On December 10th OKCMAR is asking every member who is a resident of Oklahoma City to vote for MAPS 4. Joining the Citizens for MAPS 4 campaign, OKCMAR continues its support and resources to pass a ballot initiative that will continue improving the community. The 16 projects that the MAPS 4 will fund continues the tradition of MAPS ballot initiatives addressing important needs in the community.
The temporary one-cent City sales tax will begin being collected on April 1, 2020, the day after the temporary one-cent Better Streets, Safer City tax which is already beginning to transform our streets and roadways ends. Collections will last eight years and is expected to raise $978 million in total.
The 16 projects that comprise MAPS 4 can be broken down into four broad categories: human needs, economic and job-creating initiatives, neighborhood needs and quality-of-life projects.
The projects are:
Animal Shelter
MAPS 4 would allocate $38 million for a main animal shelter to replace OKC Animal Welfare’s current facility, which is dated and inadequate.
Beautification
MAPS 4 would allocate $25 million across the City for entrance gateways along interstates, Will Rogers Airport, corridors to NE Okla. City, OCU, Bricktown, American Indian Cultural Center. It would add pedestrian bridges to access areas of the city. Update low maintenance landscaping at key arterial roads. Add public art/monuments to include a Ralph Ellison Statute. Create a beautification maintenance fund.
Chesapeake Energy Arena and related facilities
MAPS 4 would allocate $115 million to address maintenance and facility upgrades at Chesapeake Energy Arena and a related new sports facility at 9600 N Oklahoma Ave.
Diversion Hub
MAPS 4 will provide a $17 million “diversion hub” to transform the City’s approach to criminal justice, relieve pressure on the Oklahoma County jail and help low-level offenders establish a more productive life. Operational costs will be covered by a philanthropic donation of $20 million that has been offered to the City.
Family Justice Center
MAPS 4 will sustain the transformational effects of Palomar by building a new, permanent, $38 million facility for the family justice center that was first created by the Oklahoma City Police Department. Palomar assists victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, human trafficking, and supports children exposed to trauma.
Fairgrounds Coliseum
MAPS 4 would replace the aging Fairgrounds Jim Norick Arena with a new coliseum. The coliseum would be the new home of major national, state and local events and will continue to attract visitors from around the world. MAPS 4 allocates $63 million to the project, to be supplemented by at least $25 million from hotel tax revenues already earmarked for fairgrounds improvements, as well as other resources.
Freedom Center and Clara Luper Civil rights Center
MAPS 4 will allocate $16 million to save and renovate the Freedom Center in NE Okla. City and build the Clara Luper Civil Rights Museum to transform Oklahoma City’s knowledge of our civil rights history and help transform the future of northeast OKC and our entire community. Another $9 million operating fund will be created to guarantee the long-term sustainability of the project.
Homelessness
MAPS 4 will significantly transform Oklahoma City’s approach to reducing and eventually eliminating homelessness with a $50 million investment in truly affordable housing. This investment accompanied by wrap-around services from existing providers is expected to leverage more than $400 million in funding from other sources.
Innovation District
MAPS 4 will help transform our entrepreneurial ecosystem by making investments in the Innovation District in near northeast Oklahoma City. This $71 million allocation will create jobs and encourage more diversification of our City’s economy. A $15 million investment creating the Henrietta B. Foster Center for Northeast Small Business Development and Entrepreneurship, to specifically include minority small and disadvantaged businesses. An additional $25 million creating better connectivity in and around the Innovation District. A $10 million allocation is available to match $10 million raised from non-MAPS sources for an “Innovation Hall” to serve as a central place where activities to grow our city’s innovation economy can be facilitated. Finally, a $21 million operating fund will help with the operations of the
Foster Center and the Innovation Hall.
Mental Health & Addiction
MAPS 4 will transform Oklahoma City’s mental health system with $40 million in capital projects that will provide new mental health and substance abuse services and relieve pressure on the Oklahoma County jail. The package includes $11 million to build two new mental health crisis centers and a $22 million restoration center that includes a crisis center, methamphetamine detox, substance abuse services and more. MAPS 4 also includes $7 million for temporary housing for people experiencing mental illness and homelessness while transitioning out of a crisis center. The operational costs would be covered by non-City sources.
