A lot has been mentioned lately of turning the Brady District into a hub for arts, music, and entertainment. There are already two historic, and nationally significant, music venues in Cain's and the Brady Theater and a collection of restaurants (Caz's, Spaghetti Warehouse, Mexicali, etc.), a few bars (Soundpony, The Majestic, Deadtown Tavern, etc.), a coffee shop (Gypsy), several art galleries and little shops, and a few older buildings turned into loft apartments. New developments include the ballpark and potential mixed-use development around it, the John Hope Franklin Park, the reconstruction of the Boulder bridge, a music museum next to Cain's, the Matthews Warehouse, and now the Oklahoma Pop museum.
Assuming these developments all go through, what else should be added to this area to really make it stand out? What other improvements would you want to see? Personally I would want to see the north leg of the IDL addressed in some way. I know they are currently resurfacing it but they are doing nothing for aesthetics, and it continues to be barrier between Brady Heights and OSU-Tulsa and the rest of the district. I would say they should just get rid of it completely but that's probably unrealistic and burying it is also most likely prohibitively expensive. Increased development and private investment could possibly make it happen though.
A walk-up Sonic...
More things open on weekend days. I biked down there last Saturday and was disappointed that most of the shops were closed. There still isn't enough to do there to keep me in the area during the day.
I would say a Bookstore would be a good thing. There needs to be some retail sprinkled in and bookstores draw in alot of people. I would also say the more entertainment, the better. A bowling alley could be a cool draw. More restaurants would be a good thing. How about a grocery store possibly? How about batting cages near the ballpark? How about horse-drawn carriage rides?
It's working in Oakland, Vancouver, and would work here....yes, you've heard it before from this devil!
How about apartment-style student housing for OSU-Tulsa students? I'm thinking similar to the new TU student apartments, only more urban in nature-- perhaps use red brick to match the area.
Relocate the Comedy Club - Loony Bin to the Brady District.
How about the Nightingale Theater in the Brady.
I like the Bookstore idea...
How about a movie theater...would make dinner and a movie a little more interesting than our current options of driving between destinations.
outdoor cafe's.
Dignified streets. Create a public realm of which all of these artistic/cultural/public facilities can be proud. Create streets that are as unique as the places they will connect. Make them comfortable to be in...which doesn't translate into 'comfortable to drive in'. Great streets typically have a consistent street walls with plenty of fenestration (windows, articulated points of entry), shade trees (important in our climate), generous walking spaces, proper and attractive street lighting, street furniture (unique seating and such), trash cans, information kiosks/maps, limited car penetration (few curb cuts), plenty of spaces in which to stop and watch the public, water...I'm sure I'm forgetting other elements.
How about a public market hall? Everytime I go I always think the Soulard Market in St. Louis would be so interesting in Tulsa. Relocate the Saturday Farmers Market to a permanent structure in the Brady. The Brady Street Market?
How about Langdon or some other agency open a Media Center.
How about TulsaNow establish a permanent home for urban advocacy like the SF Planning and Urban Research Association. http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=3502 I know, with all the money that I've donated and all...ok, join forces with Sustainable Tulsa et others.
Yes the Brady District and Downtown are still dead as a doornail during the daytime hours. Had a friend visiting from DC a couple weeks ago. And the Blue Dome area is still quite barren really.
We sit here and get excited about this or that place opening, or possibly being built and coming along, and it can all seem exciting from that perspective. But when I took a friend down there and saw everything from a "person seeing it for the first time" perspective.... well, I found it a bit disconcerting, and eye opening really. We have made progress, but still have a Looooooooooong way to go. The reality was that there were only one or two things open, then lots of parking lots, closed buildings, nobody around, hot sun and some leaves and trash blowing down the street. Welcome to Tulsas Brady Arts District! Wooo Hooo!
