Daytime adventures in OKC? New iconic landmarks? Your questions answered

The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer fielded reader questions Friday during his weekly OKC Central Live Chat. Each week, Steve hosts a live chat, giving readers a chance to ask questions about Oklahoma City development and growth as well as an opportunity to ask direct questions of OKC newsmakers like Mayor David Holt and Dan Straughan, the executive director of the Homeless Alliance. He will be joined by David Todd, who oversees the city's MAPS projecdts, at 10 a.m. Friday.

To be able to ask questions and interact with Steve or special guests, you must have a digital subscription to The Oklahoman and you must be logged in. As part of our ongoing sale, you can get unlimited digital access to all of our content for $1 a month for the first 12 months.

Daytime adventures to be found throughout Oklahoma City

Q: We just moved to the area, and I would just like to point out how unexpectedly inviting downtown OKC is. There seems to be so much to offer and shame on me for not knowing more (I grew up in OK, but our OKC adventures started and stopped in Bricktown). First National is an absolute gem. What areas do you recommend for a daytime adventure?

A: The offerings are a lot better than when I was growing up here as a kid. In terms of museums, we have the Oklahoma City Art Museum, Oklahoma Contemporary, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the First Americans Museum, and the Oklahoma History Center.

We have an incredible outdoor recreational amusement park with Riversport along the Oklahoma River. We have great parks including not just the Myriad Gardens and Scissortail Park but also Will Rogers Park and Martin Nature Center.

If you are into the arts, visit Paseo and the Plaza District. And yes, Bricktown is itself a day-long excursion with the Jim Thorpe Museum, American Banjo Museum, the Bricktown Canal water taxis, the ballpark, bowling and arcades, Harkins Theater, Bass Pro Shops, restaurants and shops.

If you have kids, the Adventure District has some great choices including the Oklahoma City Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Science Museum Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Railway Museum and the firefighters museum. We have Remington Park casino and racetrack in the Adventure District as well, and the renovated State Capitol is a great place to take in some of our greatest architecture, art and history exhibits.

I can go on and on. The Wheeler Ferris Wheel, the farmers markets on weekends, the city's growing trails system, The Underground tunnels downtown... but I'm not getting paid by the CVB so I'll stop now and let you get caught up with the list I've provided.

Landscaping needed at local schools?

Q: I sure wish a wealthy donor would give the money to re-landscape the front of Northwest Classen High School. I think that building is a beautiful example of mid-century school buildings and I would love to see it get a little bit of a facelift. Is there any sort of group that works to get donors for projects like this? I know our public schools are under attack right now and this may be low priority, but it would be great to see it happen. 

A: The Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation exists for assisting in processing and awarding grants and I agree, it would be great to see such a campaign undertaken with perhaps other organizations like the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. The challenge would be making landscaping a priority when, as you say, our public schools are under an intensive political attack on both the state and national level. As an aside, Northwest Classen is on the list of schools set to undergo extensive changes funded by a bond issue approved last year by voters.

Were The Village and Nichols Hills once Oklahoma City neighborhoods?

Q: Have Nichols Hills and The Village always been cities? It seems like they were probably just neighborhoods such as Heritage Hills or Quail Creek, but must have incorporated at some time as a city. Do you know the history? 

A: We have seen over the years the city annexing several towns, but The Village and Nichols Hills, along with Bethany and Warr Acres, were always free-standing cities. Nichols Hills and The Village were both started by homebuilders responding to the advent of vehicle travel. Nichols Hills came first, and The Village followed post World War II with unrealized hopes of being embraced as an extension of Nichols Hills.

Myriad Gardens cafe likely to remain an event center

Q: Don't you think there is enough downtown activity now that a restaurant could go into the abandoned space in Myriad gardens where they have the skating rink and be successful? I was walking through there last week and realized what a beautiful location that is and how nice it would be to sit there and look out at those gardens during a meal.

A: Maybe. But the prospects still don't look promising.

Let's start with the design of the restaurant itself. Out-of-state consultants (forgive me if I sometimes sneer when I refer to these hires) told decision makers that the gardens could support a fine dining, white table cloth restaurant. I talked to some of the city's most successful urban restaurant operators and they advised such a concept wouldn't work and that the Myriad Gardens needed a more accessible eatery - something like Spark which is now serving great burgers in Scissortail Park. The California consultants, Manask & Associates, were wrong in their assessment of what was needed in the Myriad Gardens and the local restauranteurs were on target.

Look at the design of Spark and the design of the failed Myriad Gardens restaurant. Spark is open and inviting to the street and park. The Myriad Gardens building turns its back on the street and sits somewhat above everything else in the park.

