As cranes lifted the first containers into place for what will be the home of OK Sea in Deep Deuce, developer Richard McKown paused and acknowledged from the very start of planning, it was all about the dogs.

And that is why a dog park — and a “gourmet” corn dog restaurant and bar, Anchor Down, to be operated by the owners The Mule in the Plaza District — are set to anchor OK Sea when it opens within the next few months.

OK Sea is the first multi-story, mixed-used shipping container project to be attempted in the state, and is being built at NE 2 and Oklahoma Avenue, immediately west of a pocket park that hasn’t seen much activity since it was built about five years ago. McKown, developer of the nearby Level and Mosaic apartments, understood why — for years, the park was a windy, desolate place with empty lots to the east and west.

“There wasn’t a lot around, and the only thing we saw were people bringing their dogs down to relieve themselves,” McKown said.