2T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

most creative, energeticpeople that you can hire,”he said.

Hamm said he and his

instilled in them by grow-ing up in the area’s agricul-tural communities.

“Today we have the

ENID — Harold Hammhad an office in OklahomaCity when he formed hisdrilling company morethan 40 years ago.

But he chose Enid as theheadquarters for Conti-nental Resources Inc. andhasn’t looked back since.

Through the years,Continental has grown in-to one of Enid’s largestemployers and biggestsuccess stories. It givesnorthwest Oklahoma’slargest city a national out-look on a global product.

As the company hasgrown, Hamm and hiscompany have worked tobolster Enid as well.

“It’s our city,” he said.“We’re at home here.”

Greater Enid Chamberof Commerce CEO JonBlankenship said Enid isfortunate to have Conti-nental, which he called anoutstanding company.

More than a sloganAbout half of Continen-

tal’s 425 or so employeesare based in Enid, withjobs that are among the

best-paying positions inthe community, he said.

Enid City Manager EricBenson said Continental isone of the most admirablecorporate citizens he’s everencountered.

The company and itspeople are willing to coop-erate and participate in ef-forts to improve the com-munity and the quality oflife it offers, he said. Theyoffer more than just mon-ey to address Enid’s prob-lems.

“They embody the re-frain that Enid is theirhometown,” Benson said.“It’s not just a slogan.”

Hamm said the decisionto keep Continental inEnid was a quality of lifeissue. The city has goodschools and a lot of peoplewith strong work ethics

employees like to do whatthey can to improve theircommunity.

“Our people get in-volved,” he said. “We likebuilding stuff.”

Benefiting schoolsContinental recently

donated $1.5 million toEnid Public Schools. It alsohosts the annual GreatLand Run to raise moneyfor school technology.

“Continental Resourcesis an incredible friend toEnid Public Schools andnorthwest Oklahoma,”Superintendent ShawnHime said. “Continentalbelieves in investing in thecommunity, and thatcommitment makes Enid abetter place to live and tolearn.”

Benson said the compa-

ny’s commitment to Enidis a reflection of its leader-ship.

Hamm, Continental’sCEO, is interested in whatis best for Enid, not just hiscompany or its employees,Benson said.

He said he met Hamm ata pumpkin patch when hefirst came to Enid severalyears ago. The two mentalked about the city, butBenson didn’t learn forsome time that the otherman was the head of Enid’slargest company.

Benson said it is difficultto measure Hamm’s im-pact on the communitybecause he supports a lotof entities and is alwayswilling to help.

“Every time I’ve askedhim for some of his time, Igot it,” he said.

Drilling company continues investment in EnidBY JAY F. MARKSBusiness Writerjmarks@opubco.com

Continental Resources Inc.’s office buildings dominatethe skyline of downtown Enid. PHOTO PROVIDED

Two companies that still wererelatively obscure at the 1993passage of the original MAPSballot are being credited withhelping transform OklahomaCity into a major league city.

Devon Energy is transformingthe downtown skyline with con-struction of a $750 million, 50-story tower and the creation of atax increment finance districtthat will make over downtownstreets and parks.

Chesapeake Energy, mean-while, continues its transforma-tion of an entire neighborhoodcentered on NW 63 and West-ern. The improvements includenot just the ongoing expansionof Chesapeake’s corporate cam-pus, but also investments in theneighborhood itself — most re-cently highlighted by the devel-opment of the upscale ClassenCurve shopping center.

Together the companies alsoare transforming the OklahomaRiver, first with construction ofthe Chesapeake Boathouse, thenwith the addition of the Devonriver cruisers and constructionof a Devon boathouse, and nextwith construction of a Chesa-peake finish line tower.

Architect Rand Elliott hasworked with both companiesdesigning their projects alongthe Oklahoma River.

“Obviously we wouldn’t havewhat we have without them,” El-liott said. “They focus on notjust the big ideas but the details.”

Elliott recalled an early con-versation with Larry Nichols,chief executive officer of Devon,about planning for restrooms atDevon Boathouse.

“Not many CEOs are con-cerned with that level of detail,”Elliott said. “Meanwhile, Aubrey(McClendon, chief executive of-ficer of Chesapeake) took an in-terest in doing the first boat-house believing it would be ofvalue to downtown, the river andthe community. We are buildingon those things today.”

Leadership, Elliott said,sometimes means being the cat-alyst for things to follow.

“Great cities have great lead-ership, and that’s what we havein Chesapeake and Devon,” El-liott said. “They have steppedout and taken risks for the bene-fit of our community.”

Roy Williams, president of theGreater Oklahoma City Cham-ber, noted both companies alsohave been listed on the top 100places to work.

“They are not just creatinggreat buildings, but also greatplaces to work inside thosebuildings,” Williams said. “Andword filters out about that acrossthe country.”

Williams said Nichols andMcClendon set an example ofcommunity service that is fol-lowed by their employees, andtheir impact can be seen not justalong the Oklahoma River, butalso in schools, United Way andarea universities.

“They are the epitome of agreat citizen,” Williams said.“You don’t have great communi-ties without great corporations.”

Williams added that the com-panies’ impact on OklahomaCity becoming a major leaguecity is also evident within its leapto becoming an NBA city.

“They were extremely sup-portive when the Hornets came,”Williams said, recalling the tem-porary relocation of the teamfrom New Orleans when thatcity was hit by Hurricane Katri-na. “They’ve since been signifi-cant contributors to the Thunderand other sports — from theOlympic teams to the Big 12 tocollegiate athletics.”

