Maps 4 Neighborhoods

[SouthSide]

Thanks. Wrong side of town for me. I will have to follow on facebook.

[Urban Pioneer]

In case this hasn't been posted; bunch of meetings planned in the various council districts to receive community input:

Just a head's up. This flier by their volunteers is wrong. I just went over there to attend the meeting and some guy sheepishly told me and others that it was wrong and that this meeting is actually next Tuesday, the 16th, at 6PM. It looked as though a few people did not get the word and were coming in as I left.

It looks as though their twitter feed hasn't been operated since August although their Facebook page is regularly engaged.

[Pete]

Reminder that the next MAPS 4 meeting is tonight (Tuesday) at City Presbyterian, 829 NW 13th. Park at the Oklahoma Heritage Museum then enter through the red, north doors.

I'm planning to be there... If any of you decide to go send me a PM and we can meet up.


https://www.facebook.com/events/1715992451949573/

[Pete]

Went to this tonight and it was very interesting. Will post a detailed summary soon.

Also, people should turn out for the last of these meeting which will be held on the NW side. I'll post more details on that as well.

Would be great to get a good OKCTalk turnout because it's a legit change to influence what actually goes on the MAPS 4 ballot.

[twade]

Went to this tonight and it was very interesting. Will post a detailed summary soon.

Also, people should turn out for the last of these meeting which will be held on the NW side. I'll post more details on that as well.

Would be great to get a good OKCTalk turnout because it's a legit change to influence what actually goes on the MAPS 4 ballot.

Thanks, look forward to the summary! I wanted to make the meeting last night, but had prior commitments. The last meeting might be worth the drive.

[Pete]

Wanted to provide a quick recap of the MAPS 4 Neighborhoods held earlier this week

This is a grass-roots movement being headed by Jonathan Dodson (Pivot Group: Tower Theater, etc.) and a few other community activists. It's not sanctioned by the City in any way, although the group has been talking to City officials and doing their best to keep them updated.

This was the third of four planned meetings. The first was on the NE side, the second in Capitol Hill and the fourth and last will be Tuesday February 23rd at Tulakes Elementary 6600 Galaxie Drive from 6:00 to 7:30PM.

Dodson said in his conversations with the City and the Chamber of Commerce, MAPS 4 was projected to be about $1 billion in revenues. The desire is to carve out $500 million of that for the MAPS 4 Neighborhood initiatives identified through this process. The $500 MM would be equally split between the 8 City wards. He also said they want to put these projects at the front of the line, with the other half of MAPS being done after all these projects were fully funded. As you may know, MAPS collects $.01 of sales tax and only spends money after is is collected.

The steering/planning committee (Dodson et al) explained 4 general areas had been identified for enhancement through the MAPS 4 Neighborhoods process:

1. Connectivity. Sidewalks, trails, buses, mass transit. Things that bring the various neighborhoods together.
2. Arts & Culture. Leverage the unique history of various neighborhoods.
3. Health. Both physical and mental.
4. Safety. Public safety but also enhancing the feeling of safety around the city.

After the introduction and summary, they then asked us to form groups of 5 or 6 and handed each group a list of 18 questions to help brainstorm ideas. We only had about 30 minutes for this exercise, so the idea was not to answer all 18 but to pick a handful to help flesh out ideas that would generally fit into the four general identified categories.

The questions were things like: What are the best things about your neighborhood? What would you like others to know about your 'hood? What are three ways your 'hood could be improved? Etc.

My group of 5 was pretty interesting: a young woman who lived in the Regency Tower and didn't own a car; a 30-ish guy would lived near SW 59th & Walker; a youngish guy who lived in the Miller neighborhood; and a young guy who lived near the Paseo. And then me: Middle-aged and living in SoSA. (There were people of all ages in the room but the age skewed to the younger. This particular meeting was held at City Presbyterian at 13th & Shartel.)

After the exercise, each group had a spokesman present ideas. There were 7 groups I believe.

The ideas turned out to be very similar and not surprising:

• Finish all the sidewalks identified in MAPS 3 (only half ended up fitting into the final budget) and do more. Fix existing sidewalks.
• Dedicated and protected bike lanes. More trails.
• Improve schools. The Edgemere community school was referenced multiple times a a good example.
• Utilize the schools and grounds to bring the local community together through night classes and other offerings. (My HUGE pet peeve: Locking up the playgrounds and play fields from public use.)
• Better activating the parks through programming and better facilities (water fountains, shade, gazebos, etc.)
• Better lighting for streets and sidewalks.
• Adequate bus shelters and better bus service.
• Expand the streetcar to tie together 'hoods.

Nothing earth-shattering but these ideas are starting to take familiar themes and thus coalesce into specific and targeted projects.

One idea that came out of my group that I thought was excellent: Mini Open Streets for all over City. Not just big commercial streets like 23rd, but more like a neighborhood block party for places like Miller or Gatewood or any other area more or less identified as a 'hood or contiguous group of 'hoods.

The idea being that the City helps facilitate these events to bring people out of their houses and backyards and actually interact. Only good things can come from that.

