Edmond plots its future
Edmond plots its future: Old city hall, court and land downtown are ready for something new
Richard Mize The Oklahoman | USA TODAY NETWORK
Edmond - With most city services now operating from the it-still-smells-new City Center Complex, Edmond finds itself in the real estate business. Vacated city-owned buildings will be for sale, or for lease, or headed for public-private development partnerships. Or, they could be knocked down, which is likely because it would put 3 prime acres in play for redevelopment in the heart of downtown.
City officials haven’t decided what to do with the former City Council Chambers at 20 S Littler Ave., the former Municipal Court at 101 E First St., and the former City First Building at 24 E First St.
But because of the development potential, whether public, private or a combination, it’s a priority, said Randy Entz, assistant city manager of development services.
Edmond officials have not said what they want to do with vacated city buildings
The city vacated each building when it moved the council chambers and city offices to the new City Hall at 22 E Main St., and the court and its offices to the new Municipal Courthouse at 120 E Main. “Now that we’re all moved into this building, all those various departments, we have some properties around downtown,” Entz said at a city strategic planning session on Dec. 2. “We need to consider what their future is.
“We’ll consider city needs and work for a plan for the future on what the highest and best use for those is and how they can be catalytic for our downtown. Yet to be determined.” Neither city staff nor elected officials have said publicly what they would like to see happen, but the idea of razing the buildings and perhaps forming a second downtown Tax Increment Financing District to promote development has been mentioned privately, according to reports.
Commercial real estate expert: “Public-private partnership seems likely” for city-owned property in downtown Edmond.
At play are actually just two buildings: one on the northeast corner of First and Littler that housed both the council chambers and municipal court with 9,120 square feet of space plus a 3,074-square-foot basement, built in 1980; and the former City First Building with 8,686 square feet, built in 1957. The property gives Edmond “an opportunity to do something special downtown,” said Jim Parrack, senior vice president and head of retail and multifamily for commercial real estate firm Price Edwards & Co. in Oklahoma City.
“This will give the city a chance to build on the progress of the last few years that have added new restaurants, apartments and mixed-use to the area,” he said. “But what should they do? Much of the land is along Littler. Make a pedestrian corridor? A retail node? Mixed-use with housing above commercial? “An entertainment district? All could make sense. Given the city’s ownership stake and the inherent difficulty of urban development, a publicprivate partnership seems likely. This will be mainly a local developer play given the size and importance to downtown Edmond.”
Parrack added, “The good news is that both Edmond and Oklahoma City have a number of boutique developers that will be interested. Thinking about the cool possibilities is the easy part, now comes the who, what and when.”
Former Edmond City Council member: City Center Complex was a “catalyst” for downtown redevelopment
Whatever becomes of the buildings, or the land if the buildings are torn down, the City Center Complex that led them to be vacated itself is a catalyst for their development, said David Chapman, a developer who served on the City Council that launched the project in 2022.
“We faced the reality of outdated and inadequate municipal facilities,” said Chapman, a professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma, walking distance from downtown. Chapman wrote a book based largely on his time in office, “subURBAN; Reimagining the Suburban Downtown.”
City offices were in several buildings downtown, even in leased space at 7 N Broadway Ave., at the time. “City staff were scattered across a patchwork of old, repurposed buildings − some employees were literally working out of closets in a former church,” Chapman wrote. “Our municipal courthouse and city council chambers, built for a town of 40,000, were now trying to serve a city with nearly 100,000 residents.
“The buildings lacked basic technology for presentations, proper safety features for judges, council members and guests, and the kind of dignified space that reflects a growing city’s stature.”
Redevelopment will come in response to Edmond City Center Complex’s “clear signal that downtown mattered,” expert says
The City Center Complex was controversial, but the decision “wasn’t just about modernizing infrastructure, it was about reaffirming downtown as the civic heart of Edmond,” Chapman wrote.
The next step? In his book, Chapman foresaw a continuation of what the City Center Complex started, involving the former city-occupied buildings, or the land. “This investment became a turning point. It sent a clear signal that downtown mattered − that it was worth investing in. And that message rippled outward, inviting further development and strengthening the urban fabric of the core,” he wrote.
Chapman hinted at the likely fate of the buildings, one 45 years old, one 68, and the possibilities for the land. “The demolition of functionally obsolete structures frees up valuable land for future public-private projects ... to meet the ongoing needed downtown revitalization,” he wrote. “A key aspect of this investment (in the City Center Complex) was its ripple effect: once the old municipal buildings are demolished, the land will be available.”
Staff writer Richard Mize covers Oklahoma County government and the city of Edmond. He previously covered housing, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com, starting in 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com.