The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Not sure how this slipped by, but I haven't seen anyone discussing it:

The Tulsa Parking Authority spent $2.1 million buying the "Borden Trucking Lot,"  at the NW corner of Cameron and Boulder (diagonal from 36 Degrees North, it wasn't owned by Borden but they parked their trucks there).  Th Frontier wrote a great piece on it, essentially they are trying to stay ahead of demand and have heard some noise that the Brady is starting to fear parking pressure.  They don't have plans for the structure, but said they want it to blend in to the area.  

https://www.readfrontier.com/special-projects/tulsa-parking-authority-buys-land-brady-district-new-parking-facility/

Could work out great for 36 Degrees North and the newly announced Hanson Brother's project (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/development-authority-apparently-giving-hanson-group-low-interest-loan-for/article_7777034c-9a33-54cb-ace4-77704efe972b.html), which has TDA support.  I've never had issues with parking, because I can park in the evenings at the Williams/BOK garage for $2 and walk 3 blocks... but if I worked there, tried to run a retail store, or wanted people to stop in for lunch - I'd understand.  Of course, opportunities for overnight leases for residents also open up.

It was a multi parcel sale per the Tulsa County Assessor website, but the Frontier reports it is just over an acre. I don't have time at the moment, but someone else can go to the Tulsa County Assessor's website and pull up what the lots across the street sold for to the Hanson group or other projects and see if land is commonly going for $2mil an acre in the Brady district.  

Hmm. Hope they put retail on the first floor and it is not just parking. That would slightly ruin the potential to have Main be a nice street to walk down all the way from Archer to Easton. (Yes, I know it's not great now with the truck parking). Especially with the Hanson development across the street adding to the east side of main.

The land across from the PAC downtown went for $2.7 million an acre.

It got buried in the generic downtown development thread :) http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=21006.msg312189#msg312189

But good to highlight, no doubt :D

The property is at the NE corner of Cameron and Boulder (or the NW corner of Cameron and Main).


The Frontier published an online article, but it's not great.  At least four times in the article, the property's location is indicated as being along East Cameron Street.  That is incorrect.  The property is north of West Cameron Street.

The Frontier article incorrectly describes the location of the Civic Center Parkade as 520 E Third St.

The Frontier article mentions a "Performing Arts Center Lot" at 110 E Second St.  There is no parking lot at that particular location.


I've not experienced issues with parking in downtown Tulsa because I'm usually willing to walk a block or two or three or more.

I agree hopefully it does have retail space.  Something like this garage in Boulder would be great.  :)

(http://www.pinkardcc.com/sites/default/files/styles/colorbox_gallery_large/public/project-galleries/Create%20Project/15thPearl1_703x375.jpg?itok=v6f64dUz)

Not my favorite location, but the Brady does need parking.  It's not an issue now, and it won't be for 10 years, and for people experienced with parking in dense urban places it will probably never be an issue, but if we want people with the driving habits of Tulsans to come downtown we need to provide parking and a garage sure beats the hell out a surface lot.  I know it's not often done in Tulsa, but you really can make garages that conceal what they are.  If you're ever in Cambridge, one of the key buildings in Harvard Square stuffed with bars and restaurants on top of the MBTA station is in fact a parking garage.  Most folks would never know.  You get other parking garages near Fenway Park that look like pre-war red brick warehouses.  Heck, Miami Beach's most popular piece of architecture is a parking garage. 

In short, if the Tulsa Parking Authority is willing to really invest in this property it could become an asset rather than dead space like most garages. 

Wow, you can't even tell that is a garage. Yes, something along those lines would be perfect!

The need is based on growth so street level retail has to be part of the plan.  If they plop down a crappy garage there they are basically defeating the purpose of the need for parking to begin with.  I also read a lot about large metro downtowns which are trending towards less parking, but in Tulsa, we will always be about 20 years behind the trends, and our downtown needs people from outside the downtown-midtown bubble to thrive, so parking is a necessary evil.

