Deep Deuce Retail Audit by OU Institute for Quality Communities

Deep Deuce Retail Audit City Center Development, LLC. Downtown OKC, Inc. OU Institute for Quality Communities

CONTENTS Executive Summary 2 Tenant Perceptions 4 Market Context 6 Tenant Mix 8 Community Events 10 Buildings and Signage

Streets and Public Space

Collaborators 24

SUMMARY The Deep Deuce district is an urban neighborhood that has experienced a boom in residential construction with thousands of new rental and owner-occupied housing units. Many buildings in the district are mixeduse with commercial tenants to serve area residents and visitors. These include restaurants and bars, hotels, galleries, a grocery store, retailers, and neighborhood service businesses. Businesses are primarily clustered on 2nd Street and Walnut. Area developers and Downtown OKC, Inc. partnered with the University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities to conduct an audit of the retail experience of Deep Deuce. Students in the Environmental Design Practicum course at the OU College of Architecture were led by IQC staff in analyzing the area to guide recommendations for Deep Deuce. This report includes findings and recommendations in key areas the students analyzed:

• Tenant perceptions is an overview of issues identified during interviews of business owners and residents in the area.

• Market context explains the unique characteristics of Deep Deuce and how to stand out from other urban commercial districts.

• Tenant mix explains the current status of commercial tenants in the area, and offers ideas to evolve the tenant mix.

• Community events provides ideas for how projects and events can be added to the district to address key goals.

• Buildings and signage shows critical improvements related to buildings, signs, and future development to strengthen the retail experience.

• Streets and public space shows critical improvements recommended to strengthen the retail experience.

By maintaining strong relationships between business owners, developers, the business improvement district, and residents, Deep Deuce can pursue strategies in this report to improve the retail experience.

Every stakeholder has a role to play in creating a fresh urban retail experience for Deep Deuce. This page has a summary of recommendations in this book. See more information on the corresponding report pages.

Business owners can take steps right away: • Express the business concept in public space with patio seating, • • • •

sidewalk merchandise displays, sandwich boards, etc. (p. 9, 16) Illuminate storefronts and window displays at all times. (p. 9) Engage with community events and public spaces. (p. 10) Utilize social media to connect with audience. (p. 5, 9) Develop relationships with customers who live nearby and aim to capture customers from the neighborhood. (p. 7)

Building owners can help tenants succeed: • Allow businesses to propose blade signs, prominently visible signage, • •

and other wayfinding ideas that allow them to be seen from the sidewalk and street. (p. 16) Enable businesses to distinguish their storefronts from the building’s facade and from neighboring storefronts. (p. 15) Increase transparency of windows to enable people passing to see window displays during the day. (p. 15)

Residents can be part of Deep Deuce’s success: • Create and participate in neighborhood-oriented events. (p. 7, 10) • Maintain and care for public spaces through volunteerism. (p. 10) • Develop relationships with business owners and clerks and let them know what you want to be able to buy in their store. (p. 7, 9, 10)

Downtown OKC can help with public projects: • Facilitate stronger branding and marketing of Deep Deuce. (p. 4, 7, 13) • Develop short-term wayfinding improvements. (p. 7, 14) • Assist in managing community events and programming public spaces, or pilot projects to activate streets and spaces. (p. 10, 18, 20, 22)

The City can improve streets and public space: • Implement road diets on Walnut Avenue and 4th Street (p. 22, 23) • Fix streets that are obstacles for pedestrians and cyclists. (p. 23) • Develop a plan to preserve the railroad trestle and create a new public space. (p. 20)

Developers of new projects can take care: • Incorporate preservation of existing historic buildings in new developments. (p. 7)

• New buildings that incorporate retail should emphasize storefront architecture. (p. 15)

• New buildings and redevelopment should create a discernible retail •

spine with a continuous series of public storefronts, probably along 2nd Street. (p. 15) New buildings should work with sloping terrain instead of creating blank walls and awkward elevation changes. (p. 13)

TENANT PERCEPTIONS Students from the course split into several groups to interview business owners in Deep Deuce about their perceptions of the district. The following conclusions were identified after these conversations:

Deep Deuce might be in need of more businesses that address everyday needs. Residents, tenants, and stakeholders alike consistently mentioned the need for an â&#x20AC;&#x153;everyday type of store.â&#x20AC;? Many people felt that Deep Deuce lacks an affordable store to cater to generic needs for household goods or convenience items. Some people also mentioned daily service businesses like a gym or dry cleaners. However, many of the large apartment complexes in the district provide these amenities internally.

