| Happy Holidays from The Alliance |
As we approach the end of 2013 and begin a new year, we see Oklahoma City and its continued economic growth. We welcomed the announcement of the new GE research facility, a new tower in downtown OKC and more jobs. We continue to find ourselves at the top of lists showcasing the wonderful quality of life we have in Oklahoma City.
We thank you all for your contributions to our city and look forward to another wonderful year ahead. Happy holidays from The Alliance!
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GE Commits to Building Research Facility in Oklahoma City
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General Electric committed earlier this month to building a $110 million Global Research Oil and Gas Technology Center just east of downtown Oklahoma City near the Oklahoma Health Center. This will be the ninth GE Research Center in the world and the first focused on a specific industry, reinforcing Oklahoma City's role as a focal point for the oil and gas industry.
The facility will be located at the corner of Northeast 10th Street and North Walnut Avenue on land owned by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority within Tax Increment Financing District 1.
The 95,000 square foot, five-story research facility will include design aspects that will be open to the community and customers and is planned to be LEED Gold certified. GE will hire 130 employees within the first five years, with a predicted economic impact of $13 million annually.
The Center will focus on five specific aspects of the oil and gas technologies developed by GE: production systems, well construction, water usage optimization, CO2 solutions and energy systems.
Construction on the facility will begin in the spring of 2014, and the expected completed operational date is spring of 2015.
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| Redevelopment of SE corner of NW 4th Street and N. Shartel Ave |
Request for Proposals for Redevelopment of the Southeastern Corner of NW Fourth Street and N Shartel Avenue
The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority invites the presentation of written proposals from qualified redevelopers for the purchase and redevelopment of a tract of land at the southeast corner of Northwest 4th Street and North Shartel Avenue for residential redevelopment.
The site is located in the Central Business District of Oklahoma City and is part of the Authority's Amended and Reissued Central Business District Urban Renewal Plan, R-30. A proposal conference will take place on the 16th day of January, 2014, at 11:00 a.m., in the offices of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, 105 North Hudson Avenue, Suite 101, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Attendance is optional.
All formal written proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of the site being offered for sale will be received at the offices of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, 105 North Hudson Avenue, Suite 101, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, until 11:00 a.m. on the 17th day of March, 2014 |
| KD's Southern Cuisine Opens in Bricktown |
Last Wednesday marked the grand opening for Oklahoma City Thunder player, Kevin Durant's new restaurant, KD's Southern Cuisine. The addition of the restaurant to Lower Bricktown was made possible through a redevelopment agreement with the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority.
The restaurant was developed on an infill pad site between Toby Keith's I love this Bar & Grill to the east, and Marble Slab Creamery, Earl's Rib Palace and Harkins Theatres Bricktown to the west. The project went through the Urban Renewal Authority's design review process in an effort to create a more urban, pedestrian friendly development along the Bricktown Canal.
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| Image courtesy of KD's Facebook Page |
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The Uptown 23rd district is adding some new neighbors next to the mainstays of Tucker's, Big Truck Tacos, Grandad's Bar, Pizza 23, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt and Cheever's. The Rise, an upscale shopping center planned to open in April 2014, will incorporate a mix of retail, restaurants, cafes, fitness centers, furniture store, tanning salon and a t-shirt design shop.
The Rise is a major redevelopment project located at Northwest 23rd Street and Walker Avenue. This mix of retail, lifestyle centers and restaurants will bring new consumers to the area and increase foot traffic.
Recently TEEMCO, an environmental engineering company, held a groundbreaking at the Gold Dome building located the corner of Classen Boulevard and Northwest 23rd Street. Built in 1958 and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Gold Dome has sat vacant for many years. TEEMCO will bring the building back to life by relocating 65 employees from Edmond, Oklahoma to its new national-headquarters in the Uptown 23 district.
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| Image courtesy of TAP Architecture |
 It's been a very exciting time in Oklahoma City! Over the past few weeks, there have been announcements of major projects and new developments that The Alliance has helped to make happen. These projects span the development spectrum from residential projects to major job creation and redevelopment projects. The GE Global Energy Research Center is a great example of how The Alliance can work with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the State Department of Commerce to bring in a project that will create high quality jobs and investment in the local economy. The GE project brings together several of the programs administered by the Alliance - the site is owned by the Urban Renewal Authority and is located in a tax increment financing district. The project also qualifies for the City's Strategic Investment Program administered by the Alliance and the Chamber. It's a great example of how Oklahoma City works together to make good things happen. Some of the other projects that we have helped make happen include the 21c Museum Hotel and the redevelopment of the Journal Record Building. Both of these projects will help create additional momentum and development. I am also excited about the interest in some of the more economically challenged parts of Oklahoma City. In early December, we helped to sponsor an event held by the ICSC Alliance to present new ideas about public-private partnerships in distressed areas. The event was organized by Jessica Herrera, Retail Programs Manager at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, and was well attended with interesting presentations about creating catalyst developments in economically distressed areas. The Alliance is very committed to addressing the challenges of food deserts and providing needed retail and other types of development to these underserved parts of Oklahoma City. I'm looking forward to the New Year and watching these and many more projects continue to create jobs and economic activity. I want to especially thank our partners that we work with every day and the staff at The Alliance and the Urban Renewal Authority. Again - it's an exciting time to be in Oklahoma City! |
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| Downtown Development is now on Twitter |
| Follow @dtOKCbuilds for picture updates of downtown development projects. |
The Alliance was created in 2011 to better serve the economic development needs of Oklahoma City.
With its collaboration with city and private entities, the Alliance acts as a "one-stop-shop" for businesses in need of assistance from the public sector.
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