What's in store for Tulsa in 2012?

With the new year approaching, I thought I'd share some plausible hopes and goals for Tulsa this coming year.

I think the one of the biggest focuses of downtown in 2012, will be the Brady and Blue Dome districts. Already, we are seeing the north side of downtown fill in. This will be further amplified when many of the projects that are currently under construction, are completed sometime in the coming year. There is already a huge amount of synergy in these neighborhoods, and I think that developers will really play on that when they announce several new projects in 2012.

Another area that will see considerable new development, while not as much as the Blue Dome and Brady, will be the area including and between the CBD and the BOK Center. Already we are seeing this with the recent flurry of development, and I see no reason for this trend to change. I would have to say though, that my biggest hope for this area is that some of those pop up shops become permanent. It doesn't have to be the exact same stores, in fact I would love it if they were ne ventures, but I would like to see at least two or three of those pop up spaces filled.

Towards the end of 2012, it is my hope that the southern, as well as the east ends begin to relish in the same success that the north and central parts of downtown are currently experiencing. I would love to see TCC further develop its long range plans, and I would love to see a couple infill projects here and there throughout these areas.

All of this is simply my speculation though. I hope it happens, but who knows? Perhaps, we could be surprised with more than we expected. Yeah, there's my hopie for 2012. Let's be pleasantly surprised with more than we expected of our city.

Please tell me some of your hopes for Tulsa in the new year below. And of course, it does not have to include downtown. Any section of the metro is up for discussion.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this blog! I received a new iPad for Christmas so be expecting more blog entries than you,re used to. Have a wonderful day hopefully spent with family and those you love.

How far we've come...

Look at this picture. Stunning. Beautifully composed. Now think about how long it takes to create a picture like this. For all the photographers out there you know that this would have to be taken from a tripod, and that it would take a few shots of messing around with the settings and framing to get that perfect shot. To achieve results like this you can't just put the camera in "Auto" and click away.

Okay, so that's established. It takes a long time to take a good picture, but why is that relevant? Consider how empty the streets must have been. The photographer was obviously standing in the middle of the road, most likely for several minutes. Sadly, he or she was not in anyone's way. If this same person were to go back tomorrow and try to take the same picture, they would be honked at, blocking the way of many cars, and simply be causing problems.

Our little city has grown up so fast. With all the restaurants, businesses, stores, and the new hotel that are in this area now, along with the recent opening of Edward Delk's, Boston Avenue is no longer a pretty little ghost town. It is a vibrant, living, breathing part of the city. It has become a place where people want to be, not a place that scares you away because of its sheer emptiness.

This one picture is true for pretty much most of downtown for the time it was taken. You probably could have stood in the street anywhere you wanted and taken pictures. Heck, you could have layed down and taken a nap! It's nice to step back and think about all this and admire the progress that is being made.

Along with all of the tangible improvements downtown, I've noticed outsiders' perception of it is slowly changing as well. Maybe it's just me, but it seems as though we're hearing fewer and fewer people complain about how dangerous, boring, or waste of time downtown is.

Tulsa is back, and it's ready to fight.

I forgot to include the Tulsa Art Deco Museum in my list of new places along Boston Ave. yesterday. Thank you William and all others who have contributed to this fantastic project.

Rail Discussions STILL Being Held Up

I was reading an article today, that further frustrated me with our government. It is no secret that our government, be it city, state, or federal, is a slow worker. Think about all the projects that have been talked about over the years, but have either never happened, or are "still in the works." Get back to me with a list, will ya?

So, while I was not surprised, I was disappointed to hear that rail talks, which were scheduled to begin at the end of August, have still not begun. In fact, it is not even known if the committee has even been formed yet. The committee's job is to create a presentation over the prospect of developing a rail link between Tulsa and OKC. This presentation was to be complete by December of 2012. Hmmmm....wonder how that's coming along when the committee is not even formed yet.

