If We're Going To Be Like Oklahoma City, Be Like Oklahoma City

(skylinescenes.com)

In an interesting twist of events, the naming rights to our brand new arena went to our local Ford dealerships who have now named the facility the " Ford Center."

If you read the post below this one, or if you read the Courier & Press, you will soon realize what our local officials apparently did not: There already has been a Ford Center in Oklahoma City. While I would like to keep a positive attitude that city officials will change the name immediately to Ford Fieldhouse, we are stuck with Ford Center in the meantime.

Ironically, Evansville could learn a lot from Oklahoma City on how to deal with Roberts Stadium and the new arena's surrounding district. Let's take one last look at Oklahoma City's urban planning initiatives to see what we can implement here in Evansville.

Back in 2007, I was fortunate enough to attend two college basketball games at OKC's Ford Center. The arena at the time was nice while being bare bones at the same time. It was constructed so that the city would not have to spend a lot of money on the arena until they received a solid commitment from a NBA team. At the same time, the facility had a nice atrium, a comfortable seating alignment, and top-notch lighting and sound devices.

In 2008, OKC got their commitment from the NBA when local natives Clay Bennett and Aubrey McClendon purchased the Seattle SuperSonics and relocated them to OKC. I was in Seattle at the time so I wasn't very happy with the move, but looking back, it is amazing what the city of Oklahoma City has done.

First of all, OKC's Ford Center, like our Ford Center, had a Ford dealership right across the street from it. For those who are not urban planners, it is important to realize that having a car dealership across the street from your brand new downtown arena is quite possibly the worst thing that can happen to your arena. Car dealerships take up a lot of land while not returning a good investment back compared to ballpark villages and urban infill. Never build an arena next to car dealerships without having a plan to develop the land.

Indeed, OKC has finally gotten a move on with their plan to revamp the area around the arena formely known as the Ford Center. Their Ford dealership, which was a block west of their arena, is now gone. For those who follow this blog and my other blog Evansville Moving Forward, you know that OKC drew up a plan called MAPS...

http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/05/large-capital-improvement-projects-can.html

http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-next-mayor-wants-to-create-jobs-he.html

This plan has been widely successful but it failed to address one thing: the area around the Ford Center. If you look at an aerial photo of OKC....

(seattletimes.com)

You will see that their arena is bounded by...

1. The old Ford lot
2. I-40
3. The Cox Convention Center
4. The Bricktown Canal

I will get back to the Cox Convention Center in a moment as it pertains to Roberts Stadium.

Anyways, OKC drew up another plan called Core-to-Shore. This plan was specifically designed to connect downtown OKC and their arena to the Oklahoma River. You can view the plan here...

http://www.okc.gov/planning/coretoshore/index.html

Core-to-Shore will connect OKC's arena to the Oklahoma River by doing the following...

1. Demolishing I-40 and moving it further south.
2. Redeveloping the old Ford lot that will compliment the new boulevard that will be directly south of the arena.
3. Construct a new "Central Park"
4. Construct a second convention center.
5. Establish a light rail system

I don't know about you, but to me that sounds almost exactly like our 2001 master plan here in Evansville. Yes, OKC is a bigger city than us, but does it really make sense to sit on the sidelines and refuse to make our downtown competitive? Does it really make sense for our arena to have a sprawling car dealership next to it while OKC fills theirs in with capital improvement projects that will make their entire town healthier while drawing in tourists by the masses?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Ford stepped up to the plate and purchased the naming rights. Their $4.2 million will help us pay this great arena off (although we should have built on the Ford lot instead of opening up Pandora's box with the Executive Inn). But we have got to learn from OKC on how to surround a Ford Center if we have any hope or desire to make this arena work. For that reason, I am calling on city officials to get back to our 2001 master plan immediately.

Now, we need to take a look at the Cox Convention Center in OKC because it proves the exact method I am proposing for Roberts Stadium. Once more, if you look at that aerial view of OKC above, you will see that the Cox Convention Center is located on the block just north of OKC's arena. For those who do not know, the Cox Convention Center isn't just a convention center, rather it is a convention center AND a 15,000 seat arena all in one.

The Cox Convention Center was built in 1972 and was OKC's premier arena at the time. However, this title was lost once the Ford Center was built in 2002. It's a good thing our city officials weren't in charge of OKC at the time because the arena at the Cox Convention Center would not have stood a chance. They would have demolished it for sure. If you look at the Ford Center...

(flickr.com member ouphotoguy)

And then you look at the arena inside the Cox Convention Center...

(okcbarons.com)

You will see that in no way, shape, or form can the Cox Convention Center compete with the brand new arena (which changed from Ford Center to Chesapeake Energy Center last July). So how does the arena remain a vital asset to OKC? Let's look at some of their events...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_Convention_Center

Its primary use is that of large scale convention and meeting facility. It also hosts major concerts, conferences, and other large scale events. The complex houses multiple meeting rooms, conference and convention space, dining halls, and a 15,000 seat multi-purpose arena (one of the city's three major arenas).

The arena in the Cox Convention center is home to the Bricktown Brawlers Indoor Football League team, in addition to the Oklahoma City Barons of the American Hockey League. The Cox arena has also hosted numerous state and college basketball events, including the 2007 and 2009 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament and UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard on September 16, 2009.

Now that the arena inside the Cox Convention Center is not the premier arena, it has gone after events that cannot afford the new arena but still need a nice play to perform. These events include indoor football, women's basketball championships, boxing matches, hockey, large trade shows, and much, much more. With the exception of hockey, this is exactly what we need to do with Roberts Stadium.

City hall needs to realize that Roberts Stadium will be an asset for both the city of Evansville as well as the Ford Center itself. We have a golden opportunity to convert this historic facility into a mid-sized arena that will accomplish two things for us...

1. Host the events that cannot afford the new arena such as indoor football, minor-league basketball, indoor soccer, trade shows, etc,etc

2. Compliment the new arena by jointly hosting events and serving as a back-up facility should the Ford Center schedule two events at the same time.

When OKC was given lemons, they made lemonades. OKC firmly believes the fact that they have two arenas facing each other is a good thing not a bad thing. They refuse to play the "either/or game." Rather, OKC uses their two arenas as leverage against other cities. This plan has worked perfectly. If you look at the diagram below, you will see that OKC will be constructing yet another convention center on the other side of their new arena (note: the old ford lot is on the western side of the arena in the middle)...

http://www.okc.gov/planning/coretoshore/images/redevconcept.jpg

When construction is complete, OKC will have 2 convention centers and 2 arenas on 3 connected plots of land. This superplex will be accompanied by the entire development from the Core-to-Shore plan as well as the MAPS program. That is what I call progress! I firmly believe that we can reposition Roberts Stadium so that it will compliment, not compete, with the Ford Center.

It's pretty simple: If we're going to be like Oklahoma City, then we need to actually be like Oklahoma City. Bring back the 2001 downtown master plan & SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!