And even downtown during the day is dead quiet. I was working on the mural during the day, during and right after work hours. And that downtown is still dead even during work hours. You have a little flurry of meager activity during lunch hour, but even during the times like right before work and after when you would expect it to be busy with people entering and leaving downtown, its not busy at all. (I guess people who work in say the BOK Tower must slip out the back door or through some sky bridge to the parking garages to their cars, then slip out some back alley to the suburbs,,,, cause I dont see any street or foot traffic right before and after work lol. Same for other buildings apparently) There was a guy who stopped to ask me a couple questions. He was an artist there to set up a booth for Mayfest. It was right after work around 6. Asked me where there was a place to eat other than the hotel. I pointed out El Guapos and the stuff in the Blue Dome. He said he had noticed that earlier. He looked at me and said, "There is nothing in this area?" pointing to the main part of downtown. I said, not that I know of, the Arbys might be open. There wasnt but perhaps one other peoprson in sight. And he then said in a really perterbed voice. "And THIS.... is your Downtown?!" And he stormed off, footsteps echoing off really tall empty buildings, temporarily drowning out the sound of crickets.
Thank goodness things have picked up downtown. :P
I think that in order for downtown to become a more vibrant place we need 2 or 3 different types of areas.
1. A shopping/living area or two. The urban neighborhoods with a grocery store and yes a bookstore would be fantastic.
2. An arts district, aka, lots of galleries and shops all in one place that would encourage people from a large area to visit and help support the artists. You need a critical mass of that to get a lively, functioning area. Brady is turning into an arts district, but interestingly enough, not THAT kind of arts district. Hopefully it will. I am thinking along the lines of the Paseo in OKC with a lot of shops all right next to each other with some restaurants mixed in, on both sides of the street. Or around a square or plaza like you would find in Santa Fe. And of course it has to have that artsy, cozy feel that people enjoy.
3. An entertainment district. With yes some bowling and a movie theater.
I like that we are getting the museums. Having 2 or 3 in the Brady District will help tremendously. We desperately need those to have something to do there during most hours of the day.
I think the area around Bartlett square and the East End could be our urban neighborhood areas with people living there, working there (walking to and from work versus vanishing in a parking garage) and shopping/grocery. The Mayo Hotel lofts, The Mayo building, and a few others in the area will be good first steps.
For an arts district like what I have described, some parts of the Brady could be made into such an area. But I get the feeling that, this may not happen. Its going to become a different kind of Arts District. The area around Living Arts has some potential for that kind of thing perhaps. A concentration of quirky artists galleries with living above. Brady to Greenwood seems to be becoming more "big box" entertainment type arts stuff. I would have loved to have seen the park that Kaiser is building have the museum on one side then on the other 3 have galleries and shops all around. But the KOTV building will keep that type of atmosphere from developing. I dont see it happening towards the Ballpark either. The street up where the Cains is has a lot of potential, but right on that corner opposite Lolas is is a neat building, but has some industrial thing in it. Then a parking lot opposite. What eventually goes in those two spots will really tell the tale on what direction that area takes. We will either create a contiguous group of artists galleries, or we will not.
Quote from: OurTulsa on May 30, 2009, 12:59:17 AM
Dignified streets. Create a public realm of which all of these artistic/cultural/public facilities can be proud. Create streets that are as unique as the places they will connect. Make them comfortable to be in...
To make downtown more inviting at night you are going to have to do something about the lighting.
We know that (dont we?) but do the ones holding the purse strings understand that just because a light looks nice in the daytime doesnt mean its worth a crap at night. Glare is uninviting and uncomfortable.
Quote from: TheArtist on May 30, 2009, 09:58:51 AM
I would have loved to have seen the park that Kaiser is building have the museum on one side then on the other 3 have galleries and shops all around. But the KOTV building will keep that type of atmosphere from developing.
That's not carved in stone. The auto dealerships were their bread-and-butter, and their parent company downgraded them to little more than the Tulsa Bureau of an OKC station, so dont look for that building in the immediate future.
I would probably frequent a high-end, classy gentlemen's club, offering complete non-smoking in the Brady.
Good ideas, and while there have been developments and there some exciting new things on the horizon there is still a long ways to go. It will take the efforts of many visionary people, like those on this board, to make things happen.
