QuikTrip vs. Brookside's Urban Fabric

[YoungTulsan]

QT has another store at 45th & Peoria at the south end Brookside.  Why not expand that store, which has a parking lot next to it, and leave the one at 36th 'as is' saving the Lee's building?

Do you happen to recall QT buying and demolishing the Camelot hotel?  Things are in limbo until the highway widening is complete - which at Peoria is the final phase a couple of years from now I believe.  I'm guessing QT sees that spot as being hard to access in the middle of the construction and has chosen to wait it out.  The current construction already killed the Waffle House at that location.

How is an expanded QT at 36th going to be any more pedestrian unfriendly than the current QT?  There is already a QT there, I don't see the size of the QT having any effect besides possibly not being so cramped.  Currently that parking lot is so jam packed with cars backing in and out of, and waiting for spots, that the danger of minor collisions is extremely high.  As far as pedestrians go, this creates a lot of blind spots for drivers.  Before someone fires back at me "Well why don't we just put a Wal-mart supercenter there you big silly goose!" all I am saying is that a QuikTrip is a QuikTrip is a QuikTrip.  This doesn't really change anything for better or worse.

A streetscape/landscaping compromise does sound good though.

[TheArtist]

Do you happen to recall QT buying and demolishing the Camelot hotel?  Things are in limbo until the highway widening is complete - which at Peoria is the final phase a couple of years from now I believe.  I'm guessing QT sees that spot as being hard to access in the middle of the construction and has chosen to wait it out.  The current construction already killed the Waffle House at that location.

How is an expanded QT at 36th going to be any more pedestrian unfriendly than the current QT?  There is already a QT there, I don't see the size of the QT having any effect besides possibly not being so cramped.  Currently that parking lot is so jam packed with cars backing in and out of, and waiting for spots, that the danger of minor collisions is extremely high.  As far as pedestrians go, this creates a lot of blind spots for drivers.  Before someone fires back at me "Well why don't we just put a Wal-mart supercenter there you big silly goose!" all I am saying is that a QuikTrip is a QuikTrip is a QuikTrip.  This doesn't really change anything for better or worse.

A streetscape/landscaping compromise does sound good though.

Have you read the Brookside plan?

[Conan71]

I remember when QT was the guilty party of a deal I hated a few years ago, also on Peoria. It would be pretty cool if they had restored the old Camelot Hotel and brought life back to an interesting piece of mid-century architecture. Just because Frank Lloyd Wright wasn't the architect, doesn't mean mid-century architecture isn't worth preserving. Now that it's apparent that the I-44 expansion is going to be to the south side of the current Skelly Drive right-of-way, so Camelot should have stayed in hindsight, and surely the brand new highway would have attracted investors. The old Camelot Hotel was torn down for nothing more than a QuikTrip at the end of the day, and as great as QT is compared to 7/11, that doesn't mean it's a suitable development replacement for a skyscraper, or even a midrise psuedo-historic hotel, nor should it be emphasized as a cornerstone in Brookside's new growth area.

They sold and re-sold the Camelot several times and it was to structurally obosolete.

As far as it being a good example of mid-century design?  Not a chance.  That was a poor regurgitation of medieval Europe, not a prime example of MCM architecture.

Speaking of...what is the really cool multi-story building next to the geodesic dome up near Asian-town in OKC in the 23rd & Classen area?  I drove past Saturday and was quite intrigued with it.

[riverrunner]

The Classen upscale apartments.Search theclassenokc.com

[Ihearttacos]

Speaking of...what is the really cool multi-story building next to the geodesic dome up near Asian-town in OKC in the 23rd & Classen area?  I drove past Saturday and was quite intrigued with it.

I am pretty sure there is/was a bar off the parking garage that I went to there.  It was a mix between Cellar Dweller/Lennie's in the style of FLW. No idea what it was called though, I just remember our coctail waitress was an older lady.

[spartanokc]

Prohibition Room.

[SXSW]

The Lee's building is gone..   

The only saving grace will be for Quiktrip to beautify its streetscape along Peoria with some street trees and new sidewalks.  I still don't understand why QT needed to do this though. 

[sgrizzle]

I still don't understand why QT needed to do this though.  

[EricP]

New Lee's looks to be up and running down the street from city hall downtown. Looks nice!

[TURobY]

New Lee's looks to be up and running down the street from city hall downtown. Looks nice!

Yup! I've already been in twice. Very nice facility and a great addition to the streetscape.

[SXSW]

Yup! I've already been in twice. Very nice facility and a great addition to the streetscape.

I guess that's a decent silver lining to have a new bike shop downtown in a renovated, previously empty storefront.  That is too bad for Brookside however because with the church across the street that becomes more of a 'hole' in the urban 'street wall' that has been so successful north of 36th.  Interesting that Crusty Croisant across the street moved downtown as well and is still empty. 

[vagagirl]

Well, there were some on the BNA who were against the expension of the QT and a majority felt is would be OK.  I myself wondered WHY QT needed three stores on Peoria between 36th and 51st?
But, it wasn't a very big discussion.  Adding pumps and not adding clerks and computers inside the store to some may seem like an inefficient way to deal with increased traffic in and out of the store, but again QT spokesperson said that would not happen and it shouldn't matter. The last thing Brookside needs is ever-expanding store fronts and big boxes coming into the strip.  41st street has two, there is Walmart family market as well. If these start traveling up Peoria from 41st to 31st, Brookside will be gone!!!  Neighbors need to be more involved and join the BNA and have their concerns made known.
Thanks for bringing up this discussion. We lost the fight on Bomasada and a 4-5 story monstrousity is still possible due to the change in zoning, which should have never happened.  The powers that be lied about the Brookside plan in this case in order to please the developer and thumb their noses at the residents of this neighborhood. Everyone seems to cheer 'progress', but the question is WHOSE progress??  The quality of life for the neighbors or the profits of the corporations?  Food Pyramid, Walmart, QT, Bomasada are all corporations and with the exception of QT, all are outsiders and ha

[vagagirl]

....and have no ties to the community.  Food Pyramid lets trash pile up along 39th street and does not take care of the landscaping like they agreed.  THeir truck traffic was a problem until neighbors complained and they put up barriers to prevent the drivers from traveling north of the building over the landscapes onto  39th street.  The city only sees $$ for revenue, but the neighbors have to live with the changes.  NIMBY is OK til it hits the decision-makers' neighborhoods. Then the story changes.  If there are guidelines set down for use then they should be enforced.  Fine the companies and generate income for the taxpayers in this way also.  Truck traffic where it does not belong, noise nuisances, these can be cited and the city can collect from the businesses.  Let
s be fair about enforcement.  Brookside is REALLY not an entertainment district. It is a residential community with small businesses.  Letting all these big companies in will kill small business. The BBA should be looking out for it's neighbors as well, rather than encouraging all the influx of business, regardless of their reputations, size and homebase locations.  Why can't we be more choosy?  Protecting something that works and is good is more important then 'anything goes'!!!

[sgrizzle]

Well, there were some on the BNA who were against the expension of the QT and a majority felt is would be OK.  I myself wondered WHY QT needed three stores on Peoria between 36th and 51st?

They only have two.

[vagagirl]

The third will be the giant store along I-44.