New Oklahoma River bridge? Restoration of Bricktown warehouse? Your questions answered

The Oklahoman’s Steve Lackmeyer fielded reader questions Friday during his weekly OKC Central Live Chat. 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 three months.

Below is an edited transcript of Friday’s discussion:

Is OKC taking advantage of major interstate intersections?

Q: Good morning Steve! Oklahoma City has the distinction of being one the few cities in America where two cross country interstate highways intersect. How significant is this to the city’s future growth and have we fully capitalized on the value of such an asset? 

A: My answer is we're starting to capitalize on it, but we have missed out on decades of opportunity. That's not to say that Oklahoma City is the only city to have wasted space on key corridors. But the scrapyards and decaying industrial properties do not present the best view of our city to travelers.

The fairgrounds and OSU-OKC were for many years the best presentation made at any of the major junctions (I-44 and I-40). The relocation of I-40 south of downtown improved the view to one of a beautified and restored Oklahoma River. Wheeler is making a great impression at I-40 and Western. And we are seeing some improvement in the Farmers Market district.

The biggest change is taking place with construction of the OKANA resort at Eastern Avenue and I-40, just next to the I-35 junction. Combine all that with the continued growth of the Riversport district and we're looking a lot better than we did 20 years ago. The next big challenge, in my opinion, is Reno Avenue between Eastern and Bricktown, parallel to I-40.

Are public transportations improvements on the horizon for OKC?

Q: What will it take to get Oklahoma City to a critical mass where people can reliably use public transportation to get to places without taking two hours to do so, or even within some of our suburbs? I have multiple friends who don't have cars and it takes them forever to get to the grocery store and back since none are really in walking distance and buses take forever due to their schedules being so spaced out. 

A: Our city made some disastrous decisions when leaders chose to annex hundreds of square miles in all directions in the 1950s through 1970s after dismantling an extensive streetcar and interurban system that spread out over the city core and connected to El Reno, Shawnee, Edmond, Norman and other suburbs. And after dismantling the system, we went with a bus fleet and then failed to grow that system to serve our sprawling city.

We've seen a lot of investment and improvement over the past dozen years and your friends may want to look into the city's establishment of bus rapid transit lines. The first one is under construction from downtown to Integris Baptist and all along Northwest Expressway to far west OKC. We have others funded to be added in northeast and south Oklahoma City. These systems are drawn to go a lot faster with better stops.

Voters will likely also be asked if they want to establish a commuter passenger rail system connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City and Norman and to look at further regional transit between those hubs and Tinker Air Force base.

We're still far behind where we should be, but we are seeing progress.

Development delays common even in the best of times

Q: In your conversations with developers, what is USUALLY the biggest delay on starting work? Plans? City delays? Financing? Other? Is something more common for smaller developments than larger developments? 

A: The biggest challenges currently are rising material, labor and interest costs. Consider that OKANA saw a $100 million jump in cost while the Convergence development at Stiles Park also went up by tens of millions of dollars.

Sometimes we also see developments announced where the promoters really don't have the money but are hoping the publicity will help them attract the needed investors. I've gotten wiser to this over the years, and I try my best to avoid misleading readers as to whether projects will or won't happen or face challenges the developers aren't disclosing.

Delays happen even in the best of times. I'm betting Rose Rock wishes they had started construction on the ambitious eight-story Boulevard Place three years ago. I'm honestly still unsure why they didn't. Now the project continues to go through one delay after another due to the rising costs.

Once thriving Bricktown Canal building falling into disrepair

Q: I remember the old Chelino's building was sold a few years ago with plans that never went through. When can we expect something on that? 

A: I have little hope for this property with the current owner, who had no development experience when he bought it a few years ago. The building has fallen into a state of disrepair and quite honestly I worry about the risk of a squatter inadvertently setting it on fire while trying to keep warm. A fire in that spot would jeopardize neighboring properties and could ruin that part of the canal.

How can city improve the neighborhood around the new Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine?

