Drive-thru only? Mustang Creek connection to Spaghetti Warehouse? Your questions answered

The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer fielded reader questions during his recent 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. There won't be a chat this week, but you can join Steve most Fridays at 10 a.m. to add your comments and questions about downtown development.

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. Right now, you can get unlimited digital access to all of our content for $1 for six months.

Are traditional restaurants doomed to be replaced by tiny drive-thru-only coffee shops and fast food?

Q: I am disappointed about the Chelino's Mexican Restaurant that was at North May and NW 58th was torn down and replaced by another coffee drive-through. The Chelino's was great and I am guessing employed over 40 to 50 people who no doubt have families to take care of. Instead, the tiny coffee drive though provides nothing that interests me and I am guessing employs one person at a time. Your thoughts?  

A: I suspect we're seeing an ongoing shift of dining from casual, sit-down experiences to quick drive-thru consumption. I've noticed these places typically employing two to three at a time. But yes, I agree labor shortages also likely play a factor in this shift.

Will it be permanent? I hope not. We need interaction to avoid further polarization. I still miss Beatnix, when I could meet a range of people ranging from conservatives to progressive activists, high-tech folks, blue-collar workers, professionals, and yes, a trans police officer and attorney who were both going through their day, just like the rest of us, quite likable and intelligent.

More: Budget-friendly bites: 13 OKC restaurants serving meals for $15 and under

Can new CLT design attract builders in Oklahoma City?

Q: Given the growing interest in mass timber construction and the benefits it offers, including environmental sustainability, shorter construction time, and lightweight design, I am curious to know if there are any specific projects or initiatives in OKC that involve CLT (cross-laminated timber) buildings. I haven't heard of anything specific to OKC yet, but it would be an exciting way for the city to make a statement given the beautiful designs of CLT structures. 

A: I started hearing about CLT (cross-laminated timber) in the months leading up to the pandemic and quite honestly, I was never really able to follow up and learn more. I can tell you that one of the country's top design firms, Gensler, drew up plans for a CLT building in Shawnee for UMB bank.

Gensler sums up the advantages pretty well:

"The two-directional strength we found in cross-laminated timber (CLT) allowed us to design the structure and cantilevered roofs that would become synonymous with the First United Bank projects. The objective was simple: if you are going to use CLT, then do it in a way that best uses the system’s strengths.  

"We focused on column bay layouts that maximized the strengths of CLT, which allowed the need for structural beams going only one direction. This effectively reduced the number of beams needed in a typical structure by half. It also lowered the number of connections, the material, and reduced labor time for install. 

"Unlike most projects, the design team had no internal precedent to rely on, so we educated ourselves on everything necessary to become industry experts to best serve the client. While the process of building with wood has an intuitive simplicity, we had to learn the intricacies of mass timber construction by revisiting design principles of the past — a process that paralleled the client's values. 

"Sustainable practices are shown throughout, with a focus on cost-effective passive design strategies. For the timber selection, southern yellow pine makes up the CLT panels, glulam beams, and columns that are exposed in the lobby, community rooms, office space, and exterior overhead. 

"The benefits of mass timber are historically overruled by the higher upfront cost, uncertainty, and lack of experience from an estimating team. This results in mass timber projects often stopping before they can get started. This is an unfortunate reality that many of our markets face, and it puts a much heavier burden on the owner to take a leap of faith. My recommendation to anyone pursuing this project type is to get a qualified General Contractor (GC) and Engineer of Record (EOR) on board early and start diving into the project details. 

"Mass timber will not always pencil out, but with the right knowledge, planning, and dedication, it will always be competitive. To that effect, an additional amount of effort is required from a design team to utilize this construction typology to its maximum potential and help the client realize the benefits."

Mustang Creek Crossing developer also owns Spaghetti Warehouse in Bricktown

Q: Is it correct that one of the principles in the proposed amphitheater near Mustang is also the owner of the old Spaghetti Warehouse? If so, why isn’t the same effort being applied to the Bricktown property? 

A: Sam Coury is the developer of Mustang Creek Crossing where Notes Live plans to build the 12,000-seat amphitheater. Coury bought Spaghetti Warehouse in 2017 for $3.8 million from a real estate investment trust. Observers at the time told me the price was inflated and would complicate any effort to bring life to this historic landmark.

