What are the odds an amusement park, amphitheater will be built? 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. 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.

Capitol Hill can achieve revival seen in other older neighborhoods

Q: I go over and eat occasionally at Coney Island and Grill on the Hill in the Capitol Hill area. I still would not want to live in that area. Everyone keeps talking about revitalization of that area. A major concern is that it does not have any homes in the area that can be refurbished like all the ones from Reno to the north. My dad went to Capitol Hill back in the '50s and always spoke of having made it and was being able to live in north OKC. I tell my friends there are a million more choices for food and entertainment between Edmond and downtown compared to the drive from Moore to downtown. What are your thoughts? 

A: Let's start with the housing stock around Capitol Hill. Drive around SW 24 and Hudson. There are some great examples of early 20th-century apartment buildings and bungalows. I'm not saying the area is our next Crown Heights. But at one time Classen-10-Penn was in similar shape. Now it's rapidly becoming a desirable place to live thanks to its proximity to the Plaza District, which itself was in terrible shape back in the 1990s.

I also say, respectfully, that a southsider would dismiss you as just another northsider who hasn't traveled south of Interstate 40. South Oklahoma City and Moore have wealthy neighborhoods and plenty of food and entertainment options.

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Questions persist about proposed northeast Oklahoma amusement park

Q: Why spend $2 billion on a theme park in rural Oklahoma when you could invest it into a mega-sized Frontier City on land in or near the Adventure District, full of other attractions to make for a memorable family vacation? Besides, the airport is much closer. 

A: Not a bad question.

Building permits, financing ultimate proof of whether amusement park announcement is real

Q: What do you think is the likelihood of the American Heartland Theme Park and Resort coming to fruition? 

A: I'll believe it when I see the building permits and the financing is proven to exist for such a massive project.

Edmond addresses in Oklahoma City create confusion

Q: Being that I am an OKC resident and live in north OKC, it would be nice if there was more information provided to folks that they reside in OKC proper and not Edmond. There are so many nice things on the north side of town that visitors and residents assume are located in Edmond just because of the zip code. Do you know what can be done to help promote North OKC as being truly OKC? I do understand that zip codes bleed across municipalities.

A: I agree with you. Edmond has been building monument signs to announce when travelers are entering their city. Oklahoma City is far bigger so it would be expensive and challenging to do the same thing. But maybe there is a clever way of painting curbs on entries to promote when one enters Oklahoma City.

Watch Adventure District for exciting deals in the future

Q: Do you know of any pending projects that will be announced soon that are large capital projects that will be game changers for the OKC metro? 

A: Keep an eye on the Adventure District.

If choice for amusement park is between Vinita and Stroud, which town is a better pick?

Q: When I saw the announcement of the northeast Oklahoma theme park I was a bit amazed, however the chosen location (Vinita) is a question. I would have preferred for a project like this to be closer to both major metro areas of OKC and Tulsa. I would have preferred for it to have been along the Turner Turnpike, halfway between Tulsa and OKC near Stroud. What are your thoughts on a midway location? 

A: Old-timers will tell you of a time in the 1970s when everyone had a friend's uncle who told their cousin that Disney had bought thousands of acres in Stroud for an amusement park. That's my first thought.

The concept presented is not a bad one and if I had my choice between Grand Lake and Stroud, I'd go with Grand Lake. Stroud doesn't really add anything as a place for such an attraction. Vinita is along Route 66 and the area is beautiful.

Some deals are more "done" than others

Q: It has been stated in the past that there are plenty of people who want to move into development will present pretty pictures and talk about their background but don't have funding in place or an actual plan, they are just trying to stir up interest in their project to get investors as well as financing for the project. Do you still see that happening around OKC? Is there a good example you can point to that maybe I am forgetting? 

A: There was once a prospectus shopped around town for office towers along Oklahoma City Boulevard south of Harkins Theater. The promoters misrepresented a contractor's cost estimates and the proposal didn't make much sense.

Is this sort of thing happening now? Ask me a year from now.

Clay Bennett's value, legacy as Thunder team owner a consideration in arena proposal

Q: I absolutely support building a new arena at the current location of Prairie Surf Studios. Question: First, your thoughts on the sales tax’s chance for passage? Second, your thoughts on the possibility of the city financially supporting Prairie Surf Studios’ relocation to an appropriate location? 

A: I would be surprised if the tax doesn't pass. Mayor David Holt is a good salesman for the city and he presented a strong argument for the necessity to build a new arena to stay competitive as a major league city and retain the Thunder.

I'm going to say what you probably won't hear anyone say. This is not something suggested to me. It's my own observation. Clay Bennett loves his city and I seriously doubt he has any interest whatsoever in moving the team. But we're all mortal. Consider the history of the Oakland Athletics. Walter Haas, whose family ran Levi Strauss for decades, bought the team in 1980 to prevent it from being moved away from Oakland. He turned the team into a winner and was, from what I recall, a pretty beloved team owner.

The team was sold to new owners when he died, and then they sold to new owners who are now moving the team to Nevada. Such a move would have been unthinkable while Haas was alive.

Clay Bennett is about 64 years old. A lot of folks were concerned when he underwent brain surgery a few years ago. His legacy is bringing the Thunder to Oklahoma City and being a pretty fantastic owner in terms of supporting the team and hiring the right people to run it while keeping partners happy.

