Drillers "80% certain" to locate downtown?
Last Tuesday I covered the Tulsa Press Club luncheon for Urban Tulsa Weekly, while UTW reporter Brian Ervin was busy covering Commissioner Randi Miller's appearance at the City Council Urban Development Committee meeting. You should see both stories in this week's issue.
The speaker at TPC was Downtown Tulsa Unlimited president Jim "not the Toyota dealer" Norton. He covered a dozen or more downtown development projects, both public and private, including the possibility that the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball team would relocate from the Fairgrounds to downtown. Norton said he was "80% certain it" would happen and that some possible locations had been identified.
Now the Whirled has a breaking story that the Drillers have signed a letter of intent to locate at a new development in Jenks.
A spokesman for the Drillers said the team has signed a non-binding letter of intent to move into a new stadium planned for the development, which would be just south of the Oklahoma Aquarium.The facility would include a 7000-seat ballpark, developers say.
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You know, There are so many things building up here and there, and a lot of things really just seem excessive.
For instance, there is a Broken Arrow Historical Musuem being built in downtown Broken Arrow with vision 2025 money. To me that is just a waste. I don't know of anyone who is even interested in it, much less enough to warrant the Eminent Domain of the properties that used to sit there.
If the drillers move to a new stadium, which I cannot say if its a smart move or not, I rarely have time to attend their games to see their turnout, what will happen to the land? Maybe Randi Miller will propose a massive casino resort to sit next to the Horse Racetrack.
Been reading the comments via the link to The World. All over the place on most everything except a River Tax in Tulsa. There is no support for this that I can see. One thing is sure: there will be no baseball park in Downtown Tulsa!
Quite the commentary on Downtown Tulsa and the white elephant that WILL be the Arena. But, I am certainly looking forward to sneaking into the Wife Hollerin' and Haulin' World Championships at the BoK Arena!
The leadership in Tulsa does not see past their own noses.
These edifices only attract "visitors". Some get here early and get out in the community. Most get, go to the event, and go home unless its a week long or so event. But all go home.
I dispute the argument that people tend to move to cities that are "happening" or have vibrant social and entertainment infrastructures. Maybe singles are but families go where there are good schools, good streets, and good public safety. All you need to prove that is to look at Jenks, Owasso, Bixby, and BA over the last 20 years.
All the construction going on is drying up the money needed for the aforementioned "family attraction". In the end, the leadership will get an aging and declining population in Tulsa that does not go downtown much. Property values will declne also.