OKCTalk reports: My understanding is there will be an announcement at the State of the City address on 7/20:
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Holt: New OKC arena plan coming this summer
By: Kathryn McNutt - The Journal Record - June 21, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY – Look for news about a new downtown arena sometime this summer, Mayor David Holt said Tuesday.
“This summer we hope and expect to present a proposal to the people of Oklahoma City,” Holt said. “It is definitely the issue of 2023.”
Officials with the city and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been in conversations for a year about what the future looks like, he said. The
city’s long-term lease with the NBA franchise ended this month and the parties approved a short-term extension that runs through the
2025-26 season.
“We aren’t in a long-term lease anymore and there is a sense of urgency,” Holt said.
In his 2022 State of the City address last July, Holt said a new arena is critical to keeping the franchise here along with the economic impact it
makes.
The Thunder staying in Oklahoma City is not something to be taken for granted, he said, noting there are 18 cities in the U.S. larger than
Oklahoma City that do not have an NBA team and several of them have opened or have announced the development of NBA-level arenas.
That’s how Oklahoma City snagged its team. The SuperSonics – the franchise that moved here before the 2008-09 season – left Seattle after
failing to get public funding to construct a new arena there.
The downtown arena – now known as the Paycom Center – is 21 years old. It was included in the MAPS program passed in 1993 and opened
in 2002 at an original cost of $89 million. At 586,000 square feet, it is the smallest NBA arena.
Ten of the 30 NBA arenas cost more than $475 million to build and 22 exceed 750,000 total square feet. Square footage allows the amenities
users expect, Holt said.
“How long would it take to build a new facility if we decide to do so? Last time it took nine years,” he said Tuesday. “It still needs to operate at a
high level for a least a few more years.”
The City Council on Tuesday approved final plans and authorized bidding for one phase of improvements expected to cost $5.6 million.
The voter-approved $1 billion MAPS 4 plan includes $111 million for upgrades to the arena, but city officials are holding back $70 million that
could be used toward a new facility. It wouldn’t pay for an arena but would be a start, Holt said.
Three teams play in arenas that cost at least $1 billion when they were built – Golden State Warriors, $1.4 billion; Milwaukee Bucks, $1.2 billion;
and Brooklyn Nets, $1 billion.
Two others plan to open new arenas funded by their ownership. The LA Clippers are on track to open their $2 billion arena in 2024, and the
Philadelphia 76ers’ ownership say it will build a $1.3 billion arena.
Holt wouldn’t discuss how a new Oklahoma City arena might be funded because negotiations are ongoing.
“People should be prepared for news,” he said. “Be ready. It’s coming.”
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