Here is a crazy idea that I've always tossed around concerning the Brady District. Let's say the ballpark spurs some additional development at the east end, the two new museums are built and spur some additional restaurants and retail, some new contemporary apt. buildings are built, and OSU-Tulsa actually builds a few new buildings on those parking lots at its campus. This creates a new level of energy that Brady hasn't seen before. At the same time the Gilcrease Loop is finished, making it actually feasible to tear down the north leg of the IDL. This allows better interaction between what could be a thriving neighborhood in Brady Heights (including plenty of space east of Cheyenne and Boulder to Cincinnati for new homes or apartments to be built with amazing views) and also OSU-Tulsa. Streets like Easton could be rebuilt and integrated into the street grid, providing a east-west entrance into the university (the remnants of Easton currently goes between Mt. Zion Church and the ATRC, and also from Denver to Main) and there would be seamless connections between the old warehouse district and single family neighborhoods without the Berlin Wall separating them, both physically and mentally. I know this is highly unlikely but it sure would be nice as rebuilding this leg below grade, like the south leg which doesn't separate the neighborhood, would be very expensive. It's either live with it or get rid of it and without the Gilcrease Expy. providing an alternative it would never happen...
I would say a movie theatre. It's always a good way to lure more people down to it during the day and night. And if it's located in a district like The Brady, then people will be inclined to buy their tickets and walk around, or eat dinner first.
Just be sure to get a nice theatre. Let's not settle for an AMC.
What the Brady needs, and what downtown as a whole needs, is people living in it. That's pretty much it. I think we'd be surprised at how many problems that would solve.
Edit: Easier said than done, I know.
Quote from: we vs us on May 30, 2009, 02:58:52 PM
What the Brady needs, and what downtown as a whole needs, is people living in it. That's pretty much it. I think we'd be surprised at how many problems that would solve.
Edit: Easier said than done, I know.
You're right, residents are the bottom line. Nothing will increase foot-traffic, retail, and entertainment activity as fast as residents' demand. That is why I supported the tax rebates given to residential developers as part of the Vision 2025 plan.
I think the city should do all it can to encourage OSU-Tulsa to implement student housing in the Brady District. From there, private housing developments would likely spring up throughout the whole area. I would really like to see OSU-Tulsa become a true urban public university- similar to IUPUI in Indianapolis (http://www.iupui.edu/about/ (http://www.iupui.edu/about/)). IUPUI stands for Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. The school did not start out much differently than OSU-Tulsa's predecessor, University Center at Tulsa (UCAT). Today, IUPUI is an urban public university that offers degrees from Indiana Univ. and Purdue Univ. The school has only been around for 40 years, and now has over 30,000 students. Another example is the Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha, which is probably a more relative example, because Omaha is about the same size as Tulsa. Nebraska-Omaha has about 15,000 students.
Imagine what students would do for foot-traffic in the Brady District.
Quote from: Requiemokc on May 30, 2009, 02:28:07 PM
Just be sure to get a nice theatre. Let's not settle for an AMC.
Shockingly, there do exist nice AMCs. Not in markets like Tulsa, however. The AMC in Easton (a suburb of Columbus) is well integrated with the enormous "urban" style shopping mall they have.
I'd rather see something like the Arena Grand, however. That's a nice theater.
(And that's 1,001 posts!) ;)
There's a cool AMC at the Plaza in Kansas City. Word.
AMC has the Palace 9 in downtown Ft Worth's Sundance Square. Photo here http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1667536-AMC_Movie_Theaters-Fort_Worth.jpg (http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1667536-AMC_Movie_Theaters-Fort_Worth.jpg)
I spent Thursday evening and all day Friday downtown Oklahoma City going to meetings. They have MUCH more life in the business district than we do. People all over the place, shops in almost every building. Connections between the buildings. The Botanical Gardens are an easy stroll over lunch. At night there is a conference with people downtown, a AAA, NBA, or Arena game to go to, a movie theater, plenty of retail, and people.
Buildings are connect. There are shops open during the day and it shifts towards Bricktown / convention center at night. There is art in the lobbies of the buildings, public and private. The streets are friendlier for pedestrians and vehicles. Instead of a handful of sky scrappers surrounded by surface parking they have a good number of 5-12 story buildings packed together. It just seems more alive, vibrant, and new (not meaning to go over board. But in comparison to Tulsa).
Lack of surface parking and empty buildings goes a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way in making downtown OKC/Omaha,/Des Moines seem much better than Tulsa. The other key difference is people. People living, working, shopping, eating, and spending time there in brings it all together. All the life we are looking for (retail, grocery store, movie theater, filling in the dead space) is tied to there being people
Why the hell did we ever tear down 50% of downtown Tulsa?
