Propaganda film provides glimpse at Urban Renewal Authority's past Published: Tue, May 1, 2012 The Oklahoma History Center made a big splash on YouTube, posting a collection of rarely seen videos, one of which is on the verge of going viral with 1,000 hits in less than a week. Business columnist Steve Lackmeyer notes that while the film may seem hokey, it's a worthy glimpse at the thinking that led to the... Read More

Berlin in the 21st century Published: Tue, Jan 10, 2012 More than any other place in Europe, Berlin is a work in progress. Over the last two decades, ripped-up tracks and a canopy of cranes have signaled its rebirth as a great city. If you haven't been here lately, you won't recognize the place. In the early 1900s, Berlin was an avant-garde cultural capital — think... Read More

Sand Springs official to retire after 20 years Updated: Thu, Jun 15, 2006 SAND SPRINGS - Sand Springs City Manager Loy Calhoun is retiring after 20 years on the job. Calhoun's last day as city manager will be June 30. He took the job in 1986 after the death of Inez Kirk. Calhoun led the city during the Keystone Dam flood that damaged 800 homes. Recently, he has been overseeing the... Read More

Eminent domain concerns galvanize neighborhood Updated: Tue, Jun 13, 2006 Some residents of an eastside neighborhood are organizing to fight back if their giant neighbor, the Oklahoma Health Center, tries to muscle in on their homes. Older residents of the John F. Kennedy neighborhood -- from NE 4 to NE 8 between Martin Luther King and High -- still are stinging from an Urban Renewal... Read More

Legal counsel explains tax increment financing Updated: Tue, May 16, 2006 NORMAN - Dan Batchelor is the co-founder of the Center for Economic Development Law and for 40 years has provided legal counsel on economic development and urban redevelopment projects for the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority. Batchelor was hired by the city of Norman to study the financial viability of a plan... Read More

Flatiron District: Developers hope trucks don't stop Updated: Sun, Dec 7, 2003 The Flatiron District might not be as hip as Deep Deuce, or as jumping as Bricktown, or as sophisticated as the Arts District. But in the series of development dominoes set off by MAPS, boosters say the lesser-known Flatiron might be downtown's next hot spot. The area, a remnant of the Harrison-Walnut neighborhood... Read More

Deep Deuce District: Building new places to live Updated: Sun, Dec 7, 2003 Many city leaders say residential development is the next hot ticket in the downtown area. It's already a reality in Deep Deuce. Once the center of jazz and of black business in Oklahoma City, the area is returning to vibrancy thanks to private development -- a 294-unit apartment complex that is 98 percent full.... Read More

More calling downtown home Updated: Mon, Aug 18, 2003 They were just a dozen people, and like many a neighborhood association, they recently gathered with their city council member to discuss upcoming street projects. Family hopes to turn factory into sweet deal Loft plans attract some in Shawnee Read More

Historic buildings pinpoint era of downtown prosperity Updated: Sun, Sep 16, 2001 The Colcord and Hightower buildings have a legacy of beauty and something more: Sentiment for the good old days of downtown Oklahoma City. Tours The New Century Tour, a 45-minute trolley tour through downtown, will showcase Oklahoma City's history, achievements and projects. Tours will continue... Read More

'Infill' houses also can be upscale Updated: Sat, Mar 10, 2001 In Oklahoma City, "upscale" and "infill" are seldom, if ever, uttered in the same breath when someone is talking about housing and development. "Upscale" generally refers to the well-heeled, of course. "Infill," so far in Oklahoma City, mainly means a new house or two, or three, put on some old piece of dirt... Read More

Loft living for 'artistes' or rich? Updated: Sat, Jan 6, 2001 Is the Oklahoma City real estate market, steeped in the mores of Oklahoma's social conservatism, really ready for "artistes" and their novel -- turbulent, odd-houred -- habits? No, said "Phillip," who moved here in June from San Francisco, a city which is better prepared for him and his bohemian ways. Phillip was... Read More

MAPS board favors library site Updated: Fri, Mar 27, 1998 Oklahoma City should stick with the original site for a Metropolitan Area Projects downtown library/learning center, members of the MAPS Citizens Oversight Board decided Thursday. Board members voted to reject city staff's request that architects look at alternative locations. The group said it favored a site on... Read More

Bricktown canal delayed Updated: Thu, Sep 11, 1997 It looks like water won't be flowing through Bricktown when thenew ballpark opens next spring. Planners with the city's $300 million Metropolitan Area Projects earlier this year had hoped that a portion of the canal would be finished by the time the Bricktown ballpark opens in March. Designs for the... Read More