The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer has relaunched his chats with readers with the new OKC Central Mailbag, in which he will answer questions submitted via email at slackmeyer@oklahoman.com and on Threads, where he can be found at @stevelackmeyer. Lackmeyer started covering Oklahoma City for The Oklahoman in 1990 and has written seven books about its history and development.
Urban Agrarian needs more customers, not more locations
Q: I saw your answer about not getting grocery stores downtown. But I still don’t understand why we’re not getting an Urban Agrarian market in Automobile Alley. What happened?
A: It’s easier to dream of getting a downtown grocery store than to make it a reality. Brandon Lodge and Patrick Myers first announced plans for a new Urban Agrarian grocery in 2021 as part of Nova , an ambitious redevelopment of the former home of Stow’s Office Furniture at 1 NW 6 that was also to include apartments, a brewery, shops and urban greenhouse.
In the ensuing months, interest and construction costs skyrocketed, delaying or halting several announced developments. Pivot Project, which redeveloped several historic properties including the Tower Theater and adjacent retail on NW 23, took over the NOVA project, renamed it Medley Marketplace, and eliminated the greenhouse, brewery and grocery.
Matt Burch, the owner of Urban Agrarian, has been transparent about challenges with his two current locations in the Farmers Market district downtown and along Broadway in downtown Edmond. Burch built up a following with his offerings of fresh produce, meats, cheeses and other fresh food staples brought in from farmers and ranchers across the state.
In addition to a slump in sales, Burch is also needing to replace expensive failing equipment at the Edmond store. Even if the project were still to make sense for the developers, one can understand why Burch isn’t looking to add a new store. The good news is the Farmers Market location is on the fringe of downtown and deserves the patronage of those who keep wanting more.
New TIF district provides new hope for Gold Dome preservation
Q: Any update on the Gold Dome ? I keep seeing fencing around it and hearing that there are big plans (including the relatively newly announced Classen TIF district), but I wasn’t sure if there was any movement that was worthy of being reported!
A: We’re seeing the first application to the new Classen TIF from the development team that built Level and Mosaic in Deep Deuce. The $10.7 million request toward construction of a $81.4 million apartment development in Midtown by SSLM partners Richard McKown, Kara Lewallen and Cooper Scott is set up to also assist in redevelopment of the Gold Dome at NW 23 and Classen.
I know I keep saying this, but based on what I’m hearing, there is reason to hope for the best outcome for this landmark. It’s a difficult project due to the design of the building and tax increment financing assistance is expected to offset the cost of those challenges.
Prospect of 2028 Olympics adds urgency to fixing up Bricktown to OKANA corridor
Q: With the announcement of the 2028 Olympic events in OKC, are we likely to see any additional development or adjusting of timelines? That seems so far off, and yet, so close!
A: Remember that this is not a done deal until the venues are approved by the Los Angeles City Council. There is no reason to fear that approval won’t happen, but it’s still an important final step. Planners and engineers at City Hall have in past years pretty much brushed past questions about the poor appearance of the Reno Avenue corridor between Bricktown, the $400 million OKANA resort and the Lincoln Boulevard entry to Riversport Adventures.
The challenges, to be fair, are not easily overcome. The corridor is home to two noisy salvage yards, industrial buildings and an abandoned hotel. The city is preparing to tackle some of the appearance issues with MAPS 4 beautification funding. The Olympics could spark enough interest in the private sector to redevelop the problem properties. We shall see.
Q: Please update on the following projects: Rainbow Records (NW 23 and Classen), Classen Circle (Donnay Building), Strawberry Fields and the apartments next to the Omni Hotel.
A: I have no update on Strawberry Fields, the mixed-use development announced several years ago for the area west of Scissortail Park. Rainbow Records and the Donnay Building are landmark buildings that faced similar challenges for preservation. Despite the best intentions, developers of these buildings encountered structural problems that required gutting the interiors and pretty much leaving only partial exterior walls intact. Work paused for a bit on both projects, but we’ve since seen construction getting underway.
After getting a boost in tax increment financing in 2023, Rose Rock Development Partners promised construction of the long delayed eight-story Boulevard Place apartment tower next to the Omni Hotel that was to begin by that summer. More delays followed and the latest update was that construction should start in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Urban Agrarian no longer coming to Auto Alley? Hope for Gold Dome? Your questions answered
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