For an incredible series of building programs, the goal of which are to improve the quality of life for its residents, culminating in the start of the largest project in city history last year, ENR Texas & Louisiana has named the city of Oklahoma City as its 2019 Owner of the Year.
Oklahoma City has been spurring construction activity over the last two decades with a capital improvement program called the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) initiative. Voters passed the first iteration in December 1993, and funded by a one-cent sales tax, the program generated over $309 million to build projects such as the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and the Bricktown Canal. A MAPS for Kids program followed in 2001, raising $700 million campaign to improve schools in districts bordering the city.
OKC is now nearing the end of MAPS 3, which is a $777 million campaign voters approved in 2009 toward a slew of building initiatives—also funded by a one-cent sales tax. These include the $132 million Scissortail Park, construction on which began in 2017, a $135-million streetcar system project, which began service in December 2018, along with senior health and wellness centers, river improvements, and a number of other projects. The construction duration for MAPS 3 spans from 2012 to 2021.
Another project is the $288 million MAPS 3 Convention Center—the biggest project in city history. Among its features are a 200,000-sq-ft exhibit hall, 45,000 sq ft of meeting spaces and a 30,000-sq-ft ballroom. Construction began on the convention center in June 2018 and it will be complete in 2020.
And the city doesn't plan to stop there. Next up is MAPS 4, which the city anticipates voters will decide upon in December 2019. OKC officials are currently soliciting the public for ideas on projects for the MAPS 4 program as well.
Be sure to check out more about the city of Oklahoma City in ENR Texas & Louisiana's April 15 issue!
