Tulsa World: Piers OK for riverside cafe

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Piers OK for riverside cafe
With river-building approval obtained, work on the Blue Rose Cafe is set to begin in early 2010.

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 11/29/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 11/29/2009 4:12 AM

The Army Corps of Engineers has cleared the way for the Blue Rose Cafe to sit on piers overlooking the Arkansas River just north of the 21st Street Bridge.

Construction is expected to begin after the first of the year on the full-service restaurant nestled along the river's east bank.

"There is a real buzz out there and people are getting real excited," said Tom Dittus, the owner of the Blue Rose Cafe, which once was a popular spot on Brookside in the 1990s.

"The visibility of the project is just amazing. It's going to be a real jewel down there," he said. "I just can't believe I get to do this."

Completion of the restaurant is planned for late spring or early summer.

"I'm working with some really smart people. All I know how to do is pop cold beer and flip hamburgers," Dittus quipped.

"It's going to be a great place to hang out."

Obtaining a 404 permit from the corps, which regulates activities on the waterways, was necessary because the design has the restaurant anchored to piers set into the river bed in a small cove area, said Keith Franklin, the owner of LandPlan Consultants, which is assisting with the project.

"Now that the corps hurdle has been cleared, the project can move forward," he said.

In addition to the main restaurant, the project includes renovating the small cabana-style structure that once housed the River's Edge Bistro and Cafe.

The total project is estimated to cost $685,000, of which $250,000 will come from 2006 third-penny sales tax funds for infrastructure improvements such as lowering the trail a few feet, expanding the parking lot and extending utilities.

Of the estimated $435,000 in private funds, about $350,000 will go toward the main restaurant, the Blue Rose Cafe, and $85,000 will be used to renovate the cabana to serve trail users with takeout food and beverages, said Ted Reeds, the architect for the project.

Dittus said the cabana will be named Elwood's after the Blue Rose's penguin mascot. A naming contest was held in the mid-1990s at the Brookside site.

The renovation of Elwood's will begin this week, mostly involving cosmetic fixes with the exception of replacing the roof and repairing termite damage, Reeds said.

Not only will Elwood's be a takeout eatery, it also will sell Frisbees, suntan lotion, fishing gear, sunglasses and other park necessities, Dittus said.

"The cabana structure wasn't part of the initial plan, but it had enough presence and history that we decided to include it, knowing that it would enhance the Blue Rose experience," he said.

Reeds said the Blue Rose group will clean up and maintain the restrooms at the cabana area until the city builds a new restroom area to be located closer to 17th Street, north of the nearby playground.

Elwood's is expected to open by Christmas and will continue to feature musicians as it did before, Dittus said.

He said the Blue Rose team is going all-out on the restaurant with a great concept and location.

Reeds said the "idea of the cafe is to put it on the river — to make it part of the park and the river at the same time — bring river to land."

The restaurant deck is designed to allow patrons to overlook the river and watch the sunset or watch the activities in the park.

The Blue Rose design is "a tribute to ranch-style homes that are so prevalent in Tulsa," Reeds said.

"I think the style fits on the river. And with the horizontal lines and shallow roof pitch, it will nestle in there more comfortably rather than having a giant museum there," he said.

"We kept it simple — simple and elegant."

The concept is designed to be light and airy, with the seating area surrounded by windows that are operable for natural ventilation, Reeds said

Franklin said the alignment of the River Parks trail will not change, but it will be lowered a few feet in a section in front of the restaurant to allow trail users to go underneath a pedestrian bridge that connects the parking lot to the cafe's main entrance.

The parking lot will be raised to the level of Riverside Drive. It currently sits lower, Franklin said.

The parking lot also will be expanded to the north to include an additional 23 spaces, he said.

Trail users and patrons arriving by car will access the Blue Rose Cafe by the bridge. There also will be stair access from the lower deck near the water.

The parking lot, utility relocations and trail adjustment will be done by the city and the work is expected to occur in early 2010 through the bidding process, Franklin said.

