Redesigned parking garage for downtown OKC rejected
The Oklahoma City Police Association again was rejected on Thursday as it pitched revised drawings for a garage that would overlook Bicentennial Park.
The Downtown Design Review Committee voted three-to-one to reject plans for a five-story, 207-space garage at 601 W Main, which follows their rejection of a larger garage the association pro- posed in September.
The committee’s decision on Thursday focused on whether the garage was an appropriate use of the property, which was debated by the association and their opponents.
“If we didn’t have discretion, you would simply plug an application into a piece of software and it would spit out a result,” committee member Nathaniel Harding said. “Since we exist, we’re on a board, there is discretion. ... That’s
why we exist.”
The surface lot is one of several along Main Street owned by the police association used for parking officers’ private vehicles. The 601 W Main site across from the park was chosen after City Manager Jim Couch rejected a proposal by the association to partner with the city to build a garage in the police and courts complex where a surface lot is planned.
The property at 601 W Main is currently a 60-space parking lot. Neighboring property owners have waged war on the project, saying the garage would be far taller than surrounding buildings and would have cars overlooking the park.
Some of downtown's leading developers, including Richard McKown and Gary Brooks, supported opponents saying the site is ideal for housing, not parking.
The association, meanwhile, ignored an offer by neighboring property owners Dennis and David Box to swap a 118-space parking lot they own immediately south of the police association property.
Much of the debate echoed the September discussions, with the association’s architect, Scott Dedmon with ADG and attorney Kent Gil- liland saying the project complied with city zoning and they shouldn’t be restricted on uses that were listed in the zoning law.
“We’re providing a more expensive solution to parking in this area,” Dedmon said. “Surface parking lots are the least way to go. We have plenty of surface parking in the area. By going vertical we are reducing the amount of surface parking by a square block. Weare making possible development of other land, other police association surface lots along Main Street.”
He also repeated arguments the site is not limited on height and that is required to be at least 50 feet high.
“Garages area permitted use on the site,” Dedmon said.
Attorney Eric Groves countered, the zoning is secondary to overlay Downtown Framework guidelines passed by the Oklahoma City Council that govern not just height, but also compatibility with surrounding properties.
“We are not attempting to say this zoning district should be changed by the committee,” Groves said. “The committee does not have the power to change the zoning district. But it does have the power to say a particular use is not permitted if it is not compatible.”
Gilliland told the committee the association as owner of the land should be free to develop it as they wish.
“It’s hard for me to believe a 200-space parking garage built at this location is going to determine the future of the city,” Gilliland said. “The fact of the matter is: height and compatibility are determined issues.”
Committee Chair Cory Baitz cast the lone vote in support of the garage, noting the plans included 13,000 square feet of retail on the first floor. He argued a convenience store on the site, “if done right,” would complement the park by providing visitors a place to get drinks, snacks and other necessities.
“I don’t see this as purely parking,” Baitz said. “I see it as a mixed use.”
Harding was the first to side with Groves on the argument on compatibility.
“It’s not a matter of the design, or the kind of material,” Harding said. “It’s about whether to have a parking garage or not. In that location, facing the park, I absolutely agree with the question of compatibility of use.”
Committee members Julie Kriegel and Anthony Blatt also sided against building the garage.
“I have to look at the investment the city made in the park and the Civic Center and whether this is compatible and consistent with that park and investment,” Kriegel said. “And I don’t think it is.”