Williams looks back at thepast decade as one in which bothcompanies emerged as leaders inperfect timing with the city’sown emergence from the dol-drums of the 1980s.

“It’s really been in the lastdecade that they’ve surfaced in

their community,” Williamssaid. “And as they became suc-cessful, they came up for air andbegan to see the importance of

attracting the best talent andthat Oklahoma City needs to bethe best place to live if they wantto attract that talent.”

ENERGY COMPANIES INVEST IN IMPROVING OKLAHOMA CITY

BY STEVE LACKMEYERBusiness Writerslackmeyer@opubco.com

This artist’s rendering depicts plans for the Chesapeake FinishLine Tower. PROVIDED BY CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORP.

A view of the Chesapeake Boathouse and downtown OklahomaCity is shown in 2008 during rowing practice on the OklahomaRiver. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Devon, Chesapeake help revitalize city

CREDITS

OUTLOOKCOVERPHOTOGRAPHY

› The Way We Live:Oklahoman staff and wire photography› Business & Tech-nology: Chris Lands-berger, Steve Goochand Paul Souther-land/The Oklahoman› Advancementsin Health: PaulSoutherland andfile photos› Education & Careers: Paul South-erland and PaulHellstern/TheOklahoman› Coverillustrations: ToddPendleton

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 3TOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Devon tower constructionsite – March 21, 2010

A literalist eye would consid-er this watching concrete dry.

That’s not so for those of usshivering in sub-freezing tem-peratures and blistering windsatop this downtown parkinggarage. When we peer over theledge at the gaping hole in theearth below, we see somethingmore.

Yes, there’s concrete dryingdown there — about 26 millionpounds of it, actually.

But that’s not what we’rewatching.

We’re watching the future.This gargantuan hole in the

ground is the foundation for thefuture Devon tower — a 50-story skyscraper that willchange Oklahoma City’s skylineradically and dwarf every otherdowntown building. Today isthe concrete pour for the build-ing’s foundation. For 15 consec-utive hours, 45 concrete truckswill dump concrete in a foun-dation that hundreds of work-ers have spent months diggingandprepping for today’s pour.

It’s a major event becauseonce the concrete dries, thebuilding starts coming out ofthe ground and up to the sky.

A couple dozen people areout in post-blizzard weather towatch the pour from a nearbyparking garage that oversees theconstruction site. The frigidwind ripping across the snow-packed parking lot rooftop onthis second day of spring is achilling reminder of a failsafefact of Oklahoma weather:Anything is possible — no mat-ter the time.

Such a theme feels appropriate today. Local econo-mies nationwide have screechedto a halt as the Great Recession cripples the country’s finances

and, in the process, its capacityfor progress. Oklahoma City isnot wholly immune. Unem-ployment here is noticeably upfrom 2009 and looming budgetcuts in city government threat-en the basic city services onwhich residents depend.

But this city has weatheredthe recession better than most.As a result, anything is possible— no matter the time.

The proof is in the concretepouring into the dirt here at atime when no other major U.S.city has a skyscraper comingout of the ground. For thatreason alone, the Devon towerconstruction site is a placeunlike any other in the country.

What a sight it is.Four concrete trucks are

hooked up to towering roboticcherry-picker arms that suckup the concrete and shoot itinto the foundation below. Doz-

ens more trucks line the snow-tinged construction site in aparade-like procession, await-ing their turn to pour. Trucksthat have already dumped con-crete in the foundation leave atrail of dirt on downtown’sstreets that leads back to theDevon tower site like cookiecrumbs to a pot of sugary gold.

The concrete trucks arepainted dark green, much likemilitary vehicles. The colorseems just right considering themilitary precision of today’soperations.

And despite the often-brutenature of construction work,this concrete pour unfolds like acarefully choreographed ballet.There’s an artful elegance to it.The cold is forgotten as I watchtruck after truck approach thehole and pour in the foundationfor a place that will stand tallerthan all others — both man andnature-made — in this state.

I close my eyes and picturewhat’s to come. My eyes open,and I see that from here there’snowhere to go but up 850 feet.

JOHN ESTUS, STAFF WRITER

CONSTRUCTION OF SKYSCRAPER MAKES DOWNTOWN POSSIBILITIES A CONCRETE REALITY

Devon Towerto change morethan landscape

An artist’s rendering showswhat Devon Energy’s newoffice tower will look like.

RENDERING PROVIDED BY DEVON ENERGY CORP.

At left, Klay Kimker, vice presi-dent of administration at De-von Energy, takes a pictureMarch 3 at the constructionsite of Devon Tower, shownabove, in downtown OklahomaCity. PHOTO BY JOHN CLANTON,

THE OKLAHOMAN

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Accompany The Oklaho-man’s photographers andwriters as they investigatesome of our state’s mostintriguing places — seeingwhat they see, hearingwhat they hear and feelingwhat they feel.PLACES.NEWSOK.COM

LIVE VIDEOTo watch a live feedof the Devon Tower construction, go online to NewsOK.com/okcskyline.

4T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

The Devon Energy tow-er, not even in place, hasn’tgone anywhere: It stillcasts a shadow over themarket for office space indowntown Oklahoma City.

