Oklahoma City

DogtownBnR · PostMar 12, 2024#512024-03-12T18:20+00:00

There are question marks on this project minus the mega-tower. Now saying that, I would love to be having these kind of conversations here in STL.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/20 ... 929510007/

“Normally I'd say there is hardly any bad publicity out there,” Belanger said. “But this is an exception. It's so fanciful that it makes us look bad for even acting like it’s a possibility.”
Belanger isn’t so sure about assurances the Boardwalk at Bricktown, including Legends Tower, are already fully financed. He also warns the publicity effort may hurt the project.
“This goes back to what this guy is trying to do — drum up interest to drum up investors,” Belanger said. “I think it will have an opposite effect, not just for him, but others trying to get things done in Oklahoma City. It's so preposterous it’s not worth talking about. The discussion is taking up too much space. We should focus on things we know can get done.”

stlokc · PostMar 13, 2024#522024-03-13T13:50+00:00

Bert Belanger is saying what everyone I know down there is saying. It's past time to give the publicity a rest. The tall tower is never happening and everyone knows it. As for the "smaller" towers, maybe there is demand for one and they will get one of them off the ground. Hey, I'm not going to sneeze at one 35-story brand new residential tower. OKC has precious few residential high rises.

hebeters · PostJun 09, 2024#532024-06-09T04:22+00:00

The Oklahoma City Council (NPR) https://www.npr.org/2024/06/08/nx-s1-4996350/1907-foot-legends-tower-oklahoma-city-tallest-building

Chris Stritzel · PostJun 09, 2024#542024-06-09T06:18+00:00

And the point of your post is… what? Cast doubt on the dreamers?

Let them cook.

DogtownBnR · PostJun 11, 2024#552024-06-11T18:43+00:00

Believe me, I wish we were arguing about a 1900+ foot skyscraper in STL, so there is some level of envy. On the contrary, I do not see why or how OKC needs this or has the demand to fill it. While OKC is growing, are they seeing a mass influx of rich people from CA like Austin or are they seeing a lot of people migrating to the area for the low cost of living? I've been to Bricktown many times and it feels out of place, like a suburban development in the city. While cool for OKC, seems very commercial, 'chainy'. and fabricated. Will this create more action around Bricktown...for sure. What is driving the demand? I am not familiar with what is driving OKC's growth.

stlokc · PostJun 11, 2024#562024-06-11T18:57+00:00

DogTown,
I shared some thoughts on OkC's growth in Post #36 upthread.

OKC is growing but it is not growing at the level that would support the tallest of these towers. It's rather absurd. But this continues to generate an amazing amount of free publicity for this developer, who may parlay this publicity into one (or more) of the "shorter" towers in this development, which is possible, and which may have been the point all along. I initially thought this guy was crazy but he may turn out to be crazy like a fox.

PostJun 11, 2024#572024-06-11T19:01+00:00

And...I do think the "look" of these towers is out of place for Bricktown and if the city didn't "give in" to shiny objects so fast, they might balk at it. If one or more of these shorter towers is built, it would be more appropriate for the vacant property south of Myriad Gardens and north of Scissortail Park. It would actually fit quite nicely there, in my opinion.

DogtownBnR · PostJun 11, 2024#582024-06-11T19:34+00:00

^Appreciate the info! I now recall the previous thread discussions.
Agree on all points, but crazy that so many seem to be taking this developer and his mega-tower so seriously. (At least on a national level)

goat314 · PostJun 11, 2024#592024-06-11T20:42+00:00

I wish St. Louis had something like that development tax that OKC has. It basically allows them to do a city changing project once per decade. Considering St. Louis is a much bigger metro, I'd imagine a similar type tax in St. Louis could do some amazing things.

stlokc · PostJul 09, 2024#602024-07-09T00:35+00:00

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics ... rcna158450

PostJul 12, 2024#612024-07-12T14:50+00:00

Oklahoma City Tower, Malibu Beach House Among World Architecture Festival Awards Finalists

https://www.costar.com/article/21088...ards-finalists

Trololzilla · PostJan 07, 2025#622025-01-07T16:38+00:00

Sounds like the FAA thinks the tower's height will cause problems:

Architects of proposed US tallest skyscraper "collaborating" with FAA to move forward

matguy70 · PostJan 08, 2025#632025-01-08T07:59+00:00

Someone let them know that we have a great Midtown and West End skyline that they can add too

stlokc · PostJan 08, 2025#642025-01-08T13:08+00:00

We don't need this guy in St. Louis.