Honestly, I am not a huge fan of this project, at this time anyway. What good is it going to do to for people to ride a train either to OKC or Tulsa and then have to attempt to navigate both cities' crappy bust systems? We need to first construct at least a basic rail system constructed here in Tulsa (something that OKC is preparing to do) before we make a connection to OKC. If we did this within the next five years (yeah right) then we could immediately start making plans for a connection to OKC. But first we need to spend our money in the cities themselves, not between them.

As a side note, does anyone have any pictures of the Metro at Brady apartments? If you do send me an email with them and I'll post them on here (unless you don't want me to). I'd also like to see some of the One Place development as construction continues there. I would give full credit to you of course.

Christmas in Downtown Tulsa 2011

These two pictures show a side of downtown Tulsa that I am so happy to see return. For years downtown was dead around the holidays except for the annual Parade of Lights. After that, nothing happenned. People went home. Now there's something to do throughout the holiday season downtown. You no longer have to just come to the parade and leave. There is ice skating, shopping, dozens of restaurants, shows at all the downtown venues, or you can just take a walk and enjoy all of the Christmas lights.

I haven't been downtown yet this winter at all, and I'm hoping that I can go sometime pretty soon. It's not hard to entertain me. I'm one of those people that just walking around for a while outside suits me just fine.

All of what is going on right now is what is needed in order to sustain a healthy, vibrant, and growing downtown. Now, we don't have to beg people to go downtown just for the sake of going downtown. There's actually stuff to do now. This sure is an exciting time to live in Tulsa.

Merry Christmas...errrrrr...happy holidays.....I mean, whatever. Have a great rest of whatever you prefer to call this season.

One Place is coming along...

I'm sure most of you have already seen this, but if you haven't here is the link to the construction camera for One Place. It's coming along pretty quickly, with much of the base already poured, and just today they raised the crane that will be used to construct the tower.

This building has recieved much criticism in its design. While I do sympathize with some of what the critics are saying, I really don't think it's all that bad. It sure isn't eye catching, but it isn't hard to look at, espescially at street level, which is where it really matters. And although the rendering doesn't seem to depict this, I've read somewhere that the building will include two retail/restaurant openings along 2nd Street and one along Cheyenne. If that is to be the case, then I see this building as a major win along 2nd Street, where currently there is hardly any activity. If these two retail spaces did actually happen, then they would help soften it up, espescially around the area where it is most important, the blocks near the BOK Center.

I guess we'll know for sure how everything is pretty soon, as I don't imagine it being very long before we get a good look at what the base is actually going to look like.

So here's my verdict.

If the two said retail spaces fronting 2nd come to fruition, major win for the area.

If they don't, I won't consider it a complete fail but it is a large missed oppurtunity.

Downtown - Transit, Infill, etc.

I was reading earlier on another blog about all of the problems OKC is facing with the development of their downtown. I would rather not list them all here, I'll let you read about them on the link I posted or do your own research. All I have to say about them, is that I am not jealous of, nor do I think that OKC is outdoing us in any way. But, a bash OKC thing was not the point of this post, so I'll stop now. They have so many great projects right now under construction or planned. They are making quick and huge strides in their inner city.

Now let's move on to Tulsa.

So many great things have been happening lately, so many opportunities to write that I have missed. I am really busy this time of year, and have barely found time to do homework, much less ramble on about my opinion.

My favorite announcement of the past few weeks is definitely Blake Ewing's plans for a five - screen movie theater downtown. But not only will it be a theater, it will also serve meals and alcohol. Ewing himself has stated that it will be nicer than the Alamo Draft House. He has also said that the building will include a large marquee, which is one of my favorite parts of the entire development. What I'm not too thrilled about, but I'm sure all the old people will be, is that no one under 21 years of age will be allowed in the theater. Yes, I know why it is being done, and I have to admit that it will set a higher standard for the establishment.