When Devon leavesabout 900,000 square feetof mostly leased space be-hind to occupy its new 50-story, 1.8-million-square-foot corporate headquar-ters in a few years, whoknows how the emptyspace will be filled?

Downtown has dodgedsimilar, although smaller,bullets in the past — mostrecently, the empty Kerr-McGee buildings that nev-er hit the rent rolls sinceSandRidge Energy Corp.bought them. So the realestate business is puttingoff worrying too muchabout the impact of De-von’s project, especiallysince the skyscraper is it-self part of the ongoing re-naissance of downtown.

Challenging times areahead, no doubt. In themeantime, Price Edwards& Co., commercial realty,is among those pointingout that there is plenty tocrow about downtown,from the $777 millionMAPS 3 projects to Project180’s user-friendly streetsand sidewalks, a new con-vention center and im-provements along the Ok-lahoma River.

“Despite the comingglut of space, there aremany positive aspects in(downtown’s) futurewhich should make it amore attractive office lo-cation than it has been,”Price Edwards said in anoffice market report at thefirst of the year. “Oklaho-ma City is busy building agreat downtown and wefeel those efforts will be re-warded with both resi-dents and office tenantslooking to (downtown) fortheir future homes.”

Last year was “not pret-ty,” the firm reported, end-ing 2009 with a metrowideoffice vacancy rate of 17.1percent, up 2.1 percentagepoints from 2008, a down-town vacancy of 24 per-cent, up slightly from 2008;and a suburban vacancy of13.6 percent, up more than 3percentage points.

The basics of the year-end report haven’t changed,said Craig Tucker, seniorvice president of Price Ed-wards’ office division.

“Our city had avoidedthe majority of economicturmoil since the collapseof the financial marketsbegan in 2007, but the lo-cal office market was hit(in 2009) with the effectsof a rising unemploymentrate and general economicuncertainty that led to of-fice closings, space reduc-tions and the shelving ofmany expansion plans,”the firm reported.

Suburban officesSuburban Class A office

buildings were hit hardest,with vacancy almost dou-bling to 21.6 percent, PriceEdwards said, but proba-bly will lead the marketback out of the downturn.

Asking rents as high as$25 per square foot peryear in the newest specu-lative buildings, concen-trated in northwest Okla-homa City, were basedpartly on peak construc-tion costs and yields basedon economic conditionsthat no longer exist, ac-cording to Grubb & Ellis-Levy Beffort’s year-endoffice trends report.

“With market vacancycreeping higher and a lackof activity in the market,landlords of these newClass A properties havebeen forced to lower theirexpected yields and dropasking rental rates in hopesof attracting new tenants,”Grubb & Ellis-Levy Beffortsaid in the report, whichwas prepared by analystDouglas Opp.

Too many new buildingshit the market in 2008 and2009, and were just toolate to the party,” Price Ed-wards said in its report.

“But history tells usthere is hope for thesebuildings.

“In the 24 years ourcompany has collected da-ta and published this re-port, the suburban markethas never experiencedthree consecutive years ofnegative absorption and2009 now marks the sec-ond year in a row.

“And, if history repeatsitself, it will be the Class Abuildings that lead us outof the vacancy wildernessin 2010 as the reducedrents and concessions of-fered by those landlordswill begin to attract soundcompanies on the frontend of the economic recov-ery which now appears tobe gaining solid footing.”

SUBURBAN SPACES HAVE BEEN HIT HARDEST BY ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, REPORT SAYS

Vacant office space brings challenges

Above: Newer speculative office buildings like this one at 4811 Gaillardia put up-ward pressure on rents in northwest Oklahoma City just as the recession washitting here, real estate specialists say.

Devon Energy will put pressure on Oklahoma Tower,210 Park Ave., and other office buildings downtownwhen it moves into its new headquarters and leaves900,000 square feet of empty space, most of itleased, behind. PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN

BY RICHARD MIZEReal Estate Editorrichardmize@opubco.com

Left: Leadership Square and other downtown office buildings will face a wholenew property-leasing market when Devon Energy moves into its new 1.8-million-square-foot corporate tower in a few years.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 5TOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

The passage of MAPS 3in December will translateinto $600 million morebeing pumped into thecentral city, though thetiming and logistics ofmuch of the work has yetto be determined.

Even so, downtown busi-nesses are looking forwardto how MAPS 3 will contin-ue the transformation of thecenter of the city.

Jim Cowan, director ofthe Bricktown Associ-ation, is hoping a new con-vention center will be lo-cated where it ties in di-rectly with the entertain-ment district, maintaininga flow of business that hasbeen established with thecurrent Cox ConventionCenter. He’s also eager tosee how a streetcar systemrunning through the dis-trict might better connectthe area with other down-town attractions.

“The convention centerwill be critical,” Cowansaid. “It currently makesup as much as 40 percentof our annual business.”

John Williams, generalmanager of the SkirvinHilton Hotel, shares Cow-an’s enthusiasm for what’sahead. He said rowingevents along the Oklaho-ma River already are a bigsource of business for thehotel, and he looks forwardto what business might besparked by more invest-ments along the waterway.

“The river componentof MAPS 3 is going to be asignificant factor on tour-ism,” Williams said.“We’re going to see more

and more rowing competi-tions, and this is going toreinforce Oklahoma Cityas a destination for com-petitive rowers. It’s goingto bring us a lot of weekendbusiness.”

Williams, who hasmanaged hotels in NewYork City, Washington andMinneapolis, says he is a“great believer” in theMAPS 3 streetcar system.