I'm not sure this design will ever help support a restaurant in that space. We also have the Myriad Gardens Foundation relying on the space as an event venue that provides revenue for the gardens operations.

Urban sprawl continues

Q: Is there any effort by the city to stop our urban sprawl? It doesn't appear so. Housing developments are being created on farmland so far from the center of the city- now approaching as far out as places like Kingfisher, Luther, etc.- that I fear it will never stop.

A: On paper? Yes. In reality? No.

Oklahoma City sprawls out over 621 square miles. We are one-third the size of the entire state of Rhode Island, which spans 1,545 square miles. Oklahoma City is among the top 10 largest geographic cities in the country.

I've delved into this issue in the past. The more this spread is built out, the more challenging it will be to adequately fund emergency services, parks, utilities and other essential city services.

There are some advantages. We certainly have the room for population growth and the opportunity to still be able to address the shortage of affordable housing. It also gives us space for new industry and retail.

But the sprawl of neighborhoods is a growing cost that will eventually come with a bill that will be difficult to pay.

The last master plan was written up with zoning intended to rein in such sprawl. The city council, however, has taken a different approach at times by actually annexing fringe housing developments that bring the cost of such additions without the commercial areas that can match those costs with sales tax growth.

More: City council says no to proposed neighborhood for Oakdale. What happens now?

Can rental home owners be held more accountable to maintain their properties?

Q: The city council needs to get busy and do something about absentee landlords from other states. A company from Austin bought the house next door to me, remodeled it, and is now renting it. They recently had a plumbing problem and ended up trashing part of my front yard with their backhoe. I have tried relentlessly to get in touch with someone from that company about repairs, but when you call their number, you go down a rathole of numbers until you get a final message board. This is ridiculous that a corporation can come in, destroy a neighborhood's character, and then not be held accountable. 

A: I share your concern. Rental homes are needed by those who simply can't buy a house due to finances, temporary job situations or other uncertainties. In my own neighborhood we have some rental homes that are well maintained, but when you pass by a home that is not well maintained, it is almost always owned by an out-of-state landlord.

On a rare occasion, the city declares a property a public nuisance and takes aggressive action. Such was the case when the city council recently went after owners of the Plaza Inn in south Oklahoma City after years of killings, drugs and prostitution. I also recall action was threatened against a duplex in Midtown.

We saw a huge influx of investors and speculators buying up houses during the most recent housing bubble and I'm sure that will only add to the challenges the bad landlords present to our communities.

I'm not sure what the answer might be and I'm not aware of any ordinances or enticements used by cities to discourage such neglect. In your own situation, I encourage you to contact your city council representative to find out if your neighbor has the required permits to tear up the property. You may even want to see if you can retain an attorney.

Affordable senior housing options downtown are limited

Q: I hope there will be some housing affordable for seniors at The Hub. I want to live there!  

A: The Hub is set to be market rate apartments. Some affordable housing is part of Boulevard Place which hopefully we will see starting soon next to the Omni Hotel. The same developers, Rose Rock, are set to build Alley's End, all affordable units, at NW 4 and Broadway though we do not know yet when that will start.

Right now the best option for affordable housing for seniors downtown is Classen Commons in Midtown, a complex that was built just a few years ago.

Oklahoma City's iconic views still evolving

Q: Hello Steve, OKC’s landscape is constantly changing, which is a great sign of a growing and vibrant community. Modern day landmarks like the Devon Tower, Bricktown Canal, Scissortail Park, Myriad Gardens, Boathouse District etc. are now among the most photographed and viewed images of our city. Are there projects currently under development that could possibly have a similar impact on the future image and/or perception of the city? 

A: Good question! When you put all of this together, the picture of our city really has changed dramatically since a city council member declared in 1988 "Downtown is dead and we helped kill it."

Add to your list the new "Light as a Feather" sculpture at Scissortail Park, Skydance Bridge connecting the two sides of the park over Interstate 40 and the multi-colored beacon at the revived First National and we really have a lot to celebrate.

And yes, more additions are coming that transform our image even more. OKANA is on top of the list. Even now, the hotel at the future $400 million resort has quite the visual impact on the river at night.

A pedestrian bridge linking OKANA with the boathouse district also will be pretty cool to see. And don't forget we also have the Wheeler Ferris Wheel overlooking the Oklahoma River at Western Avenue.

If Oklahoma City is chosen for hosting the 2028 Olympic canoeing events the river will be something we can really show off. Keep in mind that by that point OKANA will be done, the pedestrian bridge will be done, we will have a cool Navy monument on the north shore of the river at Wiley Post Park.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC has a growing list of daytime adventures and iconic landmarks