Another thing that has been talked about recently are the newly released One Place renderings. Yeah, it's one of the most uninspired pieces of architecture I've ever seen. I don't mean to be rude, but the taste of the architects that designed this building really sucks. It is definitely not something that will catch anyone's eye except for perhaps other architects who will note the complete lack of creativity in the building. With that said, I do not think the building is downright ugly, it just comes in much lower than my expectations for a development of such high caliber.

Switching gears once again, today there was an article about the Brady District and it's development in the Tulsa World. The part of that article that really caught my attention was the little section that discussed a street scraping plan for the Brady. I absolutely loved it. I loved it because it was not some grandiose plan costing millions upon millions of dollars that creates a mess in the district for a long time. It was simply, "You pay sixty percent of the cost to upgrade the sidewalk in front of your property, and we'll pay forty percent." (The money coming from the Brady District TIF.) I think this plan will do the most to help the appearance of the district, and it is entirely organic.

Now let's move on to transit.

With downtown well on its way to becoming a dense, liveable, attractive neighborhood, the time to start thinking and acting on the issue of transit is now. The day we have all been waiting for is finally here. Surface lots are disappearing downtown, and parking is beginning to become a bit more of a challenge. If we wish to continue having visitors to downtown that do not live there, we need to begin piecing together an effective public transportation system. This needs to happen immediately. Not in five years, not in ten years, not as a part of some long range plan. There are many things we could do with our current bus system tO make it more efficient and useful. What do you think we should do, right now, to improve public transportation?

Coming Soon....

For a little while I'd like us all to discuss transit on here. I'm planning on getting it started tonight at the earliest and tomorrow night at the latest. Remember, this only works when you participate! So be sure to vote on the polls and leave comments. If you ever have anything you'd like to say in length, shoot me an email and I'll post it. Feel free to do this anytime, sometimes I just run out of ideas.

Thank you all for reading.

Brady Fairfield Inn Breaks Ground

The Brady Fairfield Inn officially broke ground today, although construction has been ongoing for several weeks now. It will front Main between Archer and Brady and will have 104 rooms, as well as about 11,000 sq ft of retail space. Now let's hope that we can get some nice stores as opposed to restaurants in there. I think downtown has enough restaurants for now, what it really needs are some cool stores. Anyways, this is an exciting project adding to the rapidly developing Brady District.

Notice the Poll---------->>>>>>

I know that there are a lot of readers that don't vote on the polls. I really encourage you to do so. I enjoy your participation, and it helps me come up with post ideas.

Thank you very much for your following of my blog.

Transportation-What should we do?

Transportation is a topic that frequently arises when discussing urbanism. It is definitely an important subject. It can also be a very sensitive subject, espescially here in Oklahoma. Right now I think we should discuss the future of transportation in Tulsa. Where should money be spent? What improvements should be made? Ultimately, since we live in America, the decision is up to us, the citizenry. (Well, at least you old people that can vote...)

For many years there have been lengthy discussions both in person and online over public transportation in Tulsa, with both sides making good points. There are those who hate public transit, and argue against it in every way, as well as avid supporters who would do away with their automobile completely. My viewpoint is somewhere in the middle, as I would assume most people's are.

As of now, we have a failing public transit system by way of bus. They have random schedules, and what little structure there is still implements infrequent stops, with passengers sometimes waiting over an hour for a single bus. This is flat out unacceptable. A city our size should be able to have buses running at the very most 20 minutes apart, with that wait time preferably being less than ten in the more centralized districts of Tulsa. This needs to be dealt with. Our current transit system isn't making anyone's life any easier.