“You’ve got many differ-ent elements and dots inOklahoma City,” Williamssaid. “You’ve got Brick-town, the OklahomaHealth Center, and the newconvention center coming.A logical and a cost-effective way to connectthose dots is by trolley.”

Williams said having aneffective streetcar systemthat allows visitors to getfrom their hotels to theconvention center will go along way in furthering thecity’s positive image.

“Those people will goback home, and they’ll talkwith others who will bedeciding travel plans andwhere to schedule confer-ences,” Williams said.“And they’ll recommendwhat a great place Oklaho-ma City is for conven-tions.”

Downtown businesses look aheadto transformation from MAPS 3

BY STEVE LACKMEYERBusiness Writerslackmeyer@opubco.com

AT A GLANCE

MAPS 3

› Convention cen-ter: $280 million› Transit system:$130 million› Central park: $130million› River improve-ments: $60 million

Shown is a rendering for a MAPS 3 project on theOklahoma River. RENDERING PROVIDED

An artist’srenderingshows theproposedMAPS 3OklahomaCity Con-ventionCenter.

RENDERINGPROVIDED

6T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Jim Cowan is excitedabout the potential of hav-ing free wireless Internet ac-cess throughout Bricktown.

The head of the Brick-town Association said thedevelopment will enhancevisitors’ experience in Ok-lahoma City’s popular en-tertainment district.

“It will make it easier forpeople having meetings,corresponding duringlunch or dinner time, andwe think it might even beused for dining reserva-tions,” Cowan said. “Thereis a convention going onright now and I’m seeingpeople on their laptops.

“It enhances the overallexperience if you can havefree Wi-Fi.”

The experience hasn’tbeen without some head-aches, however.

“We’ve been working onit for a year,” Cowan said.“It’s not 100 percent yet.We still have a couple ofareas it doesn’t work in,but we’re making progress.

“It was much more dif-ficult than we anticipatedto have free Wi-Fi set upon the streets and also in-side each merchant.”

The Greater OklahomaCity Chamber of Com-merce learned a similarlesson several years ago,after offering a $150,000incentive to spur the de-velopment of wireless hot-spots in key areas acrossthe city.

Officials abandoned theplan a few months after itwas announced in 2006.

“Once we got into it, werealized the bottom linewas, the private marketwas already providing thatservice. With all the 3Gtechnology coming online,people can get connectedwith any device they wantwith a pretty low cost,”project overseer Drew Du-

gan said last year.Shortly after the cham-

ber called off its projectsearch, wireless serviceprovider EarthLink can-celed services in Philadel-phia and San Francisco likethe one Oklahoma City of-ficials had been hoping toestablish.

The city still has a num-ber of wireless hotspots,including the Cox Con-vention Center and Will

Rogers World Airport.Many other restaurantsand other business offerfree Wi-Fi as well.

The Bricktown Associ-ation got a free deal from@Link Wireless, a local In-ternet provider that want-ed to get more brand rec-ognition for their product.

“They felt by providing itfor Bricktown, it would raisethe awareness in centralOklahoma,” Cowan said.

Bricktown works onwireless plan kinksFROM STAFF REPORTS

This view of Bricktown is looking east on SheridanAvenue from the Colcord Hotel.

PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 7TOUTLOOK I BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Since the advent of theDonald W. Reynolds Gov-ernor’s Cup six years ago,the collegiate businessplan competition hasawarded nearly $900,000in cash and $250,000 ofin-kind commercializa-tion services.

About $30,000 inscholarships and $80,000in paid fellowships havebeen earned by some of themore than 800 studentswho have tested their en-trepreneurial skills.

More than 26 campusesacross the state have par-ticipated, and schools havebuilt entrepreneurshipclasses around the compe-tition as they seek to selectthe best participants.

The event also hashelped establish relation-ships across those schools’disciplines such as mar-keting, business, engi-neering and finance.

The competition hashelped create and boostmore than 220 innovativeideas.

Perhaps most impres-sively, the Governor’s Cupevent has launched morethan 15 entrepreneurialOklahoma companies.

Among the diverse en-terprises that emergedfrom the competition arePreDent, which is devel-oping a treatment to pre-vent periodontal disease insmall animals, and Xplo-safe of Stillwater, whichproduces a nanotechnolo-gy-based ink that changescolor after detecting cer-tain explosives.

Fitness Fulfillmentmakes a mobile traineremploying digital technol-ogy to guide consumersthrough personalized ex-ercise routines, and thentracks their workout histo-ry for them.

Innovative Solutionsproposes to commercializea patent-pending intrave-nous IV and syringe to cre-ate a solution to a long-standing problem of sys-tems that expose healthcare workers to blood-borne illnesses and pa-tients to infection.

In addition, Governor’sCup alumni have gone onto take leadership posi-tions in ongoing business-es such as Amethyst Re-search Inc. in Ardmore,Mintiva in Oklahoma Cityand Impact Technologiesin Tulsa.

This year’s competitionincludes more innovativeideas, including the use ofhuman hair to strengthenconcrete in areas such asHaiti that lack otherstrengthening materials;health care concepts thatinclude both therapeuticsand devices to assist bothhealth care providers andpatients; technology to re-duce the time orthodonticpatients must wear bracesby speeding up the processof realigning teeth; a water-softening productthat prevents the release ofsalt into groundwater; andenergy proposals, some ofwhich focus on aspects ofwind energy while anotherproposes enhanced meth-ods using nanotechnologyto bring oil up from maturefields.