To answer the question - what would I like to see downtown? People. I think student housing would be the best way to accomplish that. OSU, TCC, or even U Tulsa. Could just be housing geared towards students (not student run) with enhanced bus routes stopping by it, more bike parking, student discount . . . whatever.
But we need people downtown first.
Step 2 is infill. Kill the surface lots and fill them in with parking ramps and 5 story buildings. But that only comes after there is life . . . which is why we need people first.
Up with People.
New rumor: north edge of Brady or just north of Brady there is discussion of building new construction housing that will rent for $1.10 per sq ft (monthly) So 500sqft for $550/mo.
Grizzle...not a rumor but in the conceptual stage. Plans include a mixed use with approximately 100 units and surface parking to be located in the heart of the Brady District.
The big question is...will 500-550sf be marketable and affordable? Based on recent discussions among TYPros, $1.10/sf is still considered too high if you add utilities and any dues. Other options in the area state they will be marketing also at $1.10-1.25/sf
As an exercise...What size and price range would this forum consider to be acceptable? (I'm just curious given all the other residential development under construction or slated to start.)
Quote from: DowntownNow on June 01, 2009, 10:34:22 AM
Grizzle...not a rumor but in the conceptual stage. Plans include a mixed use with approximately 100 units and surface parking to be located in the heart of the Brady District.
The big question is...will 500-550sf be marketable and affordable? Based on recent discussions among TYPros, $1.10/sf is still considered too high if you add utilities and any dues. Other options in the area state they will be marketing also at $1.10-1.25/sf
As an exercise...What size and price range would this forum consider to be acceptable? (I'm just curious given all the other residential development under construction or slated to start.)
I think a 1 bdrm/1 bath would be acceptable for around $900/month if the finishes are nice i.e. granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, contemporary lighting, etc. 2 bdrm/1.5 bath could be near $1,300/month and still be reasonable. Go over these though and it would be a hard sell. After a few are built and things get more active you could ask for more but not right now.
Quote from: DowntownNow on June 01, 2009, 10:34:22 AM
Grizzle...not a rumor but in the conceptual stage. Plans include a mixed use with approximately 100 units and surface parking to be located in the heart of the Brady District.
The big question is...will 500-550sf be marketable and affordable? Based on recent discussions among TYPros, $1.10/sf is still considered too high if you add utilities and any dues. Other options in the area state they will be marketing also at $1.10-1.25/sf
As an exercise...What size and price range would this forum consider to be acceptable? (I'm just curious given all the other residential development under construction or slated to start.)
Saying that price is too high is ridiculous. That is market price for a 30yr old complex behind home depot.
Quote from: nathanm on May 31, 2009, 05:02:25 PM
Shockingly, there do exist nice AMCs. Not in markets like Tulsa, however. The AMC in Easton (a suburb of Columbus) is well integrated with the enormous "urban" style shopping mall they have.
I'd rather see something like the Arena Grand, however. That's a nice theater.
(And that's 1,001 posts!) ;)
That center was created by the founder of The Limited Corp, Les Wexner, He created it as an experiment. A very good one. Les spent a great deal of money to redesign the entire town around that center. Over the years he's spent Billions in private (his own) money on that city.
Developers across the country try to use it as an example or template, the only problem is that it is not completely self sustaining. It's built on billions of dollars of trust money, and continues to be flush with cash from The Limited, Limited Too, Victoria's Secret, and the other brands Les owns.
It's a great design, but you have to take into account that it is a wealthy man's hobby.
This may be a really difficult exercise to figure out,,, but on City Data Forum for instance there are often people moving into town, and from other medium to larger cities, who comment on how expensive comparable apartments are.
My assistant who just moved to Austin says he found a very nice, contemporary, apartment for a much better price, quality, and area, than he could find in Tulsa.
I remember going to Dallas when I was thinking of moving there and checking out apartments in a lot of different areas. Comparables were cheaper there, and I could get a nicer apartment in a much nicer area for the same price range I could find here.
Now,,, on the one hand its said that apartments and homes are cheaper here in Tulsa.... but I am starting to wonder if thats not really telling us the true story. Lets see if I can explain this. If the average apartment is quality wise, on a scale of 1-8, 1 being a run down, roach infested, high crime area,,, and 8 being that cities top of the line, and the middle is priced at a A., but you go to a city where the average apartment quality wise is, on a scale of 1-15, and the middle is also priced at A., ,,,, over all the apartments in the first city cost less, the average costs more in the second city,,, but the quality is higher for the middle, "affordable" range apartment.
