Mike Carrier Credit: Mark Hancock The proposed 20-story hotel isn’t part of the $777 million MAPS 3 program but has proven to be a major sticking point for the convention center subcommittee. The panel met March 26 to discuss three convention center concepts provided by consultants Populous and GSB, Inc. “Making that decision (hotel location) […]
downtown
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Parking avenues
Rendering of a planned parking garage near City Hall More companies — large and small — have made downtown their home, bringing thousands of new employees to the area. Upscale housing has been constructed, streets have been repaired and once-abandoned buildings have been remodeled. At the same time, people throughout the metro make frequent treks […]
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All about TIF
Cathy O\’Connor Credit: Mark Hancock The Oklahoma City Council last week approved a $25 million budget increase for Tax Increment Finance (TIF) 2. Cathy O’Connor, president of the Alliance for Economic Development, told council members that TIF 2 has exceeded expectations, reflecting the quick pace and sizable impact of downtown development. Authorized in the state […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Marathon, man!
Comedy! Missed the first-season set of Episodes? Skip it. Instead, grab the new two-disc set collecting the first two years. Although very much a Hollywood in-joke, the Showtime series tells that in-joke with excellence, anchored by Friends vet Matt LeBlanc starring as an A-holier version of himself, reduced to starring on a hockey sitcom overseen […]
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…Went the trolley
Metro Transit gradually unveiled the 30-foot buses, with a total of 12 now on the streets. They are replacing the historic Downtown Spirit Trolleys due to manufacturing complications, according to Metro Transit spokesman Michael Scroggins. The buses, which are white with a green illustration of the downtown skyline adorning both sides, are free to downtown […]
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Village green
The $132 million park is one of eight major MAPS 3 projects. The first phase will be along the future downtown boulevard and a linkage to the SkyDance Bridge spanning Interstate 40. It’s scheduled to be completed in 2014, said Mary Margaret Jones, an architect with park consultant Hargreaves Associates. The park is divided into […]
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Going downtown
The Downtown Tax Increment Financing Review Committee approved OPUBCO’s request for $1.5 million in economic development funds from the TIF 8 economic development fund, informally known as the Devon TIF. The proposal next will go before the Oklahoma City Council for final approval. It would be the first project to be partially financed by the […]
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Road test
Most council members praised the so-called Alternative A as a good compromise between opposing sides. The proposal calls for a 300-foot section of the future street to be elevated to avoid the complicated traffic area of Western and Reno avenues and Classen Boulevard. The measure passed 7-2, with Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid and Ward […]
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Looking for options
On Jan. 2, the council passed a project requirements document for the streetcar, but some members expressed reservations about the proposed route and stressed that it is in no way finalized. The council’s action means that the streetcar project consultant, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., will coordinate its efforts with other MAPS 3 consultants, the Central […]
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The road not taken
In contradistinction, the relegation of decision-making to a small number of policymakers with homogeneous thought processes and goals risks error.InI The Ikea Effect in Business states that one who is responsible and emotionally invested in the creation of an idea will be more likely to resist the alteration or rejection of the idea even if […]