The competition is un-derwritten by the DonaldW. Reynolds Foundation,along with support fromother local sources.

It is managed by i2E, thenot-for-profit corporationthat mentors many of thestate’s technology-basedstartup companies.

Two new awards are be-ing presented at this year’scompetition.

The OG&E Positive En-ergy Award is a $5,000award to the team whosebusiness plan proposes thebest use of energy genera-tion or energy storage, de-livery or other innovativeuses of energy.

That team’s faculty ad-viser also will be awarded$2,000.

The Al Tuttle BusinessIncubation Award pro-vides one graduate-levelteam business incubationspace and services free for

one year.This year’s winners will

advance to the Tri-Statecompetition in Las Vegasto compete against theircounterparts in Arkansasand Nevada in mid-May.Oklahoma teams havebrought home $90,000from that event — half theprize money that has beenawarded.

i2E President and CEOTom Walker said the com-petition is designed to rec-ognize and advance Okla-homa’s next generation ofentrepreneurs.

“It’s an exciting time fortechnology-based eco-nomic development as wewitness the emergence offuture business leadersthrough this competition,”Walker said.

IN ITS SIX YEARS, GOVERNOR’S CUP HAS HELPED LAUNCH MORE THAN 15 ENTREPRENEURIAL OKLAHOMA COMPANIES

Contest rewards business innovationBryan Gonterman,president of AT&TOklahoma, texts hisvote April 14, 2009,for the InnovationAwards at the Governor’s Cupawards at theBricktown Coca-Cola Event Centerin Oklahoma City.

PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS.THE OKLAHOMAN

BY DON MECOYBusiness Writerdmecoy@opubco.com

SandRidge Commons

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Devon headquarters

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Project 180 Cost: $140 million Estimated completion: 2014Project 180 is a makeover of downtown streets, sidewalks and parks. The project is funded through a tax increment fi nancing district established with construction of a new $750 million Devon Energy headquarters. Plans call for the addition of public art, marked bike lanes, decorative street lighting, outdoor furniture and hundreds of new parking spaces.

Myriad Gardens Cost: $30 million Estimated completion: 2014Changes include the addition of a grand performance lawn and amphitheater, a chil-dren’s discovery garden and play area, water features, an ice skating rink, a restaurant and café, a dog release area and a new grand entrance to the Crystal Bridge.

Devon headquartersCost: $750 million Estimated completion: 2012Construction began in October 2009. The project, just north of the Myriad Gardens, includes a 50-story tower, a fi ve-story “po-dium” building, a rotunda and an auditorium.

SandRidge CommonsCost: $100 million Estimated completion: 2015Plans include renovation of the former Kerr-McGee Tower, now known as the SandRidge Building, and a restoration of the former Braniff building. Six buildings will be demolished and replaced with pla-zas and a new six-story building.

Central Park Cost: $130 million Estimated completion: unknownThe 70-acre park is part of the MAPS 3 initiative passed by voters in Decem-ber. Plans call for a great lawn, a large amphitheater for up to 15,000 people, a lake, model boat rentals, a children’s play area, a dog park and restaurant.

Convention centerCost: $280 million Estimated completion: unknownCity leaders say they have two leading sites for a new convention center that is part of MAPS 3: south of Lower Bricktown and south of Ford Center.

Transit systemCost: $130 million Estimated completion: unknownThe MAPS 3 transit system calls for up to six miles of downtown streetcar lines and a downtown transit hub.

Oklahoma River improvementsCost: $60 millionEstimated completion: unknownAbout $25 million will go toward a whitewater kayaking venue. The rest of the money would go toward improve-ments on the east end of the river, including grandstands, lighting, parking, a fl oating stage, river beautifi cation and other work on the rowing course.

Interstate 40 relocationCost: $664 millionEstimated opening: 2012The 44-year-old Crosstown Ex-pressway south of downtown will be razed once relocation of the high-way one mile south of the current alignment is completed. Plans call for the current highway to replaced with a boulevard – a project that has yet to be funded.

What’s ahead for downtown Oklahoma City?

Photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of TransportationPhoto illustration by Chris Schoelen

8T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 9TOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

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10T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK I BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Three years ago, JoeVanBullard was anticipatingthe start of two housingprojects and monitoringcompletion of two othersas the director of the Okla-homa City Urban RenewalAuthority.

After the crash of thenational economy, every-thing that wasn’t alreadycompleted came to a halt.

Grant Humphreys, whohad planned to launch a $20million mixed-use complexdubbed the Flatiron at NE 6and Harrison Avenue, wasin the process of pursuing abuilding permit. The con-tractor was chosen andwork was about to start.

That project, Hum-phreys confirms, remainson hold.

Construction was underway on The Hill — but alsostopped. Chuck Wiggin,meanwhile, put a halt onhis plans for a $61.3 millionOverholser Greens condo-minium complex hepitched for the formerMercy Hospital site at NW13 and Dewey Avenue.

“People have gotten thefacts slapping them in theface,” Bullard said. “Themarket for downtownhousing currently and inthe near future is some-thing more in line with ayoung professional or a se-nior could rent or buy.Chuck Wiggin is smartenough to know that whathe pitched won’t work forthe next eight years out.”

Bullard notes anyonestill thinking such a pro-ject is feasible in the nearfuture experienced anoth-er slap in the face with areport last month by anexpert panel convened bythe Urban Land Institute.