Did that make sense? lol
So when I hear people time and time again seemingly complaining that they cant get as high a quality place, in as nice an area as they could in another city... It makes me wonder if what I have described above has something to do with it?
I could find some REALLY super high end apartments that Tulsa couldnt touch, in the type of areas Tulsa doesnt have,,,, but on the other hand, for the same price as the apartment I could find here,,, I could get better, and in a better area, there. So when someone moves here, its the reverse. The apartments arent as nice and in as nice an area, for the price.
I have shown people the new contemporary stuff in Cherry Street, and what I often hear is comments that those would be cheap things in their city, yet here we are charging higher prices for them. For one thing, its that those are the only things of that type here so they are in essence our "high end" version of their "average". Then when someone comes into town looking for the type of contemporary living they would find in their city, that would be less expensive, it may not even exist. Our high end would be their medium to low end.
I've long thought the newer townhouse things on Cherry Street were way overpriced, among other things. That was a neat idea that went a little too far.
Quote from: Gold on June 01, 2009, 01:10:20 PM
I've long thought the newer townhouse things on Cherry Street were way overpriced, among other things. That was a neat idea that went a little too far.
Someone is buying them or they wouldn't keep building them.
Well, couple things comes to mind.
People are going to buy them because they offer the best of that lifestyle option there is in Tulsa, "over-priced" or not. If you want it, this is all there is.
Perhaps once there gets to be more offerings of that type, and the market becomes more saturated, competition will have an effect causing price/quality points to diverge.
A builder is naturally going to want to get as much as he or she can. The interesting thought to me is, is there enough of a market in this town to really expand the contemporary/urban living options to the point where the competition forces quality up and prices down. Or, the "range" up but "median" price stay the same. We may not have a big enough market to do that.
Quote from: SXSW on June 01, 2009, 03:55:10 PM
Someone is buying them or they wouldn't keep building them.
Very true. But it sort of reminds me of the market for certain luxury cars. In the end, these just aren't that great of a deal.
I'm especially bothered by the set that popped up near 15th and Denver with the see through garages. Why not put up a sign saying you're not home?
Grizzle...I'm simply relaying the information that was shared at a recent Typros event. One can assume the bulk of urban dwelling units will be geared to up and coming young professionals that live, work and play in the downtown area.
I would be curious if anyone associated with the developments currently underway has done any kind of market analysis or survey to verify that there is enough support for their particular price point, number and size of unit. I want to see residential happen in downtown but what I would hate to see is a vast number of projects sitting emply because development cost demands a higher-than-the-market-will-bear price point or a glut of units is created that is unsupported right now and especially in today's market economy. Hence the exercise above.
But this price is.. about 1/2 of what most of the new developments are charging.
$1.10/SF seems reasonable, if not a low, particularly for new construction/downtown living even if there really isn't a 'downtown' to live in just yet...even for Tulsa. Isn't that about what individuals pay for Swan Lake/Maple Ridge garage apartments?
I'd like to point out the Philtower lofts as a downtown living example. Their prices range around $1.50-$1.60 per SF and being a young professional I find that I am not going to pay that much to be stuck in a location that offers nothing in return except possibly a walk to work. This is a luxury type living and that includes the smallest apartment at 772 sf being $1,220. According to their web site the Philtower Lofts have 5 vacancies out of 26. Not a good ratio for an owner who expects to have income from those properties.
Downtown is still developing and we do need to infuse downtown with more living options. I used to live downtown in the Brady District three years back. I had a laughable rent price of $300 that people would drool over for a studio apt. I know that at that time I was lucky to have such a situation strait out of college. I believe that the Blair charges around $550 for their apartments and minus the kitchen spaces being tiny and outdated it's a fair downtown price and they keep them filled. I loved living downtown and miss it greatly, I wish I had been around long enough to walk to the restaurants that have filled in the area.
To be fair I would never pay $900 for a 500 sf apartment. I think with this economy and unemployment I see people downsizing and learning to live more on less. People are looking for good, safe, convenient, affordable housing and there just isn't enough of it in Tulsa.