For more than a decade, the Blue Rose Cafe was a popular restaurant in Brookside. Dittus closed the restaurant in 2001 to dedicate his time and resources to his late brother, who at the time was undergoing cancer treatments in Germany.

The cafe will offer a menu and drinks similar to its previous fare.

P.J. Lassek 581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "SUNDAY: Blue Rose Cafe construction to begin," which was published on 11/28/2009.

	Report Comment PhoenixIX, Jenks (11/28/2009 3:13:54 PM) Great...ANOTHER BAR in Tulsa and more loud motorcycyles! Oh Brother !!
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/28/2009 3:25:45 PM) Entice drinking and driving. Another glamorous place to meet and socialize. Seems to work well in Brookside. Look at how many lives have been ruined there.
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (11/28/2009 3:49:47 PM) I bet you can't believe you get to do this. When I saw the headline and said right on a cool place at last, I saw your vision was only 1/4 pace. Seems to me if you got a loyal following they'll go no matter what. Theirs bigger fish upstream. P......
	Report Comment ProGrowthTulsa, (11/28/2009 4:00:11 PM) The comments on Tulsa World always make me lol... Negative thinking has always gotten Tulsa nowhere, I'm so glad that people are starting to see the light! Peoples lives will continue to get ruined w/or without new construction in Tulsa...sorry they will.
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (11/28/2009 4:32:21 PM) As I ponder among the fumes emanating from PSO/@Ep SIn C£@r3 dabbling their patina in the air. How Romantic watching the one winged ducks ( not silent but none the less victims from pollution on that $£1M¥ stretch of the river.) Yes let us go glory at the plutosphere It's no longer a planet It's just past Uranus
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (11/28/2009 4:44:40 PM) @nother W1£d£!FE. $@nCtu@r¥ ?0? HoHoHo
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (11/28/2009 5:07:08 PM) What's that about Tiger Woods oh yea police aidded DUI. A bar on the river is like shooting fish in the water. Tons of mental health patients in that hood. Just what we need. Greed tempting illness. Another fine recipe for fruiturity. Did the mental health community get a chance to chime in on this. Oh well this is the pretty part of hades.
	Report Comment upinarms, Tulsa (11/28/2009 5:42:59 PM) Why can't we leave the river looking better than we found it? THIS IS NOT BETTER! Why do we have to cover everything with concrete & commercial buildings -- uglifying everything! I wish the river could stay the same as it was before all the effing, so-called improvements. Money suhcks.
	Report Comment Reality, Tulsa (11/28/2009 6:51:50 PM) OMG! For years people have been screaming for riverfront development. Now that it's happening . . . it's not good enough. (If I knew how to convey an eye roll in words I would do it here.) What was conspicuously absent from the multitude of beratements was a meaningful alternative. It's easy to sit back and throw stones when you're not putting your own money on the line. With the raging tide of negativism which sweeps across this community, only the brave few are willing to put their money into a new venture like this. But, hey, maybe you're right, let's punish Blue Rose for its entrepreneurial spirit! We don't want to give the impression that entrepreneurs are welcome in Tulsa, do we?
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/28/2009 7:07:27 PM) Not really, they are just after our money. Besides I know many who could never benefit from their ventures as most of them are not affordable for many in teh community. As for the river project, presently many families can go out and enjoy it now for free. Build this and many will have to pay for it's enjoyment. So hey, I say don't bleed your lack of entrepreneurial story on me.
	Report Comment Reality, Tulsa (11/28/2009 7:51:04 PM) Future World: #1 There's nothing wrong with entrepreneurs wanting to make money off their ventures. How can anyone survive without a profit? Perhaps you would suggest an economic model in which everyone is non-profit? Good idea!! #2 As for your concern about people being able to enjoy the river for free, that will not change. As best as I can tell there are several miles of free river enjoyment and this venture would take up a few lineal feet of one side of the river, at best. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna keep bleeding on you!