Supertall aside, he was supposed to start at least one of the three smaller buildings this summer (the 20-story ones that would "test" the market) and there has been no movement. Crickets. Or should I say, smoke and mirrors.

Discussion in OKC is that he will use the convenient excuse of the FAA balking to walk away. He got what he wanted anyway, mountains of free publicity.

PostMar 28, 2025#652025-03-28T23:08+00:00

Big stuff from my hometown!

Olympic events confirmed
Published on 03-28-2025 02:58 PM

We were first to report about this way back in June of 2023 and now it’s official: the L.A. City Council has officially approved OKC as the site for softball and canoe slalom for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic games.

The Games will run July 14-30, 2028.

To date, only 3 U.S. Cities have hosted Summer Games: St. Louis in 1904, Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984, and Atlanta in 1996.

Softball will be located at Devon Park near the OKC Zoo and canoe slalom will be at the Whitewater Rapids facility along the Oklahoma River.

Planning has already commenced to accommodate the international competitors, their delegations, and press.

What is Canoe Slalom?
Canoe slalom features competitors navigating a whitewater course - up to 300 meters in length - by passing through a maximum 25 gates in as quick a time as possible.

There are boats of two types: kayaks with the athletes seated and employing a double-bladed paddle; and canoes, where the athlete is strapped into the boat in a kneeling position using a single-blade paddle.

New for Paris 2024 was extreme kayak where four athletes race against each other on a shortened course, rather than racing a clock.

chris fuller · PostMar 28, 2025#662025-03-28T23:23+00:00

Looks awesome! Congrats!

matguy70 · PostMar 29, 2025#672025-03-29T03:28+00:00

Bart Harley Jarvis · PostMar 30, 2025#682025-03-30T13:24+00:00

Boy what a guy punch to qualify for LA '28 and then get shipped to OKC.

dbInSouthCity · Post9:23 PM - Feb 02#692026-02-02T21:23+00:00

I’m on OKC this week, it’s kinda sad and to make it worse, Devon energy (the big tower) just announced today it’s merging with a smaller company in Houston and moving its HQ there

stlokc · Post4:51 AM - Feb 03#702026-02-03T04:51+00:00

Yes, it's bad. It's OKC's version of a St. Louis moment and it's a real shame that a homegrown business that has become a tremendous asset to its hometown is being gobbled up by an out-of-state company. OKC is going to see a winding down of this company over time with all of the same, familiar effects. I hate it for my hometown.

goat314 · Post4:56 AM - Feb 03#712026-02-03T04:56+00:00

It truly is sad how consolidation has made it where the gap between the top 10 markets in the rest is growing very rapidly.

dweebe · Post5:28 AM - Feb 03#722026-02-03T05:28+00:00

https://www.greateroklahomacity.com/cli ... loyers.pdf

1600 employees and an HQ stings: but when St. Louis lost a Ford plant, two Chrysler plants and others: nobody wept for us. What was the count when we lost SBC?

StlAlex · Post5:42 AM - Feb 03#732026-02-03T05:42+00:00

Well we know jobs flee crime. This was probably a foregone conclusion for a city with a violent crime rate 1.25x that of Chicago.

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

symphonicpoet · Post4:15 AM - Feb 04#742026-02-04T04:15+00:00

I don't think crime had anything to do with SBC, Ford, Chrysler, TWA, Boatmen's Mercantile, Monsanto, Ralston Purina, Frisco, MoPac, or any of the rest of them. It was tax policy and federal trade policy top to bottom. Don't let anyone tell you any different. I'm quite certain the same thing is at play here. It's all about money for the people who write the proxy ballots for the stockholder meetings. Pretty simple, really. Sad and simple. And why we need regulation and antitrust laws.

StlAlex · Post4:28 AM - Feb 04#752026-02-04T04:28+00:00

symphonicpoet wrote:I don't think crime had anything to do with SBC, Ford, Chrysler, TWA, Boatmen's Mercantile, Monsanto, Ralston Purina, Frisco, MoPac, or any of the rest of them. It was tax policy and federal trade policy top to bottom. Don't let anyone tell you any different. I'm quite certain the same thing is at play here. It's all about money for the people who write the proxy ballots for the stockholder meetings. Pretty simple, really. Sad and simple. And why we need regulation and antitrust laws.

Im aware, I am joking because crime is the top reason cited for businesses leaving St. Louis. Followed by "liberal" policies. But OKC is a red city in a red county in a red state and yet they are still losing their biggest company.

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

Oklahoma City

Choose Display Mode