So what in my opinion should be done? Well, the first step is already complete, we have developed a plan. That's a great start, and we should begin to implement aspects of that plan as soon as possible. But if it were all up to me, I would spend for the next five years about 80% of the public transit budget on improving bus service. Theoretically this could be done in a matter of only a couple of months, and we could have improved transit almost immediately. After that, I would take actions to build streetcars through Tulsa's inner city. The first routes would be down eleventh street between TU and downtown, and down sixth street connecting TU, the Pearl District, and downtown. They would connect on the west end on Harvard and on Boulder in the east. Once those had been completed, I would then build a line from Veterans Park in Uptown Going all the way up and connecting to the Brady District. This line would thus connect with the other line on Boulder, and would be able to circulate people from the neighborhood around TU through the Pearl, downtown, and uptown/18th and Boston area. Further rail lines would then be added elsewhere in the city based on needs at that point in time.

Now, I realize that this is just my point of view, and I don't want it to be. I want to hear all of your ideas as well, so please participate in this discussion. Remember, the first step to change is gathering ideas.

So I ask:
What should be done in Tulsa, Oklahoma about public transit?

Juniper

Opening for dinner October 11th, lunch and dinner October 25th.

From TBJ

Saint Francis Expanding

Saint Francis announced today that they will be adding on a new, eight story tower to their campus. These renderings look fantastic, and I hope we see construction starting very soon. (Expected completion is 2014.)

This will provide about 700 construction jobs, and 400 permanent jobs. It will also make the hospital eligible for being ranked a Level I Trauma Center instead of Level II. I'm glad to see them adding on again, and I wish that every new building in town had the quality of architecture that their new buildings do.

One Place Update

They broke ground on phase II today! They released a rendering of the five story building but not the tower. (Why not?!) Anyways, it's good to see construction moving forward and I really like the design of this new building. It looks modern and clean, hopefully the tower will look nice too. Well savor this update because they probably won't release another one for months. Exciting things are happening.

UPDATE: The developers have stated that they are expecting to announce the hotel portion of this project later this year. I hope it's a chain new to Tulsa.

Impressions Re-opening

Happenned to catch this that says the owner of Impressions plans to open up Impressions, as well as Pizza Dot Com by early next year. Also part of the plan is a program to help the homeless get back on their feet again. But, the owner did say that if he isn't able to realize those plans, he will reopen only Impressions. I'm glad he has been able to get back up on his feet, and I wonder what's going to happen with the Oil Capitol building...

Remembering September 11, 2001

I will never forget Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I was in kindergarden. I remember being able to sense that something was wrong, but not knowing what it was. All the adults were acting funny. I remember being scared on the way home, hearing nothing but emergency alerts and breaking news updates. I thought something was going to happen to me. I remember seeing the coverage on TV, and not understanding. I had no concept of the scope of the disaster. I asked what was falling from the buildings. My mom, nearly in tears, refused to tell me. It was several years later that I learned it was people.

That day was awful for me, even though I was too young to know what was happening. My greatest thanks go to the firefighters and others who saved hundreds of lives that day, some even giving their own. My thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks this weekend. That was a day that nobody alive at the time will ever forget. A day that lives were lost, hearts were broken, and suffering was rampant. A day of resiliency, sacrifices, bravery. What ever happens, we will never forget.

Where were you that day?

Utica Place Phase II Moving Forward

The new plans for phase II of Utica Place are moving forward after the planning commission recommended that the city council approve the project. I would love to see a site plan and I hope to God that these buildings are built out to the street. This area would really benefit from that, as it would give it a more urban feel, and it would fit in with the new comprehensive plan.

More Office Space Could Come to Midtown

According to the TBJ the developers are seeking a zoning change for the next phase of their project. It was going to include nine residential units and no office space. Now, if the change in plans move forward, there will be two more mid-rise office buildings added as well as two residential units. (I'm assuming two penthouses.) Although I was looking forward to the townhouses, the new plans will add more overall density and a couple more buildings with at least a little height in midtown. Can't wait to see the renderings!

First Street Lofts Moving Forward.....?