Businesses have a hard time being visible because of building configurations and signage limitations. Visibility and signage was a foremost concern for business owners and residents. Stakeholders feel that the lack of signage fails to give visitors a sense of what businesses are available. Additionally, there is a lack of clear sight lines across the district and the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parts are not connected. The location of businesses contributes to a sense of disjointedness.

Deep Deuce needs to work on a strong sense of community for business owners and residents alike. Stakeholders expressed a desire for a stronger sense of community within the district. Some feel this could be achieved with better communication among tenants, residents, and businesses within the district. There is a perception that not everyone comes to the table for meetings and efforts to discuss initiatives in the district. Many feel that there are many good community events. Sometimes community-organized events have been the burden of just a few people. Many business owners have ideas for events that would help their business, such as a farmers market or more petfriendly events.

The branding and marketing identify of Deep Deuce might still be weak, and people have different ideas about what Deep Deuce is today. Stakeholders and residents have expressed concern for a lack of identity in the district. Some people wish to see a more effective embrace of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jazz history, but others feel that jazz is not necessarily part of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modern identity.

Social media is perceived as a valued component of success for an urban retail district, and Deep Deuce needs more online presence. Business owners expressed success using social media for their individual businesses. They hope to see more social media identity for the district as a whole, as they have seen with other popular districts in Oklahoma City. A few businesses reported traffic generated from hearing about the area in nearby hotels, so more Internet presence could reinforce these visitors.

Business owners feel that certain restrictions are hindering their success. Business owners often identified overly restrictive policies preventing certain initiatives or efforts. These policies may be specific to individual buildings. In particular, the signage or appearance of storefronts is restrictive on several buildings, which does not allow the businesses to stand out.

MARKET CONTEXT Deep Deuce is one of many character districts or neighborhoods in downtown Oklahoma City with many features that distinguish it. Most notably, the introduction of new apartment complexes over the last decade has dramatically increased the overall population residing in Deep Deuce today. The district also has historical significance, as it used to be a thriving African American neighborhood famous for its jazz, entertainment, and culture. Deep Deuce sits in a prime downtown location next to Interstate 235 with excellent access to employers throughout the region.

Age Deep Deuce residents are much more likely to be in the 20-39 age range than Oklahoma City on average.

50-59 9.8%

60+ < 19 5.1% 5.4%

< 19 28% 20-29 50.6%

40-49 9.1%

Deep Deuce Age

20-29 15.9% 60+ 16.7%

Oklahoma City Age

30-39 19.8% 50-59 12.8%

Median Income Deep Deuce residents earn more than Oklahoma City on average.

30-39 14.6%

40-49 12.2%

$68,000 - Deep Deuce $47,000 - Oklahoma City

Other nearby districts are distinct from Deep Deuce. Bricktown has a specialization as an entertainment district and draws much of its market potential from visitors staying in hotels or attending events. Anchors drawing customers to Bricktown include the Chesapeake Arena and Bricktown Ballpark, Harkins Theater, and hotels. Automobile Alley has a mixed pattern of local retail and small offices, with one of Oklahoma Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best environments for window shopping. Midtown and the Plaza District also feature tenant mixes based on unique dining options and creative retail boutiques. In these districts, anchors drawing people to the area are typically destination dining options and neighborhood festivals. Standing out in the market compared to other districts requires identifying anchors and capitalizing on unique advantages. The items on the facing page have been identified for Deep Deuce, and strategies in this report will provide ideas to support these key items.

Keep Deep Deuce residents within the neighborhood as much as possible. A point of contrast for Deep Deuce is that it is the most densely populated of all of downtown’s districts. A potential anchor and source of customers for retail development are the thousands of apartment units in the neighborhood. Deep Deuce has the opportunity to capture a greater percentage of these customers while also developing its retail experience to attract people from the rest of the metropolitan area.