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/28/2009 8:03:42 PM) It's OK to continue to bleed on me Reality. I guess I was posing a question that I here from many about our river. Where I come from waterways and ocean front property are state owned easements. Anyone is allow to build on them but they have to grant access to the public for public uses. It's been my experience that when a person or business builds a home or business invests on lake property they basically remove that waterfront property to a private designation. Now OK, for them build. And success breeds further success. Now in 20 years after that section of the river is fully developed, will the public have unfettered access to stroll and fish those banks as we have today?
	Report Comment livinintheburbs, (11/28/2009 8:28:20 PM) Just who are the Swamphouse Partners?
	Report Comment quixote, Tulsa (11/28/2009 8:56:47 PM) People living in the area would be wise to start lobbying to control the noise from this saloon/ restaurant. Blue Rose ruined Brookside for most people living within 4 blocks of it, and sometimes farther. Only criminal nuisance charges against Tom made him stop and then leave Brookside. Tom’s big on blasting that sound afar - it draws in the customers. Noise from this will pretty much carry up, down, and across the river. The powers that be could have picked a restaurant that would blend in more with nature, permit adult bevs, but prohibit outside bands and amplified music - anybody remember acoustic music and conversation? Something more quiet would fit the river better than wasted away again in Tulsaritaville. This will clash with the river and trails and is a big fat mistake.
	Report Comment marlin, (11/28/2009 9:07:52 PM) This is awesome, looking forward to the completion.
	Report Comment photosmart, (11/28/2009 9:33:29 PM) some of you guys would complain if you got a 20% pay increase. Give me a break. Someone, an indenpendant, without building some stupid island in the middle of the river with tax money, this is real development with private money that will surely help to promote more development. The downtown project is stalled, so lets at least get something moving!
	Report Comment Trevor Goodchild, Tulsa (11/28/2009 10:06:37 PM) Just wondering...the upgrade to the trails has been really cool in that area. Will the construction obstruct that or not?
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/28/2009 10:22:17 PM) One project won't have a major impact on the vistas it is today. But imagine in your head a river run wild with development with no zoning codes to control heights, colors, densities, waste water runoff, etc,etc,etc. In twenty years all your favorite fishing holes, and bank side trails won't be the same. But hey, that's progress as they say. My only question is public access to the river banks. In ten years will I still be able to access what will be private property to gain access to the river bank? Please answer that question for me someone.
	Report Comment Libs-R-Us, (11/28/2009 10:45:47 PM) Like I'm gonna drive to a dimly-lit parking lot in a dimly-lit park on Lake Inhofe to pay three prices for sushi, only to get mugged on the way out. Noooooo, thank you....
	Report Comment okie ridgerunner, Small Country Town State Line (11/28/2009 10:52:53 PM) Bad idea for the public.
	Report Comment okie ridgerunner, Small Country Town State Line (11/28/2009 10:53:17 PM) Time will tell the true story.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/28/2009 11:03:18 PM) Okie, "time will tell the true story". Yes it will. But I can see the future. OOOOOO! Now don't be scared. But I see the river like it isn't recognized today. And the public will not have access.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/28/2009 11:11:15 PM) All I can say is, if you treasure the future access rights, controlled development, uniform architecture, colors, design, etc, etc, somebody better prepare a plan for environmental impact, zoning restrictions, now. And be prepared to financially enforce a well heeled developer to propose restrictions on themselves to avoid and limit court challenges to their plans. Our our river and access to that river will change forever. Right now, the only protection I see available is the Creek Indian proposals that will break up any long line commercial developement that will forever restrict public access to my favorite fun bank trail and fishing hole as I know them today.
	Report Comment Elusive, Owasso (11/28/2009 11:15:13 PM) Is that the running/bike path in front of it? How does this development work as far as ownership? Does the city own the property and are leasing it out for a number of years or what? Hows does that work?
	Report Comment KJNOKIE, TULSA (11/28/2009 11:16:40 PM) I hope it doesn't get a lot of sand blowing off the sand bars in the alleged river.

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