I know it's not as if we haven't heard this before, but Michael Sager's and his infamous First Street Lofts project may finally be moving forward. (Please, do NOT mark my words.) after years of the building sitting empty, there were today workers present. There was also an article a few days ago talking about how he has two serious tenants lined up for the first floor, a restaurant, and a liquor store called Blue Dome Wine and Spirits. So I wonder, will we finally see this project finished? I never thought I would see the building occupied, nor am I saying I will live to see that day now, but I do believe the chances have gone up considerably. This really would be a great project if completed. And let's not forget the good that Michael Sager's has done, and hopefully will continue to do, for the Blue Dome.

Cool Weather in Tulsa

Yesterday, This weird thing happenned. A cold front came through! Can you believe it? In celebration, we went to the QT Park at 41st and Riverside for the afternoon. I've never been to this park before, I was amazed at how nice it is. Of course, I was not interested in the amazingly up to date and quality play equipment, but I thought the little waterfalls and fountains awesome. I couldn't believe that every time I'd run or ridden past it, I'd just looked the other way. I'm so glad that we have a company such as QT here that is willing to invest so much money on a park.

Other than all the flashy fountains and large shade trees, something else was developed there. There was a sense of community, vibrancy, and activeness. There were people riding their bikes and running on the trails, people playing frisbee and disc golf in the fields, a magician performing a tips only show. All of this giving the area a quality, authentic feel. It was the culture of Tulsa. A growingly active city, a relaxed city, and overall, a livable city.

I'm losing it

I just deleted my previous post entitled Cool Weather in Tulsa!, by accident. I'm such an idiot. Now I have to retype the whole thing. I'll repost it later.

Chirp, chirp

Sorry for being so quiet lately. I've been busy and there really hasn't been much to write about. I'm working on a post right now and I'll publish it this afternoon. Thanks and my apologies to the readers who have checked in and found nothing new to read.

Whole Foods coming to 91st and Yale

So it is now pretty much official that Whole Foods will be building a location on the SW corner of 91st and Yale. There isn't yet much info on this project, but I'll post more when it's available. Anyway, I'm glad to see another quality store, even if it is a chain, being built in Tulsa. Tulsa's retail really seems to be stepping up lately. Let's continue the trend.

Cherry Street Parking "Problem" Solved?

There is a project in the works to double the amount of parking spaces on Cherry Street this fall. Most of these will come from angled parking to be added along the north side of 15th. Overall, I'm glad to see this project moving forward, and I do believe it will make parking easier. I just wonder if it was really needed. Many of the frequent Cherry Street patrons come from the surrounding neighborhood. Would not a system of bike lanes and bike parking have been a better use for this money?

What do you think?

Tulsa needs bike lanes.

Has anyone else noticed all the cyclists around Tulsa lately? I have, and the number of them is ever increasing. So, with this constantly increasing number of cyclists, and all the road construction going on now, it begs the question, why aren't we installing more bike lanes? Now would have been the perfect time, with all the road construction going on, we could have just added them as we improved the road. I think this is an issue that should be on the agenda of our city leaders. Tulsa is already nationally recognized as a bike friendly city, and this would make us even more so. It would also be great PR for Tulsa, helping us lose our image of being a fat, lazy city.

Tulsa's bike culture is growing, and I can't tell you how proud I am to say that. It's time that we provide more adequate infrastructure for bikes. We've come a long way in recent years, so let's not stop here.

I smell something from down the pike...

...something, a bit fishy.

Okay, so there was this really cool night food market planned for Downtown Oklahoma City, on Friday night. But, after about thirty minutes, the entire thing was shut down. The ABLE commission, as well as some agents, suddenly swept in (about twenty of them) and found "violations." There were three food trucks there, about twenty city workers. Hmmmmm......

This article by Steve Lackmeyer gives some preliminary information, but even he has said that he does not necessarily believe either side's story.

Welcome OKC Readers!

First off, I'd like to thank Nick Roberts of A Downtown ontheRange for recognizing me in one of his recent posts. Also, I'd like to welcome any new readers from Oklahoma City. Please check back frequently for news on your sister city and the occasional OKC update.