Forge stronger connections to the neighborhood to keep residents longer and build a market for homeownership. The vast majority of residents in Deep Deuce are also renters, giving them a more temporary stay in Deep Deuce before moving on to purchase real estate elsewhere. Residents of owneroccupied properties in Deep Deuce skew older, and according to perceptions of Deep Deuce business owners, are more likely to have a longterm sense of connection with the neighborhood

Improve usability for visitors by enhancing the retail experience and adding wayfinding.

Preserve historic structures and places of cultural significance in the midst of new construction.

As brick and mortar retail continues to compete with online shopping, retail places are called to stand out by providing unique and memorable experiences. Deep Deuce’s commercial tenants are spread out in the district and may be difficult to stumble upon for visitors to the area.

Deep Deuce’s history as an African American neighborhood and cultural hotspot is an important community asset. However, much of this history has vanished. The remaining historical structures are of critical importance to celebrating the neighborhood’s history as part of its present. They also create a mix of ages of buildings that is important for the neighborhood’s texture.

Deep Deuce can focus on visitors passing through the neighborhood each day en route to the Central Business District, and visitors from the I-35/I-235 corridor who will find it extremely easy to visit Deep Deuce. Wayfinding and signage may be important parts of this equation, but increasing the total density of storefronts to create a continuous retail experience along 2nd Street is also important.

TENANT MIX Two issues are of interest when thinking of tenants: Which types of new tenants are appropriate to add to Deep Deuceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current tenant mix, and what can existing tenants do to enhance their own individual performance.

Tenant Mix There are only six retail businesses in Deep Deuce, with half being food retailers. Food and drink service dominates the district, but other services are also present. Deep Deuce needs a higher number and proportion of retail tenants to build energy.

The study establishes four categories to measure tenant mix: Food and Drink Service includes bars and restaurants, Food with Retail includes groceries and food shops that sell packaged goods, Retail includes retail shops, and Service & Experience includes services, hotels, galleries, and venues or activities. Here, 24 businesses in Deep Deuce are compared with 35 businesses in the Plaza District. The number of retail tenants selling products is too small to make Deep Deuce a retail destination.

Food with Retail 13% (3) Retail 13% (3)

Food/Drink Service 38% (9)

Deep Deuce

Service & Experience 38% (9)

Food with Retail 9% (3)

Retail 29% (10)

Food/Drink Service 23% (8)

Plaza District

Service & Experience 41% (14)

King Street in Charleston, South Carolina is a thriving retail district with many retailers Deep Deuce largely lacks: Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothing, shoes and accessories, beauty stores, florist, music store, office supplies, electronics, books, hardware, medicine, and home and garden. Some of these are available in districts near Deep Deuce, but there may be more demand. Some may not be supported in Deep Deuce- For example, a home improvement store is a better fit where there are more homeowners.

King Street A healthy tenant mix of services, restaurants, and diverse retail makes Charlestonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s King Street a strong retail destination.

Attract downtown’s first urban general store to satisfy common needs.

Boost physical and online engagement with businesses.

Can Deep Deuce compete favorably with other downtown districts to attract downtown’s first urban general store, such as a Walgreen’s or CVS? Such a store would address the commonly cited issue of not having a place in the district to take care of everyday needs. This type of store would require higher traffic counts and pedestrian counts than currently exist in Deep Deuce, but perhaps a location along Walnut between 4th and 6th would have the highest chance of attracting such a store. In some cases, tenants like Walgreen’s and CVS even consider remodeling an existing structure to fit into the neighborhood.

Business owners can focus on enhancing their physical and online presence. For physical improvements, storefronts should be well-lit so that window displays are visible at all hours. Businesses should also occupy the sidewalk with potted plants, tables, sandwich board signs displaying sales or specials, and even merchandise racks. Business owners should engage with Deep Deuce events as they occur and leverage social media and conversation at the checkout counter to build relationships with customers.

Boost neighborhood services and retail to reach a critical mass.

