OKC CENTRAL CHAT
Business writer Steve Lackmeyer led his weekly OKC Central chat with Oklahoman readers Friday morning
The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer took questions from readers during Friday's OKC Central Live Chat. You can join Steve's Q&As on Fridays at 9:30 a.m. and submit your questions about the happenings in and around downtown Oklahoma City. Here is an edited transcript:
Best St. Patrick's Day festivity for kids?
I recommend three: the parade in the Stockyards on Saturday, the parade downtown and in Midtown also on Saturday and the festivities along the Bricktown Canal at Oklahoma Avenue all weekend.
Practical question that may also show how fast/slow OKC is changing. I've been gone exactly one year and am moving back in April. Food, entertainment, things to do — what do you recommend that I should see or do that I couldn't have a year ago, if anything?
Heck yeah. My list: Banquet Cinema, The Jones Assembly, McClintock's and Rodeo Cinema in Stockyards City, a handful of restaurants and shops in Paseo, and Commonplace Books and Cafe in Midtown.
Loves does a lot of sponsorship for downtown. Any chance their company ever makes the move downtown?
Loves, which really has more of its retail operations on the periphery of Oklahoma City, has indeed been a good community partner. They probably could have done a headquarters downtown 10 to 20 years ago before their rapid national growth, but they have since built a pretty sprawling campus at Hefner and Western in The Village. We should cheer them on with this investment because this was an area that was struggling and The Village itself is landlocked and could be hurt badly if it was suddenly saddled with a vacant office park. Loves has helped The Village adapt and rebuild its northeast side and as a result the area is stable and doing well.
True or False: We see meaningful development in Strawberry Fields within the next decade.
I struggle to see that land not being developed in the next decade. Can I guarantee it will be Pat Salame who gets it all done? No. But she's actually done a lot of good for that area, not just buying land but clearing it of blight and debris especially on properties just west of Scissortail Park.
Prediction ... once the Omni/ First National are finished, we'll have two more nice steakhouses downtown (Ruth's Chris and Bob's (?)) ... no way we can sustain all of these. Which is the first to go? ... Mahogany, RedPrime, McClintocks, Cattlemans, Vast, Flint, Broadway 10, The Ranch, etc . ...
I don't see these places being a threat to restaurants outside of downtown. People go to the restaurants in Stockyards City for the experience as well as the food. The Ranch is in northwest Oklahoma City. But ... Flint might need to make some adjustments. Ditto for Vast.
What would it take to re-open Thunder Alley?? Playoffs are around the corner ... time to get this conversation started!!
Proposals are due for a strip of land between the arena and Oklahoma City Boulevard that was once part of the path of a much wider former alignment of Interstate 40. I expect to see the Thunder or a related party bid for that property and create an entertainment zone that includes space for a Thunder Alley, but one that is on private property so it can be secured and free of the sort of folks who cause enough trouble to end the impromptu festivities a few years ago.
What do you know about neighborhoods east of I-235? JFK, Culbertson, etc? Got to tour Page Woodson last year and its pretty cool.
Yes. That area is definitely going in the right direction, as is all of JFK and Culbertson. A lot of people are missing out on some great opportunities if they choose only to look west and not east.
What is the approximate completion date for the OG&E substation north of 10th and 235? I feel like opening up that NW 10th street spot would be a great location for future development, considering the innovation district ideas coming up.
It should be wrapped up this year. And yeah, that corner at NW 10 and Oklahoma Avenue will probably develop pretty quickly.
When looking at the proposal for the Union Station Restoration and Adaptive Reuse, two questions: 1) what is the timeline for this project with the park opening later this year and 2) what is the source of funding?
The north half is set to open in September. MAPS 3 surplus funds will be used for Union Station, but the $10 million estimate is just the start of making it truly viable. Some plays are underway behind the scenes. I like what I hear.
Is construction for the BancFirst Tower garage expected to begin soon just east of the railroad tracks in Bricktown?
Interior repairs are underway for the public spaces and existing tenants. Improvements to the future BancFirst space and exterior are set to start this next year.