How can one person make Tulsa more urban?

I'd like to start this off by telling you my BEST (;D) kept secret. I am obsessed with all things urban. Urban cities, urban buildings, urban design, etc. It really kind of scares me. A kid my age, espescially one living in the suburbs, usually could care less about such things. Kids my age care about Facebook, Twitter, texting, and what car they plan on getting. While I do enjoy those things, they're not a driving passion, so to speak, for me. (Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of friends...:D) I have a passion, and it is for urban design. When I get out of college, I plan to buy/rent a loft downtown, and enjoy the hard core urban lifestyle for several years. If Tulsa doesn't have a fully urban and walkable area in about 7-8 years, I will move away for a while. Bottom line, I am going to be one of those young professional urbanites for a while. I will have this experience. If it has to be in another city, then so be it. But, I want it to be in Tulsa.

So, with that said, I would like to try and make a list of things that each of us can do to make Tulsa a more urban city. Some may be easy and quick, and others might require going out of your way a little, but I really want everyone who reads this blog to take them into consideration, and apply them to your daily life whenever you can.

1. Take the bus more often. (if its available to you) Even if it's just once a week, or once a month, ride the bus. Increased ridership numbers will mean increased interest in city leaders to better our public transit. It frustrates me so much to see all these empty busses driving around town. If it's available to you, use it! Even if it's only on occasion.

2. Walk. Walk wherever you can. If it's the restaurant a quarter mile away from your house, walk to it. There is no sense in taking your car a quarter to a half mile when it is not raining, hailing, sleeting, or snowing outside. Increased pedestrians enhance the feel of neighborhoods, and could help get zoning codes changed.

3. Ride your bike. If you have a bike, put it to good use and ride it! This sort of ties in with increased walking, it just gives you longer ranges. Instead of driving your car to go pick up the prescription from CVS, ride your bike. And unless there are bike lanes off the street, ride your bike in the road. This will eventually drive even the most anti-bikes person into advocating for bike lanes. They'll get sick of there being so many slow bikes blocking their Suburban's path.

4. Take advantage of the River Parks trails. We have fantastic trails and parks along the Arkansas River, so it's a no brained to visit them on a regular basis. What you don't use you lose, and we definitely don't want to lose these.

5. This is the last one, and the one that I feel to be the most important. Get involved in your community. Whether it's a neighborhood association, meeting friends for coffee, joining a running or biking club, a book club, a church function, or countless other things, they all help make a city livable. Nothing makes a city more livable than involved, connected citizens.

I hope that we can all put these five suggestions into our lives. Tulsa is a great city, filled with wonderful citizens who are capable of making a difference and changing the city for the better. So I ask you all, what else can we do to make Tulsa a more urban, or an overall better city? I welcome, no, I beg your input to this discussion. Please feel free to voice your opinion by leaving a comment, and by voting in the poll.

Man vs Food Showcases Tulsa Again

Elite was featured on last night's episode on Man vs Food Nation. A local veteran tried and conquered the 23 puffy taco challenge. I have to say that these episodes have really done a fantastic job at shining a positive light on Tulsa. From the camera angles, to the dialogue, it really makes Tulsa look like a great city to those that don't already know.

Village on Main Finally Being Realized?

After years of anticipation, it appears as though we could finally be seeing the massive mixed use Village on Main project in Jenks progressing. This thing has been "under construction" for years without much happening. But, according to KJRH they should be moving forward with construction of a Green Acres Grocery store as the next phase of the 420,000 square foot development. The developers have also stated that with along with Utica Park Clinic and Green Acres, there are 13 more tenants lined up so far. I am really excited to see this project once completed, and I hope similar concepts can be used throughout the metro.

Google Maps Updates Tulsa Aerials!