Experiment with hours of operation to find the right balance.

More retail businesses are needed in close proximity to each other to create a selfsupporting shopping environment. A barrier to the development of public-facing services like dry cleaning and fitness is that many apartment buildings offer these services in-house. More shops selling products to be used in homes, gifts, and fashion are needed to support each other. A home and garden store offering affordable decor for the interior of apartments and balconies is an example of a tenant that could cater to local residents and visitors alike. Additional Service and Experience businesses- including classes, activities, or venues, could also support retailers.

The group also utilized Google data to determine common peak hours of the district: Daily around lunchtime and dinner, while Thursday through Saturday businesses stay busier until about midnight. Some businesses may wish to experiment with coordinating hours of operation to ensure people can visit more than one business that interests them each time they visit Deep Deuce.

COMMUNITY EVENTS Events are an important part of the fabric of an urban retail district, as they can bring people into the area from other neighborhoods as well as keep people who live in the area there for the day. When a group of students analyzed events in Deep Deuce, they found that events are often based on music and food. For example, Legends Night is a recurring evening for live music and the Foodie Foot Tours have offered an opportunity to eat at a variety of Deep Deuce locations on a guided history tour. Because of its central location, Deep Deuce is often part of the route for local 5Ks and other races, including the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.

People love their pets!

All of these events, focusing on jazz history and Deep Deuce food, are good for people who live inside or outside of the area. However, what kinds of events could be added to specifically build community among people who live in the district?

Board games in a public plaza.

Potluck meal in public space.

Small vendor fair.

Create pet-friendly events to celebrate residents of the neighborhood. Deep Deuce is pet friendly, with many young people living in the area frequenting the dog park and taking their pets for a walk before and after work in the evenings. To reinforce this characteristic of Deep Deuce life, new events and businesses could cater to pets and their owners. Students brainstormed event concepts to appeal to this need. “Spooky Pooch” is a pet costume contest for Halloween. Business owners and residents alike can grab their dogs, cats, or even lizards, and dress them up in a costume. If the owners dress up too, even better! Such an event would be perfect to activate Deep Deuce’s dog park, which is adjacent to the Bone Dog Boutique and also at the heart of Deep Deuce’s retail area. The dog park could play host to a number of fun and recurring pet-friendly events: perhaps adoption days for shelter pets, a lookalike competition for pets and owners, or weekly happy hour for pets.

Celebrate grand openings and new additions to the neighborhood. Deep Deuce is also an area where something new is always happening. An apartment complex or hotel are opening, a new business opens its doors for the first time, a change happens to the streets or public space, or new neighbors move in. These milestones represent successes for the neighborhood, and the neighborhood might find that creating a grand opening celebration for each of these events could keep people engaged in the progress of Deep Deuce.

Create events that allow people to volunteer and feel ownership over their community. Can events or projects deepen the sense of connection to Deep Deuce for renters, so that if they move or decide to purchase a home, they are more likely to stay in the area? Events where volunteers who live in Deep Deuce work together to undertake a community project could have this effect. For example, residents could participate in a neighborhood cleanup day or building a small improvement for the dog park so that they feel pride and ownership in Deep Deuce. Also, apartment residents could build and maintain a public community garden. A garden would be a place where people would regularly run into their community of neighbors, and the process of building the garden can help establish new connections between neighbors.

BUILDINGS AND SIGNAGE Four common conditions were identified for buildings and signage in Deep Deuce. These conditions lead to the recommendations on the following page.

Engagement means the signage or building

distinguishes itself from the surrounding structures, has a comfortable open space, lights its area well, and provides a welcoming atmosphere that pedestrians notice. Deep Deuce Grill and WSKY Lounge are two examples of engaging storefronts in Deep Deuce. Engaging commercial facades are isolated into pockets clustered at certain intersections, but separated from each other.

Disengagement means businesses are lost in their surroundings, too dark, or do not call attention to pedestrians. Long, flat, empty walls discourage or block potential shoppers. Disengaging facades prevent window shoppers from continuing down the street to experience the district as a whole.

