Remember this project? Here it is. The main tower will have canal/street-level retail, then 4 levels of parking, then 6 levels of condos. He wants retail not another stack of bars, and he believes in making Bricktown more viable through this project. $36 million altogether.

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d4956fa9a1c6e709b21b0b8087d4c88f120c9

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d49566a62e6b73cdbdb5a03451c8b71215538

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d4956b598666da4f44a1b4d78a03ed2cf1d6d

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d4956f0861500de82580ca656b24c7b648672

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d4956289391c672ef566634504e1a6ad36a18

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d4956b420da022cda4b6645c2e7bc47729709

omg SRG!!! I thought it had died since it hasnt been talked about in i dont know how long!!!! OMG! My heart jumped! Has it been approved by the Bricktown Urban Design Commitee??? Thats is crazy! where did u get those from??? lol

This could be the project that makes bricktown!!! It lokoks great! And all of the street level and canal leverl will be retail? Thats exactly what bricktown needs. Retail to draw in more tourists and such. This is great.

It's going to break in the Daily Oklahoman tomorrow.

They're uploaded to my site now...

How much space will be retail? Is it going to be enough to draw people just for the shopping? Or just a few stores in hopes more will follow?

Err well it is Bricktown and there are mixed-used developments going in everywhere. Bricktown is kinda unique because projects that are on the Canal actually have two separate ground levels, the Canal level, and the Street level. In one mid-rise condo development that just opened up, there's an upscale bowling alley on the Canal level, and a Starbucks + extra retail space that will be filled on the Street level. There's clothing stores further down the Canal and they're breaking ground on some other projects that will have retail. So it will be a collective neighborhood thing of course. There's a major mixed-use proposal that's stalling across the street that would have included Crate & Barrel and Whole Foods...

This is the Canal level of the Cotton Exchange project:

http://photos.newsok.com/show_image.php?tn=0&nuvc=0&p=52616e646f6d49562d084d73c4cbb143c8a25f80057881fe

I would love to see some pictures of Bricktown. I know Lysd had a picture thread with Bricktown but I don't feel like they did the area justice.

Here's Bricktown pics.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=17440408&postcount=10

This is great for Bricktown. About time.

Okay... when does he plan on presenting this to the Bricktown Association??? This week I know but when?

Bricktown Urban Design will consider the project this Wednesday, January 9, at 9 AM at 116 E Sheridan 2nd Floor Conference Room. Open to public.

They will have to approve a) demolition of a small existing building on the property, b) the height variance because the building is over 80' tall (quite a bit over. And I think that the Hampton had to scale down one or two stories before it was approved. Hopefully they approve this as is.) c) the 4-story structure (shouldn't be an issue) and d) the bridge over the canal.

Okay... when does he plan on presenting this to the Bricktown Association??? This week I know but when?

The Bricktown Association is a group of property owners that market Bricktown. It isn't linked at all to the Planning Commission. The Bricktown Urban Design Commission is the one you're thinking of. The BUD. :lol:

Thanx for the info shane!!!

ummmm....okay SRG. Sorry, but I really don't know anything about that stuff. To me u say Bricktown Urban Design to me that could be Core to Shore steering committee, but as long as u know what I'm talking about...=/. =]

No don't worry about it seriously. I guarantee 98% of OKCers wouldn't know even Core to Shore Steering Committee.

^^ But at least if they had to vote on it, they'd vote YES.

haha.

so.... was it approved but the "BUD" ??? lol

OKC's Bricktown Urban Design Committee supports demolition application
Pamela Grady (OKC Business)

The Bricktown Urban Design Committee at their regularly scheduled monthly meeting today supported an application to demolish a building.

Scott Dedmon, AIA, Architectural Design Group Inc. and Gary Cotton, Cotton Investments Co. LLC presented an application for a certificate of approval to demolish a building fronting the canal at 108 E California Ave. in Bricktown.

The committee also supported a resolution for their conceptual project design to include a building height provision of 140 feet for a proposed property to be constructed west of the canal at their $36-million mixed-used project, Cotton Exchange, 116 E California Ave. The application will be continued for four months.

“I believe it’s (the project) huge for Bricktown. This will be a stimulus for a lot of things to happen down here. It’s going to change the feel and be very positive,” Gary Cotton, owner of the property said. “The project land is very expensive, it’s certainly the most expensive that’s been paid in Oklahoma City and it’s going to take some volume to make that equate out into the rest of the project.”

Built in 1945 and renovated in 2001, the two-story 13,694-square-foot industrial loft building housed Margarita Mama’s restaurant. A year later, the restaurant closed without another occupant.

The Cotton Exchange would consist of two buildings along the canal, one on each side.

One 36,000-square-foot building will consist of four floors and canal level. Plans are for two floors to be occupied by retail and two floors by commercial tenants. The top floor would become restaurant property.

The second building would have 12 stories and a lower level with a total square footage of 300,000 square feet. Retail space is planned for the first two floors (canal and street level). An additional floor with 28,000 square feet is being considered for office tenants.

Additionally, four floors totaling 112,000 square feet are planned for parking and five floors are planned for 60 residential condominiums. One floor will become penthouse property.

Cotton said he’s eager to move forward with the project and that there has been a lot of interest in the condominiums.

“There’s been a lot of interest,” Cotton said. “We hope to have all of them sold before we build one.”

Cotton said financing for the project has not been finalized but hopes to get financing worked out within the next 60 days.

Gary Gregory with Sperry Van Ness will handle residential properties for sale and lease negotiations for retail and office tenants.

Floor plans will range from 1,200 to 1,700 square feet and would be priced from the $300,000’s. Penthouses would also be available. Cotton said he hopes to have the project completed by 2010. When completed the 12-story building will become the tallest property in Bricktown.

sweet... So is this still a proposal by now? I mean.. demolition and all, but is it for sure now?

Apparently it's not officially "approved" but the urban design board has basically said they will support the development in every way. But I guess financing isn't 100% right now. I'm not too worried about the project getting financing because housing in DT OKC is a sure bet right now and housing in general across Oklahoma is extremely secure compared to the rest of the country. Cotton says he wants to sell all units by the time they start, and I don't think that's terribly far fetched.

Yeah... I read on OKmet that he would prefer to have some of the condos sold b4 he starts.... kinda like an assurance. But like Shane said, that won't be hard at all! And plus that location is WAY WAY (and the design) better than the other suburban condo development down the canal! ;] And they start at the same price. Considering how fast those Centennial condos sold I bet these one will fly off of the availability charts! =P

No, no, no... Centennial is not suburban. It has two stories of retail topped by three levels of condos and a rooftop pool with underground parking. That's not your typical suburban development. Just the pad sites around it might make it seem a bit more suburban. Still, walkable and mixed use. It's definitely the only project that compares remotely to Cotton Exchange.

No.... I was calling it suburban compared to this project. I should have been more clear, I was saying that this project does make that one down the canal suburban. lol

So I didn't realize this when I read it the first time, but are they making him lower the total height of the building to 140 feet? I'm sorta confused on that. Is the building even 140 ft tall?