Q: There has been some great coverage in the Oklahoman regarding the new Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine (church) at I-35 and SE 89. In my opinion, this is the most significant piece of architecture built in OKC in the past 10 years, and will bring people from all over the southwest region of the US to tour. Sadly, SE 89 which leads to this wonderful new church is so full of potholes and disrepair that we should all be embarrassed that the city can't put its best foot forward. I feel our city leaders and administrators are falling down on the job letting our streets get so bad. What's the answer in staying ahead on the city's infrastructure maintenance? 

A: To be fair, it's not ideal to do such upgrades before a major construction project like this is finished first. Heavy machinery, traffic and the hauling of materials can damage a street. But now that it's all done, yes, it would be good to see the city take an interest in this corridor.

If I were in charge of the world, I would also be looking at how best to entice Christy's Toy Box at SE 89 and I-35 to relocate to a different nearby intersection. I would ask Love's Travel Stop and Frontline Church to invest in landscaping - at least some trees. The city could help by building sidewalks and adding streetlights as part of a street upgrade. All of this is quite doable. It also requires that leadership in south Oklahoma City become strong advocates for this area. And if I were a hotelier like Champ Patel, I'd be looking at building a new hotel - maybe at the corner where Christy's is now located?

Four tower development in Lower Bricktown - wait and see?

Q: With the TIF on the Dream Hotel and apartment towers and the parking lot to the east of the ballpark, what is the timeline for development there? 

A: We're still a ways off on seeing Tax Increment Financing even being considered for this project. The first step was to carve out these properties from the existing TIF district, which is set to expire in the next couple of years.

We will then see an application that will go through the TIF committee consisting of the county, library, school and other tax entities included in the TIF, then the Economic Development Trust and then the City Council.

I really don't think we have a good picture of when or if this development will happen.

Is Canoo still planning to buy the old Terex building?

Q: What is happening with the Canoo company taking over the building on the west side of OKC? 

A: Nothing so far. I checked last week and the company has yet to buy the old Terex building at I-40 and Council Road. The company had indicated they wanted to start production at the plant this year and we're now nearing the end of March.

Canoo is a start-up company with a handful of promising contracts with buyers including Walmart. The vehicle looks pretty cool and has some nice features. But it's nothing if they don't get built.

Chickasaw development of OKANA could expand to north shore of Oklahoma River with city construction of pedestrian bridge

Q: When FAM is completed on the southside of the river, what are the possibilities of a pedestrian bridge and something happening to the north, right next to the highway?

A: A pedestrian bridge is planned and funded to be built from the First Americans Museum and the OKANA resort on the south shore to the north shore. The city is already building the trail extensions that would hook up on the north shore and trails are going to be extended on the south shore as well. Something that is not well known is the shoreline on the north side across from OKANA is also part of the development rights the city gave to the Chickasaws as part of the deal to finish and open the museum. Nothing has been discussed yet for that stretch of land, but it has great visibility and I can see something creatively being done with it as the landing spot for the crossing.

Historic Bricktown warehouse remains hidden under aluminum siding

Q: With the development of the west parking lot of Bricktown coming along, do you see any movement of any sort of repurposing the U-Haul building? It made sense when you had a sea of parking there, but with that area north being developed, that building is prime for redevelopment. My understanding is there is some very cool brick underneath the metal siding. 

A: The warehouse at 100 SE 2 was originally home to the Iten Biscuit Co. A gorgeous one of a kind 1910 building with casement windows indeed is hidden behind the aluminum siding. The façade was exposed several years ago after the siding caught fire and everything underneath was still intact. Unfortunately, U-Haul over the years has shown zero interest in selling and moving to a new location.

The building, as it is, is an awful waste of a historic building and not a great fit for a historic entertainment district. Its entrance even blocked the city from making a clean direct connection with Bricktown from Oklahoma City Boulevard. Clearly U-Haul values the visibility and the location. The one good idea I've heard for enticing a move is by looking at whether the current Oklahoma County Jail couldn't be swapped out. It's definitely secure for storage and is a lot bigger than the current property.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKANA expansion to Oklahoma River north shore possible with bridge