Identification refers to the image of Deep Deuce as displayed through its architecture, advertising, and street signage. There is a district brand expressed through medallions on light poles, but some developments actually associate with Bricktown in their names. Deep Deuce is also split down the middle with two distinct architectural styles.

Obstruction indicates barriers to entry or passage that pedestrians face. In particular, elevation changes west of Walnut led to buildings with awkward access and grade changes that make businesses difficult to see. In some places, there are discontinued sidewalks. Darkly tinted storefront windows also create another layer between the window shopper and the retailer.

It is not implied or communicated intuitively that Deep Deuce is a cohesive neighborhood.

Obstructions can be overcome with small interventions.

BUILDINGS AND SIGNAGE Install district wayfinding to link the existing nodes of commercial activity and point people to nearby businesses. There are existing commercial spaces in two distinct clusters at 2nd & Oklahoma, 2nd and Central, and other commercial spaces isolated along 1st, 2nd, or 4th. In the near term, wayfinding can help communicate that these businesses are part of the same retail experience. A wayfinding station, like one at the top right, at each commercial cluster and the top of the Walnut bridge can help direct people through the district. Wayfinding can also be simply attached onto existing infrastructure, like utility boxes or street lights. At right, a utility box has wayfinding and historical information and the back of a pedestrian traffic signal has directional signs. Additionally, the concept of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jazz Walkâ&#x20AC;? or themed passage along 2nd Street can help encourage this are to be considered a single experience.

Evolve facades or redevelop building sites to create unbroken commercial experience. Shoppers walk past blank walls, residential entrances, and dark windows to get from one commercial cluster to another. In the long term, key buildings and facades might evolve to add new commercial spaces to create a consistent shopping experience all the way down 2nd Street. In particular, adding a commercial use at the southwest corner of 2nd and Walnut would help draw people down this retail corridor. The appearance of facades also has a role to play. Storefronts can be differentiated from each other to create rhythm along the street. Storefronts can stand out from the rest of the building with details like awnings, color treatments, or a ground floor of a different material from the rest of the building.

BUILDINGS AND SIGNAGE Prioritize quality signage for retailers, including blade signs, sandwich boards, and temporary signs. Retailers require quality signage that makes them noticeable to both drivers and pedestrians. Blade signs that project perpendicular to the building are especially important for pedestrian environments so that people walking can see the shops coming up. Signs can be playful and creative. The facing page has examples. Not all signs have to be attached to a building. Sandwich boards or temporary signs can also be placed on the sidewalk during business hours.

Native Roots offers a great example, with window graphics, blade signs, and sandwich boards all calling attention to the business.

Artist concept of signage that responds to movement of the sun, with murals to cover blank walls.

STREETS AND PUBLIC SPACE As one of the most dense and walkable districts in the city, Deep Deuce generally has comfortable streets. The widths of sidewalks, size of patio spaces, accessibility for the disabled, and design of crosswalks all typically meet or exceed minimum requirements for walkability. However, there is room for improvement in several areas. Creating the street and public space conditions to spark public life is critical to the success of an urban retail experience.

Improve existing public spaces. The dog park and plaza at 2nd and Oklahoma Avenue is one of the most active outdoor spaces, but there is room for improvement. The space is used for sitting down, walking pets, and for passing through to get to Bricktown. Because people with pets gather here regularly, it is one of the highlights for building relationships among the Deep Deuce community. With so many people visiting this park, it might be time to consider how a redesign of the space could enhance the performance of the space and accommodate more programming. With a fresh landscape design and additional amenities, this park can generate activity that will help nearby businesses.

Turn vacant lots into temporary or permanent pocket parks. The map on this page identifies vacant lots that represent opportunities to add public space in Deep Deuce. While these lots may eventually be developed, temporary and moveable surfaces and furnishings could allow people to program events and spend time in the spaces in the interim.

STREETS AND PUBLIC SPACE Create a new public space on the old railroad bridge south of Deep Deuce. This railroad bridge with wooden trellises is a fascinating structure in Deep Deuce, passing right over 2nd Street. At the west edge of Deep Deuce, the trellis offers views to Untitled Gallery and down 2nd Street to businesses there. At the southeast edge of Deep Deuce, the right-of-way connects with the Wedge and Skinny Slimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The right-of-way is currently overgrown but people already pass through the space to get between Bricktown and Deep Deuce. The space could be updated with native grasses and a pathway. Adding stairs at key intersections would integrate this experience as part of the retail experience at street level.

