Bill Gothard Basic Youth Institute branch.
If the only reason we can't get rail service to Tulsa is that the freight companies monopolize the tracks, why can't ODOT buy land and install their own rail tracks to Tulsa? When they widened the lanes at the Tulsa end of the turnpike, for awhile there it looked like they were creating a huge center median for rail service like they have running down the center of the freeway in Los Angeles. My hopes were dashed.
Because as a state, we've long prioritized road construction over investing in public transit.