I believe demolition was under way at the proposed site when I drove by on Friday morning.

Walked by and yes, the demo of the old building at the NW corner of the lot is gone and they took out the fence along the north side.  Has anyone seen or heard anything about the plans?  Is it going to just be a lot for a while as they finish the plans or continue to just sit empty? 

Will OKPOP have on site parking or will it use this structure?

It's supposed to have parking. I wanna say I read at least 100 spaces?

The grapevine told me that the NW corner of Main and Cameron is being turned into a surface parking lot for now, being administered as a pay lot by a vendor. 

Yay! Go surface parking!

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-caV4VvmM4Kk/VrmhNsYSN5I/AAAAAAAAIMI/gq0LHr0C5w4/s1600/barf.png)

Two steps forward and two steps back...

(https://media.giphy.com/media/26BkMtWW9wyXRSIU0/giphy.gif)

I hear ya', but it was essentially a non-public surface parking lot for the last how many decades anyway?  So this is marginal improvement.  And way better than throwing up a generic parking garage that kills that corner forever.

I'd  love to see a developer buy up the corner, or even the entire frontage on Cameron, and the City build a garage one lot north - buried in the middle of the block or actually off of Boulder, and allow other buildings to front Main Street al the way up to Inner Circle and Cains.  Everyone wins!

This is moving forward.  The zoning was just changed from light industrial to CBD (mixed use).  http://www.tulsaplanning.org/tmapc/cases/Z-7612.pdf

As a reminder, the Tulsa Parking Authority had put out an RFP through Hunden Strategic Partners: https://tulsaworld.com/business/tulsa-parking-authority-eyes-mixed-used-development-on-north-boulder/article_51b28859-a71a-5c92-999f-50e6095eb1b3.html.

I don't remember where I saw it, but they got four viable responses, and are moving forward with the winning proposal.  I'm speculating that the zoning change indicates we may hear something soon. 

Anyone have any info on this?

Was there ever an actual announcement on which developer was picked?

No, they never said. Tulsa Parking Authority, which was managing the RFP process, has since been folded into the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity ("TAEO").  At one of the last meetings of the Tulsa Parking Authority before it was dissolved, they were looking at going under contract with a shell named "WPA Development, LLC."  https://www.cityoftulsa.org/apps/COTDisplayDocument/?DocumentType=Agenda&DocumentIdentifiers=23685.  I can't find anything on this entity.  Title to the land itself has been transferred from TPA to TAEO. Nothing else indicates whether there's been a final contract with the developer.  Once possibility is that the transfer of the project between agencies has delayed the project.  But as recently as six months ago the process was in its final stages prior to contract.... hopefully it gets over the finish line. 

TAEO's agendas can be found here if you're ever curious what the movers and shakers downtown are discussing this month: https://www.cityoftulsa.org/government/meeting-agendas/.  For some reason they don't post meeting minutes on the web.

https://tulsaworld.com/business/local/51-million-development-in-tulsa-arts-district-would-turn-parking-lot-into-hotel-apartments/article_76065fb0-db9a-11ec-8914-bf81228529b1.html


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Very cool development just north of The Hunt Club. Takes away an ugly surface lot. I like the initial design, especially the apartments.

With the exception of the god-awful externals of the apartment section, AWESOME! The corner building with the "pub" space is especially awesome. Love that they are keeping the character of the street going while also fitting in some ultra-modern architecture. The apartments need to be revisited though, because that looks awful.

Also... and this is going to sound bad on an urbanist forum, but I wish the parking structure was bigger. There's a tremendous need for parking here with all the stuff that goes on in the arts district and Cain's, and then you add on 88 apartments as well, and they really aren't adding any parking here with this huge development. It's like they need to add on a second garage to the north after they build this...

I don't love the building on top the parking garage, but it's much better than just a garage. The other building is great.