To address what I'd like to see in the Brady area: I love the idea of having a stall market for produce, local goods, with bakeries and small food stands. I think this would provide quick affordable lunch eating for downtown workers and more foot traffic. Philly has a great one downtown, I used to go there for Amish goodies and hot pretzels. This is also one of my favorite foreign destinations...I always look for the local markets and get things like empandas, ice cream, fresh squeezed juice drinks, fresh breads, cheeses, premade sandwiches, etc.
To draw more people from outside of the local downtown dwellers there needs to be more storefronts opening up their doors into the evenings. I think we should encourage more wide range retail and gift stores to give it a more shoppable feel, where people feel like exploring, one or two specialty stores doesn't really draw the consumers that make it successful.
It is still tricky in this town. The urban areas still arent that, well, urban, and dont currently offer what they will in the future. They just arent that desirable yet. So you really are still competing with homes and apartments that are much cheaper nearby. I like the idea of urban living, but right now what we have is not that much more desirable than where I am at. Or at least not twice as desirable. When I can pay around 900 a month for a 2,000 sq foot house fairly nearby,,, why pay 900 for 500 or 600 sq feet? Downtown may be more desirable for some people, but not THAT much more desirable,,,yet. 5 years or so from now we may be singing a different tune.
I thought there was a thread related to the subject of this article or maybe I read about it elsewhere. This article was in Sunday's World.
I think in 5 years the Brady district will be largely unrecognizable.
I continue to marvel at the improvements this man is making happen for Tulsa. At this point, I care not if there is any selfish motivation...
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090614_11_A1_Electr944568
Brady area stretching boundaries
A $6 million project will connect BOK Center and Greenwood.
An artist's rendering shows a view of an intersection in the Brady District after the new streetscaping is completed. Courtesy of Bing Thom Architects
By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 6/14/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 6/14/2009 3:24 AM
The Brady District downtown is readying itself for a transformation that will stretch beyond its boundaries to connect the BOK Center and the Greenwood District.
The $6 million Brady Village Green Sustainability Project is one of the key elements of the plans, exciting many property owners and merchants in the district.
Adding to the mix are an array of other development activities ranging from residential units to art and entertainment venues that are brewing in or near the district.
"This could not be a better circumstance with everyone rowing in the same direction with the people who have the money, and the people who don't have money," said civil engineer Tom Wallace, a business and property owner in the Brady District.
"If we plan it right and make room for everyone to be successful here, we can have a wonderful place where people just want to come," he said. "Isn't that cool?"
Stanton Doyle, senior program officer of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, said the consensus among Brady District stakeholders is that the first step to expediting development is the creation of a sense of place, which starts by defining an identity.
The Kaiser foundation became interested in beautifying the Brady District a few years back. It and the city purchased the Mathews Warehouse on Brady Street to be renovated for art-related activity.
The foundation also thought green space was important for the area and purchased property directly north of the Mathews Warehouse with plans to convert the block into a district square to provide a focal point, Doyle said.
The park plans include converting a trucking dock on the site into a pavilion for an open market, having a small stage area and installing streetscaping around the park.
The foundation decided not to focus just on its projects in hopes of spurring other activity. Instead, it hired consultants to facilitate talks with stakeholders in the Brady, Greenwood and Blue Dome districts to develop a common vision for the area north of downtown, he said.
"The point is not to create a new entertainment district, but bring a unified look throughout the connector streets to draw people in while keeping the historic authenticity of each area," Doyle said.
Ken Levit, executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, said a lot of people have worked on this a long time.
"It is our hope of stitching all of this together in a cohesive way to create a destination for the region," he said.
At a stakeholders meeting on Friday, the foundation presented the conceptual drawings gathered from feedback on what is envisioned as a unified look for the area.
Greening up
Jeff Stava, executive director of the Tulsa Beautification Foundation, said even with the new downtown ballpark being built in Greenwood, "there is nothing that aesthetically draws you into the Brady area. Likewise, there is nothing to draw BOK Center visitors."
That is why, he said, the streetscaping becomes a vital piece of the plan.
"We want to create an intimate feel of an area with a town square and shops that caters to pedestrians," he said.
Incorporating sustainable green elements into public portions of the plan that deal with streets, sidewalks and the park opened the opportunity to obtain $2.58 million in federal stimulus money.
