Boulevard opening creates new development opportunities

(via ok.gov/ODOT)

Monday’s opening of the Oklahoma City Boulevard was the next step in the grand vision for the aesthetic and economic potential of Oklahoma City. The realignment of I-40, once a barrier to connections between downtown and the Oklahoma River, opened land and possibilities to grow in the area we now refer to as Core to Shore.

The central portion of the Oklahoma Boulevard is pedestrian and bike-friendly and moves traffic along landscaped points of access between Shields Avenue on the east and Walker Avenue on the west. It gives easy access to major attractions including Myriad Gardens, Scissortail Park, the Chesapeake Energy Arena, the new convention center and the new Omni Oklahoma City hotel.

Scissortail Park, the urban oasis opening next month, is developed on land that became available after the I-40 realignment. The park connects the core of downtown to the shore of the Oklahoma River with a great lawn, lake and an extensive network of sidewalks and trails.

Soon we will be turning our attention to development sites adjacent to the park on the south side of the Boulevard. A site with almost three acres of land and great potential for future development is the former Goodwill site, currently owned by the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust. With frontage on both the park and the new Boulevard, it is a very important development site.

Read the full article at The Journal Record