Securing a long-term lease with the team is the best way to ensure his legacy continues regardless of whether he struggles more with his health or, hopefully, sticks with us and is on the front row of Thunder home games for the next 30 years.

Yes, I know this is answering more than what you asked. But it's an important part of the discussion and I think we need to appreciate the value that Clay Bennett brings as the lead team owner. He has shown patience and has sought to hire the best people possible to run the team.

As for Prairie Surf Studios, I can't rule out some city assistance in finding a new home for the movie production company. I just can't say for sure whether that will happen or, if it does, what that might look like.

Aging hotel one of several challenges to be addressed along future tourist corridor

Q: Looking forward to a revamping of the northwest corner of Reno and Martin Luther King. I appreciate the redevelopment of the just over five acres, but something lost down there in the story was a hotel that closed last year and the owner attempting to get the city council to rezone for senior living. What are your thoughts on that part, specifically? 

A: I need to talk with Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice but she has expressed concerns about rezoning the property for senior housing. If I owned the property I would raze the current hotel and look to rebuild with a selected service hotel (Hampton Inn?) and a fast food restaurant like Whataburger (which has no locations in the urban core).

This answer may disappoint some, but I'm speaking from a pure business point of view. If we want to dream big, sure, let's try to get a Buckee's on the site.

Bus stop improvements are coming

Q: I am very happy to see the new bus rapid transit stops on Classen coming together. My concern is about two blocks from each stop is a sad regular bus stop with just a small sign and bench, no cover, nothing else. I felt like with MAPS 4 or maybe the bond issues, there were funds and even plans to upgrade most of the bus stops, but I have yet to see that happen. Am I wrong here? 

A: I've also seen several of the smaller bench stops looking like they're not doing well in the weather extremes we've seen of late. MAPS 4 includes $11.2 million to improve existing bus stops with lighting at every stop and approximately 500 new ADA-accessible shelters.

More: OKC consultants invite public feedback to refine new preliminary BRT routes

Place your bets

Q: What are your percentage belief that the following things will happen:

1. $2 billion theme park gets built in Vinita; 2. Amphitheater gets built in western OKC;3. Canoo starts producing vehicles in OKC.

A: 30%, 80%, ???

Odds against amusement park opening in two years

Q: What are your initial thoughts on the $2 billion development in northeast Oklahoma? Do you think it is something that will actually happen? 

A: The promised timeline of opening in 2026 with the pretense of this development rivaling Disneyland is nonsense. I'm also curious about the business model in light of reports that attendance at Disneyworld is significantly down.

Is this a reflection of the industry, or just a reaction to Florida politics and weather? I'm not sure. Can the area provide the labor needed for such a project? I'm not sure of that either. Getting sufficient labor for construction will be challenging.

We're talking about a company that has no experience building and operating something of this scale. I'm not looking to reserve a part of my calendar in 2026 to attend a grand opening.

More: Pizza Hut, Disney and Oklahoma: What we know about who is building American Heartland Theme Park

Several areas of the urban core show potential for redevelopment

Q: What is an area in OKC that you think is ripe for development, but it hasn't taken off yet? My vote would be for May Avenue from NW 10 to NW 23. On both the east and west sides of the street are great older buildings that could be remodeled the reused to better things than a dispensary, an auto glass replacement store, etc. The problem could be how close it is to NW 10 and some issues surrounding that. Thoughts? 

A: I see a lot of opportunity in the areas you mention. My picks are Capitol Hill and Farmers Market. Capitol Hill has some interesting housing surrounding the main strip along SW 25. And it's pretty cool having the equivalent of an old-style small town downtown in a community that is heavily Hispanic. Hopefully, the creation of a festival market plaza can create some much-needed momentum.

Farmers Market - good grief - it's ready. The city needs to invest in repaving the streets and adding some lighting and signage. With those improvements (much needed) I think this area could become a major draw.

Amphitheater suites are nice, but will they sell for $500,000 each?

Q: What are your thoughts on the new amphitheater proposal in western Oklahoma City? Legit? Are you worried about the complaints about traffic in the area, etc? 

A: I'm not sure. The website for the Notes Live organization is heavy on seeking investors even though these projects are being presented as already fully financed. J.W. Roth also says that while the business model includes selling luxury fire pit suites for $500,000 each (approximate), the project doesn't require they all be sold. Roth also said he is not seeking any public incentives.

I'm not sure the market exists for the suites, but I could be wrong. The concept itself, part of a bigger planned development, Mustang Creek Crossing, isn't bad by any means.

The other question is whether they can really pull this off in so many markets at once (they also announced they are doing an amphitheater in Tulsa).

They did a groundbreaking for their first amphitheater last week in Colorado Springs and they also have a deal for AEG to provide concert bookings.

I can't say I have any reason to doubt the deal will happen, yet I just can't say I'm confident it will happen. I doubt they can get things started as quickly as they're saying.

Traffic is definitely a consideration, but if this is a real deal, I suspect the city can find a way to work with the developer on improving surrounding streets and traffic control.

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: OKC's Capitol Hill, Farmers Market districts await full revivals