Those funds are being matched with $2.58 million from the Kaiser foundation. Where the remaining funding to cover the $6 million plan will come from has yet to be determined, Levit said.
The proposed "green" features funded by the stimulus money include 500 trees to line nearly all of the streets in the district, providing shade to reduce hot temperatures. The effort will stretch east into the Greenwood District to connect the new ballpark, ONEOK Field, and to the west near the BOK Center.
The installation of the trees will begin in the Greenwood District because of the ballpark's spring 2010 opening deadline, and then move west toward Brady.
Other street and sidewalk features being proposed include bioswales that collect rainwater to be reused in landscape planters and tree areas, recycled tree grates, and energy-efficient LED street lighting. There's even talk of trying to narrow the streets and widen the sidewalks.
The Brady square area will house an underground, energy-efficient, geothermal heating and cooling system to serve the Mathews Warehouse and other surrounding buildings. It's hoped the system can expand to service the entire area, including OSU-Tulsa, Stava said.
Solar panels will be placed on top of the proposed pavilion in the square, which will be used to operate the geothermal wells, Doyle said.
In addition to the sustainability features, proposed streetscaping amenities include brick pavers integrated into the streets and sidewalks, pole banners, drinking fountains, sidewalk furniture, trash cans and bicycle racks. No design decisions have been made on those items.
There also will be efforts to provide lighting under the Interstate 244 overpasses on certain streets to encourage pedestrian traffic from areas like OSU-Tulsa.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEVELOPING THE BRADY DISTRICT
Development activity doesn't just involve the George Kaiser Family Foundation. other projects are set to begin or are in the works. Some are in the fundraising process. Here are some highlights:
307 E. Brady St.
The Kaiser foundation purchased the property initially to resell to the Tulsa Stadium Trust. Instead, the top floor of the building is being converted into affordable rental units for some Teach for America teachers.
The Living Arts Center is set to be housed in the ground floor. It is a contemporary art center for exhibits that include installations and performance art, along with musical performances and video screenings. It also provides space for working artist.
The building is under construction and set for occupancy in late August, Doyle said.
Mathews Warehouse
The city's portion of the building is being leased to the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa for its Visual Arts Center. Funds are being raised and construction is expected to start in late fall with completion in 2011.
The Kaiser foundation's side will be used by the Philbrook museum of Art for its new Philbrook Adkins Collection and Study Center. Demolition is under way and completion on that side of the building is set for sometime in 2010.
ONEOK Field
The new downtown ballpark is east of the Brady District in the historic Greenwood area. The 6,200 seat stadium will be home to the city's Double A baseball team, the Tulsa Drillers. It is under construction and set to open by spring 2010.
John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park
The park, which will memorialize Tulsa's 1921 race riot, is also located in the Greenwood District just across the street from its boundary with the Brady District.
The park is planned to include bronze tablets recounting the riot and two large-scale pieces by Denver sculptor Ed Dwight. A museum and research library are planned to eventually accompany the park.
Tribune II
American residential Group plans to begin construction on its Tribune II residential project in late fall. It is located directly west of the Tribune Lofts and will include 63 rental units and a parking garage that would serve both it and the lofts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.J. Lassek 581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com
Read all of the amazing things going on in Brady in OurTulsa's post above and keep in ind this is just the announced/in progress stuff. Kaiser and friends have plenty of storage space in their well-tailored sleeves.
That's just awesome. If all that comes together, or even most of that comes together . . . it will not be recognizable. I'd find it difficult for people to deny that downtown was "catching on" and life could continue to build downtown.
It's nice to see some moves towards improving the area. I can't wait to see some sustainability in downtown that helps draw the masses into a destination type area. I like the potential of the area.
It looks great on paper....BUT, where's the Parking!?
TPA!?
Again, where the hell are all those baseball fans going to park nearby? And, what if Cain's or The Brady Theater have gigs going on simultaneously?
Area businesses s/b concerned.
Quote from: FOTD on June 16, 2009, 01:43:37 PM
It looks great on paper....BUT, where's the Parking!?
TPA!?
Again, where the hell are all those baseball fans going to park nearby? And, what if Cain's or The Brady Theater have gigs going on simultaneously?
Area businesses s/b concerned.
Are you being serious?