Yeah the whole building should look more like the hotel.  That is a big hole to fill so I’m glad to see this one progressing.

I don't mind the design difference. I like seeing a little variety.

My biggest concern is the window size on the multifamily, the multi and hotel almost need to be flipped into the opposite buildings in terms of how it's designed. If they don't make the windows bigger on the multi building those units are going to dark and struggle longterm, they also will not be taking advantage of the views either which is puzzling.

The garage and building above it give me Miami-ish vibes and I don't hate it, especially if it's light up well at night.

Hotel brand will be Arrive, seems to fit well in that location too. Architect's site: https://www.chrispardodesign.com/arrive-tulsa (https://www.chrispardodesign.com/arrive-tulsa)

(https://i.ibb.co/B46Wkn8/2022-05-27-1-23-37.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/hVkd35G/2022-05-27-1-23-48.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/Hn9bJwZ/2022-05-27-1-24-03.jpg)
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(https://i.ibb.co/B4Z4BMc/2022-05-27-1-24-28.jpg)

Could always build apartments out of shipping containers to help foster affordable housing.

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/ida-on-mckinley-is-tallest-shipping-container-tower-in-north-america-13693917 (https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/ida-on-mckinley-is-tallest-shipping-container-tower-in-north-america-13693917)

(https://media2.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/magnum/13693927/gss4127copy_1_1_.jpg?cb=1653435733)

^ I like the sustainability idea, but that thing is incredible ugly. Won't age very well either.

You generally get better cost savings, energy efficiency, etc. from just regular modular construction. Essentially the same thing. The containers can be really difficult to get wiring and insulation done properly, but really the main premise of the idea is stackable and fast construction given you can do most everything offsite somewhere in a warehouse. Plus standardizing the layouts/size, finishes, etc. allows you to build out the modular stuff faster too in the warehouse through replication. 

Good example of this on an affordable housing scale is Pacific Park in Brooklyn next to the Barclays Center. Believe it is still the tallest modular building, at least in the US.

Architect's site w/ project details:
https://www.shoparc.com/projects/b2/ (https://www.shoparc.com/projects/b2/)

Another article:
https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/15/13642438/461-dean-pacific-park-barlcays-model-units (https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/15/13642438/461-dean-pacific-park-barlcays-model-units)

Picture of the project:

(https://i.ibb.co/4FVF8rm/2022-05-27-12-37-12.jpg)

Much better quality, similar or better cost and time savings as well to shipping container construction.

Yes, the more I look at it the less I'd want to live in one despite the awesome location. The windows suck and the balconies are weird. It does indeed look like something from Miami, but like late 70's/80's Miami when everyone was too coked up to care about taste or practicality too much and just wanted something "different".

It's just odd that they did so well on the Arrive hotel and some other aspects and then made these choices for the apartments. Really hope the design is revised based on feedback.  

lol! Have you priced shipping containers lately?  :o

Just stayed at the Arrive in Memphis (https://www.arrivehotels.com/memphis), awesome hotel experience and will fit in real well at that location.

I was down in the Arts District yesterday and having this lot developed will be great for connecting Main.  I have heard Western Supply is being redesigned as more of a residential project with 300+ units, and hopes to break ground within a year.  That combined with this project will add a LOT of new residents and visitors to the District. 

The hotel looks great. The other part will depend on execution. Could look cool and modern or crappy and outdated right off the bat. I wish our city could become less car dependent but it's a losing battle so nice to see there is parking and it is hidden from the main intersection. I assume part of it will be open to downtown patrons, for a fee of course.

I'm wondering if there's some pause given the TIF for that area. I tried to look it up but there's conflicting information I can find on when the TIF began service - I think that TIF might be coming up on expiring in the next few years but could be wrong. If so, that might be a reason why Western Supply is moving slower if they are waiting for the TIF to be reissued or something else like carving this out into a separate TIF like Santa Fe from Blue Dome. If it ends up being 300+ units that's a $75-100 million project.