Enhance street activity. Deep Deuce has very walkable sidewalks, but they are not always lively. Lively sidewalks with activity create a more dynamic and attractive retail experience. Sidewalks could be enhanced with public art, plants and furniture on residential stoops and balconies, bulletin boards to pin up posters for upcoming events, little free libraries, or even garden boxes.

STREETS AND PUBLIC SPACE Use tactical urbanism to test ideas for a Walnut road diet. With its cultural history and geographic significance, Walnut could be the heart of Deep Deuce. With 6,000 vehicles per day, it is also the best source of potential customers. However, the four-lane section of the street means that pedestrians must cross 50 feet of roadway to pass between two halves of Deep Deuce. In addition, drivers on Walnut are exiting the freeway at high speeds dangerous to walkable urban retail districts. At a minimum, fresh, bold crosswalks are needed on Walnut to make crossing safer. A road diet narrowing the street to two travel lanes would slow down traffic and benefit Deep Deuce residents, businesses, and visitors. The two outside travel lanes can be repurposed to something more beneficial to the district. The street could have on-street parking, a protected bike lane, or wider sidewalks. A Better Block-style tactical urbanism event would allow Deep Deuce to test different ideas for improving Walnut.

Make comfortable pedestrian and bicycle connections to nearby districts and the new streetcar route. Deep Deuce must be a part of the broader downtown Oklahoma City experience. Currently, Deep Deuce is a very walkable island, but conditions on streets that connect the district to Bricktown, Automobile Alley, the Central Business District, and Health Center are not always comfortable for pedestrians. The streets marked in red below connect Deep Deuce with other retail districts and with office workers and residents that could be a source of customers. In order to walk to Deep Deuce from these areas, people have to pass through barren landscapes, parking lots, wide intersections, and multi-lane roadways. In the near future, accessing the Oklahoma City Streetcar from Deep Deuce will require crossing these landscapes. The success of the streetcar may depend on making it comfortable for Deep Deuce residents to use the service frequently. In some cases, these connections will take time to be made much more comfortable by new developments. In other cases, fresh crosswalks, road diets, and wayfinding might help right away. 1. Connecting Deep Deuce to the streetcar depends on extremely comfortable pedestrian connections. 2. Wide roads, freeway traffic, and awkward intersections make travel uncomfortable from Deep Deuce to Auto Alley 3. 4th Street east of Walnut is four lanes but only carries 3,000-5,000 vehicles per day. It is a good candidate for a road diet connecting to the Katy Trail bicycle route and downtown bike lanes. 4. EK Gaylord intersections will be improved with new Deep Deuce gateway signage. 5. A formal passage through the parking lot at Oklahoma Avenue would be a good addition. 6. Bricktown connections will be improved by the Steelyard development.

COLLABORATORS City Center Development

Richard McKown, Developer Kara Bundren, Real Estate Development Manager

Downtown OKC, Inc.

Mallory Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill, Director of District Management Staci Sanger, Director of Marketing and Placemaking

University of Oklahoma College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities Shane Hampton, Executive Director Hope Mander, Associate Director Ron Frantz, Director of Small Towns Studios

Students in Environmental Design Practicum Nolan Aparicio, Environmental Design Nicholas Autry, Environmental Design Carmen Bellis, Architecture Julie Benyshek, Environmental Design Matthew Kessler, Environmental Design Natalie Kreslins, Environmental Design Joseph Lama, Environmental Design Caleb Masters, Environmental Design Ashley McCarrell, Interior Design Nicholas Nguyen, Architecture Collin Power, Environmental Design Ian Ruhnke, Environmental Design Caleb Stuemky, Environmental Design Victor Trautmann, Architecture

Report Prepared By: The University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities College of Architecture 830 Van Vleet Oval Suite 165 Norman, Oklahoma 73019