Goodwill proposal opens more room for Core to Shore
STEVE LACKMEYER
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Published: September 4, 2009
Goodwill Industries unveiled plans Thursday for a $2.8 million renovation of the former Ben E. Keith Foods distribution hub that will become the organization’s new home by next summer.
Goodwill Industries
Chief Executive Officer Heather Rennebohm was joined by
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett as they discussed plans for the current Goodwill property to be incorporated into future Core to Shore redevelopment south of downtown.
"Goodwill, through the Core to Shore program, is on the move,” Rennebohm said. "We’re now well on our way with plans for renovation and construction will begin in October.”
The city first bought the current Goodwill home, 410 SW 3, in April for $2.3 million. Goodwill on July 31 closed on a $3 million purchase of the former Ben E. Keith property, 316 S Blackwelder, in a deal handled by
Jim Buchanan of
Gerald L. Gamble Co.
Rennebohm said the new building spans 133,000 square feet, more than double the space at the current property, which spans 57,000 square feet.
"This year we project we will serve a total of over 2,500 residents of
Oklahoma City who have disabilities and disadvantages and need a hand up, and not a hand out,” Rennebohm said. "We will have a more accessible, welcoming site at 316 S Blackwelder … not only will we be able to provide more job training and development at this new building, but we will also have more jobs because we can handle more retail and more donations of goods.”
Oklahoma City previously paid $3.6 million for the neighboring
U.S. Postal Service distribution center, 320 SW 5. The properties were acquired with money from the 2007 bond issue and the downtown tax increment financing district.
With both properties under control, the
Salvation Army headquarters is the only major building standing in the way of a new central park Cornett envisions at the heart of Core to Shore development. He predicted a potential MAPS 3 ballot will be presented to voters within two weeks with a vote set for December.
Cornett said he has no backup plan on what to do with the Goodwill and Postal Service buildings if the ballot fails at the polls.
"We have no other funding source available to us,” Cornett said. "If it fails, there is no Plan B. Core to Shore would still be our goal, but how we would fund it would then be anybody’s guess.”
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Pre-MAPS, that was pretty much the City's track record. For all of my criticism of MAPS, that is one thing I will give them credit for, they actually built all of the projects they said they were going to (just not on time or even close to on budget).
That was my point, why is the City spending MILLIONS on something that hasn't even been approved yet?
I'm also praying the City Council puts mass transit in MAPS 3. That would be huge for OKC.
But, MAPS 3 has not yet been proposed, therefore, we the voters do not know what we would be voting on. And, thus, we don't know if MAPS 3 would pass or fail today.
Why don't we just wait and see....
While it may be the only major building standing in the way, the largest obstacle is MAPS 3 hasn't been voted on or approved!
Here he is again with no "plan B" (he claims he didn't have one on the Ford tax either). Yet he had a plan B when he ran for Congress (he didn't resign as Mayor as Humphreys did when he ran for the Senate).
The City needs to stop spending money on a project that hasn't been approved yet.