Now, this may not sound like exciting news, but I sure think it is, because you can easily see all the new construction downtown. The picture appears to be very recent, showing a topped out Metro at Brady, the First Presbyterian Church construction, The Matthews Warehouse construction, the Brady Park construction, the KOTV construction, and even what appears to be the demolition equipment being moved onto the One Place site. Downtown is becoming more dense by the day!

One Place site

New Parking Garage

A Completed JHF Reconciliation Park

KOTV Site

Brady Park Construction

Matthews Warehouse Construction

Soon to be Fairfield Inn and Brady Flats

Metro at Brady Site

First Presbyterian Church Expansion

Sorry for that post, that was me testing a hyperlink.

Whoops.....

Downtown Update 1

Soon we will be seeing much more housing downtown, 175 units to be exact. This is due in part to the TDA's decision to allocate a total of three million dollars to three projects. These projects are the...

Vandever Building: This is such an exciting project because it is located right in the middle of the CBD, an area severely lacking in housing. It will contain about 40 units and will be located on 5th street between Main and Boston.

YMCA Building: Also, a wonderful project, The YMCA Building loft conversion will place 82 units in the abandoned and boarded structure at 6th and Denver. This project should add some life and vitality to that forgotten little part of d
owntown.

East End: This project has the potential to be very unique. I've been told that this building has 16 foot ceilings, so they will be REAL lofts. I'd like to know a timeline, for all of them really, but espescially this one because I don't know the developer's track record. The other two are being done by the Schneiders, so you can pretty much guarantee that they will be completed. But I've never heard of the developer for these, and that just makes me a little nervous. Most likely though, he will get his project done in a reasonable amount of time, and I'm very glad to see a plan for the East End that does not sound like a
pipe dream.

Moving on, the Metro at Brady Lofts appear to be topped out now, and if they haven't started on the Brick already, I'm sure they will be soon. I can't wait to see that project finished!

One Place has started construction. After "breaking ground" over a month ago, they have finally started demolition, and should begin site work on the building soon. I'm still hesitant to say just how tall the tower will be, since they havent released any new renderings, but last I heard, it was 18 stories at 238 feet tall.

The Downtown First Presbyterian Church expansion appears to be progressing just fine, with a new steeple rising quickly on Boston Avenue, I think it will fit in nicely.

And finally, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be moving back downtown this year. The more people we can get downtown, the better!

This is the first of a series that I hope to update once a month to recap things happening in Downtown Tulsa. If I left out anything, be sure to tell me in the comments section.


ON EDIT: Vandever Building will have 40 units, East End will be located at 4th and Elgin, total number of units will be 175.

Downtown Grocery Stores

Two grocery stores have officially been announced now for Downtown Tulsa. They will of Course be Archer Market, a Blake Ewing operation, and Cam's Grocery, run by Daniel Cameron. Archer Market will be located on the first floor of the Detroit Lofts on the NE corner of Archer and Detroit, and Cam's Grocery will be located at 114 S. Detroit.

These announcements are more than just boring news articles to read. They mean something much more significant than that. They are signifying that the continuing change and revitalization of Downtown Tulsa has reached another milestone. A grocery store is really the last piece of the puzzle to make downtown a truly walkable neighborhood.

So will these two new grocery stores spur new development? My answer to that question, is that I honestly don't know. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on downtown here or saying that a new grocery store doesn't mean much. What I'm saying is exactly the opposite. There is SO much planned and under construction right now, that I don't know if these grocery stores will make a noticeable impact in the amount of development. Where I think we will see the largest impact is in the perception of downtown. Walking or driving through other citie's downtowns with grocery stores, they just feels so alive, and well, populated. A new grocery store is a sign of popUlation growth, which is exactly what our downtown needs.

I wish the best Of luck to Blake Ewing and Daniel Cameron as they set out on their new entrepreneurial endeavors. Thanks to both of you for all the hard work you have put in to making yours, and many other people's dreams a reality.