Their conclusion? Stopbuilding high-end, expen-sive for-sale condomini-ums and pursue apartmentsand work force housing.

“I think there is a greatersupply than need for high-end,” Bullard said. “I don’tthink the market for down-town residential has beentapped out. There is still avery sizable market that, ifwe could get it geared to theprospective purchaser ortenant, there are a lot ofthose people who wouldlove to live downtown ifthey could afford it.”

“The market remainsslow, but some small, pos-itive signs have occurred inrecent months,” said Mi-chael Biddinger, sales con-sultant for The Hill. “Wehave seen more seriouspotential buyers, especial-ly from the suburban areaswhere residents whosechildren have left for col-lege want to be closer totheir work and lead a life-style in the central busi-ness and entertainmentdistrict.

“In addition, we are alsoseeing executives whohave transferred to Okla-homa City take interest inThe Hill. We are encour-aged by their positivecomments about the sur-roundings and the qualityof the product.”

BACKGROUND

BECOMING A CITY THATNEVER SLEEPS

Downtown Oklaho-ma City spent thelate 1990s buildingup steam and thenentered into a full-fledged run through-out the first decadeof the new millenni-um. During the pastdozen years, agrowth spurt fueledby the 1993 passageof the MetropolitanArea Projects result-ed in the addition ofhundreds of newapartments, dozensof new condomini-ums, six new hotels,dozens of new res-taurants and shops,and of course, thearrival of the NBA.

The run hasslowed to a crawl,not so much be-cause of the localeconomy but be-cause of the crash ofthe national econo-my in 2008. But thetransformationstarted in 1993 maybe difficult to re-verse.

Downtown is aliveafter 5 p.m. Mon-days through Fri-days. People can beseen jogging, walk-ing their dogs, play-ing Frisbee or “urbanfootball” on week-ends. The trans-formation isn’t com-plete, but downtownis coming closer tothe goal of becom-ing a place to live,work and play.

STEVE LACKMEYER, BUSINESS WRITER

Is anything new on thehorizon? The answer ismaybe.

No developers were an-nouncing downtownhousing projects as ofearly April.

But a survey of propertyowners and developers in-dicates interest in devel-oping apartments — a seg-ment that has continuedto thrive despite the eco-nomic downturn.

Work continues, mean-while, on The Hill.

A handful of upscaleunits are being built in thetop floors of the City PlaceBuilding in the heart of thecentral business district.

Developers Bob Howardand Mickey Clagg expectHadden Hall and the Cline

Hotel, both along NW 10in Midtown, to be convert-ed into apartments thisyear.

Even the Urban RenewalAuthority, which has seenalmost all of its redevelop-ment projects stall, is con-templating issuing a re-quest for proposals fordowntown housing.

“I would like to put out aproposal for NW 4 andShartel,” said Urban Re-newal director JoeVan Bul-lard. “My board is willingto look at work force hous-ing, not low-income orsubsidized, but housingfor young couples. That’swhere we think demand isnow for downtown.”

STEVE LACKMEYER, BUSINESS WRITER

City developers envisionmore downtown housing

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The Hill, a developmentat NE 2 and Russell Perryin Oklahoma City, isshown. PHOTO BY

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12T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK I BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Come summertime, the living stillwon’t be easy for retail store owners anddevelopers, but some economic cloudscould be lifting enough to see the way outof a national recession that finallydragged Oklahoma City into it last year.

That’s the gist of the most recent retailproperty market summary from Price Ed-wards & Co., published at the first of theyear. The basics of the report haven’tchanged since then, said Jim Parrack, se-nior vice president and retail specialist.

Price Edwards saw political uncertaintyas a key to the lack of consumer confi-dence at the start of 2010, so the passageof national health insurance reform couldhave a calming effect simply because theissue seems resolved for now.

On the other hand, other issues, suchas efforts to implement a cap-and-tradesystem for controlling carbon emissionsto curb global warming, which critics ar-gue would raise energy prices and costjobs, remain unsettled. In the long term,however, “the best economists in theworld can’t agree on the ... effect of thesehuge changes on our economy much lessthe average shopper,” the firm said. “Thepublic craves certainty, they crave thepositive. Both are in short supply.”

With consumer spending accountingfor some 70 percent of U.S. economic ac-tivity, “a fragile consumer equals a frugalconsumer,” said Ryan McNeill, a retailproperty investment specialist with Sper-ry Van Ness/William T. Strange & Associ-ates in Oklahoma City.

What it means for retail development isthe last ones in will be the last ones in forawhile although individual restaurants andstores and small strip centers almost alwaysfind their market niches here and there.

Drawing crowdsIn the Oklahoma City area, these were

the last ones in from early 2009 to now,according to Price Edwards. That meansbuilt or substantially started and firmlycommitted to finish, not necessarily full oftenants and drawing crowds of shoppers:

› Classen Curve, Classen and Grandboulevards.

› Highland Park, NW 178 and WesternAvenue.

› The Shoppes on Broadway, 33rdStreet and Broadway Avenue in Edmond.

› Target store and small shop space,Garth Brooks Boulevard in Yukon.

› The Shops at Moore on I-35 at SW 19.› University North Park on I-35 at Rob-

inson in Norman.

BY RICHARD MIZEReal Estate Editorrichardmize@opubco.com

The Shoppes on Broadway at Broadway and 33rd Street in Edmond. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

ALSO ...