Coury, who had no experience redeveloping historic buildings, insisted he could get the job done. He reopened brick windows and restored the windows, but has done nothing since. That's pretty much all I know at this point.

More: Record-setting tax increment financing sought for Bricktown towers project

Can Oklahoma City's water supply keep up with population growth?

Q: If the population of the metro is going to increase greatly over the next 20 years, do we have enough water capacity in Hefner-Draper-Overholser-Atoka to support 1.5 million or 2 million people? Have there been any murmurs about digging a new reservoir nearby?

A: Here is the response I got from the city: Our current permitted water supply is adequate to serve 2 million people. We do not have immediate plans to construct an additional reservoir. 

More: Oklahoma ranks among worst states for tap water quality, study finds

Sardis Lake water supply long a point of contention

Q: Doesn't the City have an agreement with Sardis Lake too? 

A: Yes. Kinda sorta. Sardis Lake was built in 1980 and Oklahoma City bought rights to the water when the state defaulted on payments for the reservoir's construction. A years-long lawsuit followed between the Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma City over water rights with other interested parties including the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

The dispute was settled with a deal that set aside 20,000 acres/feet of water from the lake within the region surrounding the reservoir, which met the state's demand of firming up the water resource board's role in water rights administration. The deal outlined by City Manager Craig Freeman also settled administration disputes and remaining debt.

“Further, the settlement agreement establishes the legal security of Oklahoma City’s water storage supplies and gives the greater Oklahoma City metropolitan area access to stored water for its future needs,” Freeman wrote. “Releases from Sardis Lake, including Oklahoma City’s use of its waters, will be governed by a system of lake level release restrictions based on the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s lake level management plan designed to protect fishing and recreational resources while giving Oklahoma City access to water.

Renderings for Boardwalk at Bricktown not very advanced for such a large project

Q: The simple CAD drawing has lack of design detail which is unimpressive. It does not look like it fits the style of Bricktown, nor does there appear to be a market for high-end upscale high-rise apartments, so why should the city assist with $200 million in assistance when there are more important needs?

A: The TIF deal for the towers in Lower Bricktown, which still awaits city council approval, is set up as a rebate so there will be little risk to the city. But I am equally bewildered as to why on such a massive project the architects have yet to share full renderings.

More: More retailers coming to The OAK? Skyline changes ahead? Your questions answered

The large projects that never get built and the question of news coverage

Q: This city is notorious for making grand pronouncements that never see the light of day, Why not report something WHEN money and political will have been achieved? 

A: I try to cushion my reporting as best as I can. When it came to the amphitheater, I made it clear with "if built" that this is an announcement, but not the start of construction, zoning, etc.  People are entitled to get an early heads-up about what might be coming to their communities. Not all of these grand pronouncements are welcome additions.

Permanent passage of MAPS sales tax unlikely

Q: With MAPS 4 not even halfway through the tax collection cycle and talk of extending it to fund a new arena, can you foresee a vote at some point in the future to ask citizens to make MAPS a permanent dedicated tax (with stringent guidelines/criteria in place of course)? 

A: I can't predict political winds and thinking a decade from now, but I suspect the idea of giving voters control over projects is one that will continue. The MAPS process forces proponents of each project to make their case to both the city council and voters. With the original MAPS, an art museum did not make the cut. With MAPS 3, a canal extension did not make the cut. With MAPS 4, an aquarium did not make the cut.

A city council in the 1990s would not have pursued MAPS funding for mental health, a diversion hub, public transit and affordable housing and services for those without homes.

Some may disagree with me on this, but I credit this shift to council members who were just kids when MAPS was first started - Jo Beth Hamon, James Cooper and Nikki Nice. One certainly has to also give Mayor David Holt credit as well. But if he was the only one to support this shift, I doubt MAPS wouldn't have evolved as much as it did with MAPS 4. And had we made MAPS a permanent tax back in the 1990s, I'm not sure this shift would have happened yet.

Steve Lackmeyer started at The Oklahoman in 1990. He is an award-winning reporter, columnist and author who covers downtown Oklahoma City, urban development, transportation and economics for The Oklahoman. Contact him at slackmeyer@oklahoman.com. Please support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Mustang Creek connected to Spaghetti Warehouse? OKC questions answered