OKC MAPS PROJECTS – 25 YEARS
MAPS Right’ was viewed as a common-sense adjustment to the initial plan and passed with a 67% majority. Direct collections totaled $309 million while interest earnings provided an additional $54 million. The sales tax expired on July 1, 1999, raising a cumulative total of $363 million. Federal funds covered $4.6 million of the cost of the trolley system. MAPS - Economic Development Characteristics . The overarching theme of the initial MAPS projects was the revitalization of downtown Oklahoma City as the center of civic life in the greater Oklahoma City area. Externally, the efforts were intended to enhance the national image of the city and its fledgling status as a convention and tourism destination. Six of the nine venues in MAPS have an entertainment component, including the arena, ballpark, river, music hall, canal, and fairgrounds. These new and upgraded public venues provided numerous opportunities for entertainment, recreation, and cultural and arts activities for both city residents and non-resident visitors. Eight of the nine MAPS projects (not the public library) have an outward focus on increased tourism, by both in-state and out-of-state visitors. These new downtown public venues offered several attractive venues for visitors to make repeated visits to the area for entertainment and recreation. The Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and Chesapeake Arena are directly related to fan-attended sporting events. The Ballpark was a modern replacement for the aging All Sports Stadium located at the state fairgrounds where prior professional teams played from 1962 to 1997. Professional baseball in Oklahoma City is traced back almost uninterrupted to 1904. 4 The new stadium has been ranked among the best minor league ballparks in the country. 5 The Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, are currently based in Oklahoma City and play their home games at the Ballpark. The canal is now a centerpiece of the revitalization of Bricktown, which has become downtown’s primary entertainment district. The formerly deteriorating area is home to continued private investment and sharply rising property values. Extensive redevelopment of existing structures from the historic warehouse district maintains its early roots in city history. A key aspect of the area’s revitalization is the development of an extensive network of new hotels, retail vendors, and foodservice operators. Bricktown is also an active area for residential real estate development and increasingly office space development. The completion of Chesapeake Arena was a key factor in the temporary relocation of the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City for home games during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons following Hurricane Katrina. The availability of newly constructed and NBA-suitable Chesapeake Arena coupled with the success of hosting an NBA franchise for two seasons in Oklahoma City ultimately contributed to the relocation of the Oklahoma City Thunder beginning with the 2008-09 season. The presence of the Thunder propelled Oklahoma City into the exclusive tier of cities with a major sports franchise. The Thunder are now viewed as a key lifestyle amenity for residents, with the team having drawn annual attendance at the full capacity of the arena annually since 2012. 6 The Oklahoma River system has become an anchor recreational destination downtown. The seven-mile system of parks, greenways, trails, and recreational amenities provides riverfront activities for residents and visitors alike. The Boathouse District is home to Olympic-level rowing and whitewater venues that
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