STALLED PROJECTSPrice Edwards listed 17

retail developments thatwere either stalled, on hold,in the pre-leasing stage ormoving forward at a snail’space in light of the economicslowdown.

“It is anticipated that amajority of these will bebuilt but it will take an im-proved market and an ex-tended lease-up period,” thefirm said. “Modest exten-sions of existing successfulprojects are about the onlydevelopments that makesense at this point.”

› Bridges at Springcreek, 15th Street and BryantAvenue, Edmond: “No activity.”› Fox Lake Plaza, 15th Street and I-35, Edmond:“No activity.”› The Falls, Second Street, Edmond: “No activity.Project on hold.”› Central Park, Second Street and Kelly Avenue,Edmond: “No activity.”› Quail Springs Ranch, Western Avenue and Me-morial Road: “Project on hold.”› Tuscan Village, NW 150 and May Avenue: “Noactivity.”› Project at May and Memorial: “Pad site activity.”› MacArthur Crossing, MacArthur and Memorial:“Preleasing.”› Deercrest, Rockwell and Memorial: “No activity.”

› Horizon Outlet Mall, I-40 and Coun-cil: “Back on track for 2010.”› May Avenue Square, NW 39 andMay: “No activity.”› 240 Penn Park II, I-240 and S Penn-sylvania Avenue: “No activity.”› Target, SW 19 at Telephone Road,Moore: “No activity.”› Royal Rock, SW 19 at TelephoneRoad: “Outparcel activity.”› University North Park II, I-35 andRobinson, Norman: “Lifestyle portionon hold.”› East Park, SE 12 and Alameda, Nor-man: “No activity.”› Shoppes at Del City, I-40 and SoonerRoad, Del City: “Preleasing.”

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14T SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

the market, as higher-risk“jumbo” loans, those toolarge to be considered“conventional” and “con-forming” — which heremeans over $417,000 —the kind that Fannie Maeand Freddie Mac like tobuy, bundle and sell to in-vestors, dried up.

And tastes changed, saidOklahoma City builder JeffClick, who has debuted theUrbana series of smallerhomes, priced from$150,000 to $180,000.

“My experience is thatthe past decade led tohomebuyers looking forthe maximum house fortheir maximum payment.People bought decked-outhomes with surplus squarefootage just because theycould, without consider-ing the cost to heat, cool,power, and maintain whatin many cases was sheerindulgence,” he said.

Smaller homesThe recession shocked

people regardless ofwhether they weretouched by it, Click said.

“Now what we’re seeingis thoughtful considera-tion to true cost of owner-ship, which is the sum ofthe mortgage payment, thecost of utilities, and all ofthe ancillary expenses ofhome ownership like fur-nishings, accessories andsuch,” he said. “This is re-ally the intelligent way tobuy a home, and it’s cer-tainly leading many to seeksmaller, more energy-efficient, more amenity-dense homes.”

Demand for smallerhouses is tied to the secondmajor trend, the greenmovement, said Edmondbuilder Caleb McCaleb.

“People are more envi-ronmentally conscious, andit is greener to own a small-er carbon footprint homethat is designed with thelatest in energy-efficient

Smaller is big, outdoorsis in and green is hot.

Home design remains atopsy-turvy prospect asthe country continues towork through a housing-boom-turned-bust andbuilders in Oklahoma Citydeal with their own boom,which finally wheezed intothe history books. Homesizes are shrinking.

The national average fora new single-family homedropped to just over 2,400square feet in 2009 and wasflat in 2008 after severalyears of increases. The na-tional median size of newhomes ran well over 2,200square feet during theboom years 2005-2007,then went into decline andwas down to about 2,100square feet in 2009, theCensus Bureau reports.

For the first time since1992, the percentage ofnew homes with three ormore bathrooms declinedlast year, according to theNational Association ofHome Builders.

Further, the associationsaid, the number of homeswith four or more bed-rooms has been in declinesince 2007; the number ofhomes with two or morestories peaked in 2006;and the number of homeswith three-plus-car ga-rages peaked in 2005.

Home builders in theOklahoma City area reinedin sizes as the economysputtered and demand forsheer size slackened.

Two other factors alsocontributed.

› The $8,000 federal taxcredit for first-time buyers,in place in 2009 and thefirst third of this year,worked, creating demandfor smaller starter homes.

› The credit crunch al-most lopped off the top of

products. “And by the way, that

translates into very lowmonthly energy bills for theowners,” said McCaleb,who responded to the de-mand for smaller houses bystarting Arbor Creek, anaddition of bungalows.

McCaleb said demandfor smaller houses also isworking to maintain de-mand for outdoor livingspace, which might seem acontradiction in an eco-nomic environment wherecertain kinds of amenitiesare seen as frivolous, if notostentatious.

“Livability is the key,” hesaid, and with living spaceinside on the decline, out-door living space is evenmore desirable.

Rather than a full kitch-en/bar/living area under ahuge patio, a buyer mightopt for a more traditionalgrill and patio arrange-ment, McCaleb said.

Above: Thisconceptualrenderingshows the frontelevation of theTrinity, one inthe Urbanaseries of small-er homes byJeff Click.