Vacation Picture

This is a picture I took from the balcony of a condo my family rented while vacationing in Pensacola Beach. Gosh, it is so beautiful there, and the weather was perfect. Wait what was that....not looking quite real to ya? Well okay then here's the original, but I like the top one better...

I love photography, so I may post a few pictures of mine on here every now and then. Hope you enjoy!

Enterprise Building Mixed-Use Development.

So unless the TDA decides to make another one of their famous blunders, we will see the Enterprise Building commencing with renovation soon. The $10.8 million development will include 77 residential units,13,500 square feet of light office space, and about 7,500 square feet of retail. The developers have stated that these rental units will be affordable, which in my opinion, is a huge plus.

This is just the kind of development that Boston Avenue/Deco District is in need of. With the recent flurry of activity there, this will be a major step towards making Boston Avenue a More vibrant 24/7 neighborhood. It will also provide more residents to utilize the park right across the street. As long as these are not insanely overpriced, I see absolutely no reason as to why these would not sell quickly. Just think about it, living in a modern apartment on historic Boston Avenue, right across from the new Centennial Green. You would be close to two new grocery options, thousands of offices, and a growing retail and restaurant market. I cannot wait to see this project happen!

Finally!!!

We will now see a grocery store opening up in Downtown Tulsa, hopefully by late fall! A location has not been specified, but it has been rumored that it will go in the building south of Enso at 1st and Detroit. It will be called Cam's Grocery, and owned by Dan Cameron. This has the potential to be a catalyst to development, and will be a HUGE step towards creating a full blown urban neighborhood in Tulsa

Way to go Cameron!

Oh, say it ain't so...

Not anymore. This is so sad. I would have loved to see this project downtown in this beautiful building. I just hope this building doesn't get torn down.

What could have been. Maybe someday somebody else will be able to realize this wonderful building's potential. I never thought this project would die. They even had a model open. I guess there just isn't a market yet for condos this expensive.

New white water park for Tulsa?

This could soon be what the river just south of the pedestrian bridge looks like. According to tulsawhitewaterpark.com it is a real possibility. There is no timeline on the project as of yet, so I can't comment much on it, but it does sound exciting. This could be a regional draw from places like NW Arkansas and help bring in the tourist dollars that we need. Fingers crossed!

Boulder Bridge

First off, let me say that I really like the design of the new Boulder bridge. I am really quite surprised that it is not a boring, concrete, standard cheap looking bridge. It appears to have brick on parts of it and there will be artwork molded onto the walls. (I desperately hope not like that God-forsaken wall on 169)

With that said, why are there no bike lanes? Apparently bicyclists will be able to ride on the "extra wide" sidewalks. Yeah, that sounds like a fantastic idea. Imagine it now, as you walk down the sidewalk here comes some guy on the riding his bike on the sidewalk and runs over your four year old's toes. Why is he riding his bike on the sidewalk??! Because this is what he has been told to do. Personally, I don't think moving vehicles should share the same space as pedestrians. If we insist on not putting in bike lanes, then please let us not encourage bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk. Everybody with any knowledge of cycling knows that you are supposed to ride in the street, bike lanes or not.

Also, I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that there would be streetcar/trolley tracks built on it. While the rendering appears to show a streetcar, there are no tracks. Anybody else remember this?

Pardon the mess...

You may notice for the next week or so changes to the blog format/layout. Please "pardon the mess" as I sort out the little issues and make the website look as I want it to.

Thanks

Metro at Brady Update

Here are some construction pics from TU 'cane over on SSC if you haven't seen them yet:

Many have expressed concerns about the quality of construction in this project. I'm no construction expert, but it looks pretty sturdy to me. There are cinder block colima for support, and they appear to be using 2x6s. There may be some smaller things that could create issues with soundproofing later on, or perhaps even the day people move in, but it sure doesn't look like it's about to fall down any time soon.

Welcome!

I was inspired to do this when I couldn't find any blogs following development in Tulsa. I plan to update this blog as frequently as I can about development in Tulsa. Thank you for reading!