Multi-Purpose Stadium
MAPS 4 will allocate $37 million to construct a multipurpose stadium. This facility would be suitable for professional and college soccer, high school football and soccer, concerts and other events. Oklahoma City is believed to be the only top 50 city without access to a multipurpose stadium suitable for such events.
Parks
MAPS 4 would allocate $63 million to upgrade every Oklahoma City park to include: an operating fund for park upgrades ($16.5 million), new soccer and related facilities ($29 million), Oklahoma River enhancements ($11.5 million), community gardens ($500,000), outdoor basketball and pickleball courts ($500,000), placemaking at Lake Stanley Draper ($2.5 million), renovation of Booker T. Washington Park ($5 million), Minnis Lakeview Park improvements ($500,000), Northeast Community Center enhancements ($2 million), new park in Canadian County ($2.25 million), new park in Cleveland County ($2.25 million), new park in southeast OKC ($2.25 million), new park in far northeast OKC ($2.25 million).
Senior Wellness Centers
The MAPS 4 package allocates $30 million to continue the transformation that MAPS 3 started in the lives of our city’s seniors. The package provides for a fifth senior wellness center ($15 million) to address coverage gaps remaining after MAPS 3. Additionally, MAPS 4 would create a $15 million fund to provide scholarships for low-income seniors using the MAPS senior centers.
Sidewalks, Bike Lanes, Trails and Streetlights
MAPS 4 would provide $87 million to transform the environment in neighborhoods across the city by providing major funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and streetlights. First, $55 million is for the construction of sidewalks, sidewalk amenities and placemaking. The amenities potentially include trees, sustainable infrastructure, landscaping, drainage and public art, prioritizing the Pedestrian Priority Areas and schools identified by the Bikewalkokc plan, as well as other districts and community assets. Another $20 million for the construction of bicycle lanes and related bicycle facilities. Another $8 million for trail connectivity to Lake Stanley Draper and the Oklahoma River in south Oklahoma City, as well as trail amenities potentially including bathrooms, fountains and signage throughout the Oklahoma City trail system. Finally, $4 million is for the placement of 1,000 new streetlights in areas that lack them.
Transit
MAPS 4 would allocate $87 million for the continued transformation of our public transit system. The budget includes $10 million to improve existing bus stops with lighting at every stop and approximately 500 new ADA-accessible shelters. Another $12 million investment in More buses and signal prioritization to help frequency and reliability of services. The package also includes $60 million for advanced transit options that could include bus rapid transit lines to south OKC/Capitol Hill, the NE 23rd Street corridor, the Adventure District and the Innovation District, plus park-and-ride facilities and micro transit. Future planning and land acquisition investments of $5 million are also included.
Youth Centers
MAPS 4 would allocate $110 million to afterschool and summer programming for at least four new youth centers. The state-of-the-art centers would include programing for athletics, arts, family, health and education. The package includes $70 million for capital, $30 million for an operating fund.
MAPS 4 continues the Oklahoma City’s visionary capital improvement program for quality of life improvement projects. The original MAPS program was funded by a five-year, one-cent sales tax passed by Oklahoma City voters in December 1993. The initiative called for the renovation and/or construction of nine major projects in Oklahoma City’s central business district, many of which are hard to imagine our city without today–Chesapeake Energy Arena, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, the Bricktown Canal and more. Since the passage of the original MAPS in 1993, Oklahoma City has seen more than $5 billion in new public and private investment throughout the city.
MAPS for Kids the second MAPS program was then passed by voters on November 2001, which was another temporary 1-cent sales tax over seven years to fund construction and renovations to Oklahoma City’s public schools. More than 400 approved school projects and 70 new and renovated schools in 24 school districts in the Oklahoma City area were completed, with 70 percent of funds going to Oklahoma City Public Schools and the remainder to suburban districts.
Voters approved MAPS 3 in December 2009, which was similar to the original MAPS in that it consisted of eight major projects all throughout the city, including Senior Health and Wellness Centers, Scissortail Park, RIVERSPORT Rapids, a new Convention Center, new trails for running and cycling, and more. The final project is expected to be finished in 2022.
This proposal is a continuation of efforts to grow the community and help meet identified needs that are unmet or need additional funding or resources. The 16 projects that have been selected align with the goals not only set by OKCMAR, but they also align with policy initiatives promoted and supported by NAR. They include placemaking projects, affordable housing, infrastructure development and improved quality of life initiatives.