PROVIDED BY JEFF CLICK HOMES

Left: Shown isa view of amodel home inArbor Creek.The neigh-borhood ofsmalller homesby Caleb McCa-leb is locatednorth of Sec-ond Street andeast of Inter-state 35 inEdmond. PHOTO

BY JOHN CLANTON,OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

BY RICHARD MIZEReal Estate Editorrichardmize@opubco.com

Home trends change with economy

This is really the intelligent way to buy a home. ... ”

JEFF CLICKOKLAHOMA CITY BUILDER

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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 15TOUTLOOK | BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Some of the latest autotechnologies add conve-nience to driving. Fromhands-free parallel park-ing to a key that limits ateen’s speed and radio vol-ume, Ford Motor Corp.breaks down some of thetop convenience featuresin its latest models.

› SYNC: Ford SYNC,developed by Microsoft,lets drivers operate theirBluetooth-enabled cellphone and digital musicplayers with voice com-mands or using radio con-trols on the steering wheel.The software platform of-fers hands-free conve-nience so drivers can stayin touch while on the road.Drivers simply press the“push to talk” button onthe steering wheel and saythe name of the personthey wish to call. SYNCdoes the rest. The featurealso can read aloud textmessages in English,French or Spanish, call 911if the vehicle’s air bags de-ploy and provide traffic in-formation and driving di-rections.

› Active park assist:Drivers with this featureneed not fear parallel park-ing. At the press of a but-ton, the car uses sensorson the front and rear of thevehicle to measure theparking space, promptsthe driver to accept park-ing assistance then takesover and steers the car intothe space. Drivers contin-ue to shift the transmissionand operate the gasolineand brake pedals.

› Adaptive cruise con-trol: This feature automat-ically adjusts vehiclespeeds to prevent a colli-sion when cruise control ison. The radar systemmonitors a vehicle up to600 feet in front and keepsa set distance betweencars, even in most fog andrain conditions. Driverscan set the distance, speedand time gap between ve-hicles and are warnedwhen there is risk of colli-sion.

› Smart gauge withEcoGuide. Hybrid driverslike maximizing their fuelefficiency, and this featurerewards smart driving.LCD screens on either sideof the speedometer can beconfigured to display in-formation such as fuel andbattery power levels andaverage/instant miles pergallon. A vine of leaves“grows” as the driver opti-mizes fuel efficiency — re-warding the driver for theirefforts.

› MyKey. Parents withteens behind the wheel canset limits with this innova-tion, which is designed toencourage safer driving.With MyKey, vehicle own-ers can program a key tolimit the car’s top speedand audio volume. Thefeature also encouragesseat belt use by muting thestereo until the driverbuckles up, provides earli-er low-fuel warnings andcan be set to sound chimeswhen the car reaches 45, 55and 65 miles per hour.

SOURCE: FORD MOTOR CORP.

The company logo shinesoff the grille of an F-350pickup truck at a Forddealership. AP PHOTO

Fordmakesfeatureseasier BY JENNIFER PALMERBusiness Writerjpalmer@opubco.com

Building on the popularity ofgasoline-electric hybrid vehicles,many automakers now are push-ing to have a fully electric plug-inmodel on the road this year ornext.

Though Tesla Motors alreadyhas its electric Roadster sports caron the road, the Nissan LEAF issaid to be an affordable, midsizevehicle that also is emissions-free.The LEAF will hit showrooms asearly as December, according toNissan.

Tours with preproductionmodels have generated excitementfor the vehicle, especially in citieswith the heaviest traffic and airpollution, such as Los Angeles.But Oklahomans have started toshow interest as well, said CharlieStaton, a salesman at Bob MooreNissan in Oklahoma City.

The dealership is accepting de-posits from drivers who want to beamong the first to own or leaseone.

Staton, who hasn’t seen a LEAFbut has undergone companytraining on it, said the car is aboutthe same size as the Nissan Versaand seats five. The sticker price isexpected to be about $32,700, butqualifies for a federal tax credit of$7,500.

Zero emissionsAccording to Nissan, the LEAF

will have no tailpipe and emit zeroemissions. The car will have a

range of 100 miles when fullycharged. Charging the battery willtake 4 to 8 hours on a 220-volthome charging station, but cancharge to 80 percent in about 26minutes at a quick-charge station.

The popularity of electric vehi-cles depends in part on whetherthere is infrastructure to supportthem. Essentially: Can drivers re-charge on the go?

Companies such as Car Charg-ing Group in Miami Beach, Fla.,are working to set up public elec-tric car chargers.

Right now, the company willput in stations free of charge inpublic areas such as parking ga-rages and shopping centers. They

will charge a fee for drivers to use itand split the revenue with thehost.

President Andy Kinard said thefocus now is installing the char-gers in states such as Florida, Cali-fornia and New York. The first onewill be on the ground soon, andthe company plans to install 600by year’s end. Hybrid vehicles alsowill be able to use the public carchargers, he said.

“Once people start getting usedto the concept, more people willstart buying the (electric) vehi-cles,” Kinard said.

He estimates that by 2015, driv-ers will have 40 electric car mod-els to choose from.

Automakers charge aheadwith electric, hybrid carsBY JENNIFER PALMERBusiness Writerjpalmer@opubco.com

The Nissan LEAF is due inshowrooms in December.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NISSAN

ONLINE

Buying a carHave questions about buy-ing a car? Check our “knowit” message board, “Let’sTalk,” where Oklahomanshelp Oklahomans.KNOWIT.NEWSOK.COM/BUYINGACAR

16 SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 NEWSOK.COMTHE OKLAHOMAN