As we were discussing this it occurred to me that most existing neighborhood groups – including the ones on Nextdoor.com – come together over problems: Proposed development, perceived blight, etc. Then, they often remain centered on bitching and negative things (I have been and am now part of Nextdoor.com 'hood groups and this seems to be the general tone.)


Keep in mind this $500MM has not been promised for neighborhoods but the idea is that these groups will help leverage that but insisting on it before voting for the next round of MAPS.

At least half would still go to the sexy, Chamber-driven stuff like we've had in the past. You can bet they are going to hit hard on diversifying the economy, providing more incentives, etc.


Strongly encourage people to turn out for the last meeting on Feb. 23rd.

[David]

I've put the last meeting on my personal calendar to attend, I should be there.

[Laramie]

Great work Pete, this is exciting news!

Certainly feel that the MAPS 4 Neighborhoods could be the general theme.

A $1 billion initiative with $500 million divided among the eight wards ($62.5 million) designated for the hood could be on solid ground. Let's face the fact that some neighborhoods may possibly need a little more; so a contingency fund could be available to address that--more like a grant after the $400 million is allocated for projects other than neighborhoods like possible upkeep/renovation of some of the previously completed projects which would leave $100 million in a contingency fund.

Will get my hips to the next meeting.



Did they mention anything about improvements of the city parks--to make them more neighborhood friendly or/are they included in the neighborhood package?

[Spartan]

It's kind of asinine that MAPS has to be opened up to the entire city. Yes MAPS 3 mostly sorta focused on the central city, but just for the sake of a convention center. Ward 5, 3, 1, and especially 8 don't need MAPS dollars - and especially don't need $62 million of idiotic pet projects. There is no way to not waste that kind of money in those wards.

It's disappointing to tarnish the MAPS legacy by abandoning the inner city like this. It's one thing to branch out of downtown and start connecting neighborhoods to the core. Once you do that, synergy and prosperity starts to spread outward - but that shouldn't be confused with a desire to have MAPS projects on NW 122nd or up and down I-44 (oh wait we already do).

The inner south side has also been carved up in a way that deliberately prevents that area from having a council seat. It's mostly represented by Meg Salyer, who is an excellent councilor for the downtown area. Is she supposed to forgo $62 million in downtown-area neighborhood projects (money that could really help in CTP, Linwood, C2S, etc) so that Capitol Hill can get stuff? Because that's the only way under this arrangement that Capitol Hill gets anything, unless Pete White puts all of his projects along Shields, which is disconnected from Capitol Hill's actual neighborhood fabric.

This is a huge fail. The sooner we abandon the strategy of spreading MAPS dollars around the city like chunky peanut butter over bread, the better off we will be.

[Pete]

^

Each Ward could spend $62 alone on sidewalks, let alone bus shelters, park improvements, better lighting, etc., etc.

$500MM would likely still go to the core.

[Spartan]

Why should we have sidewalks, bus shelters, and "park" improvements in Ward 8? They already have a nicer park (Martin Park) than anything on the south side. I don't get it. Also like I said, the wards don't AT ALL correspond to the city's neighborhoods. They're arbitrarily drawn to keep certain council people in office, and certain parts of town (Capitol Hill) on the outside looking in.

ANY of this money being spent outside of wards 2, 6, and 7 is anti-MAPS. This isn't an alternate CDBG for high-income census tracts that otherwise don't qualify for projects. MAPS is a place-based revitalization mechanism. We've never had qualification standards for census tracts, but MAYBE we should if it's just a city-wide free-for-all.

[bradh]

I live in ward 8 and agree with Spartan, as much as he probably despises my life choices.

[Spartan]

I don't. I'm from Ward 5. I will just say we also don't need MAPS dollars in the city's highest-income ZIP code... we instead need the inner south side revitalized so that blight and other trends stop creeping southward.

We need to both keep investing in a strong beating heart, but at the same time the time is right to connect neighborhoods into that beating heart. No denying that. However, let's not miss the forest for the tree. You don't fix the south side by totally skipping over the south side's challenge area.

I can't say enough how this is the most idiotic community development strategy I have EVER seen and I am not one bit surprised. If this transpires, MAPS is toast. It also really annoys me when people put stupid ideas and words in my mouth. I'm not a straw man and I don't like my message being totally misconstrued.

[Pete]

First of all, why not spend MAPS money in those wards? MAPS is about making OKC better, not just downtown.

Secondly, another MAPS likely won't pass unless they spread the love. There is enough political opposition to another 95% downtown Chamber-driven tax that it will never get passed otherwise.

[Spartan]

First, MAPS is about the inner city. That's what it has always been. Secondly, then let's not have a 95% downtown Chamber-driven tax.

You're asking why not spend money in those wards? I'm giving you a litany of why not... better question is WHY?

Also you'll recall that most of the MAPS opposition comes from the south side. We'll really solve that issue by apportioning MAPS dollars into 3 mostly-south wards, and 5 mostly-north wards. Brilliant!

[bchris02]

I personally think OKC has progressed beyond its need for MAPS as we have known it in the past. The original intention of MAPS was to kickstart a dead downtown, which has been accomplished.

I think at this point, infrastructure improvement, lighting, sidewalks, parks, schools, etc should be the focus and it sounds like the direction they are going. I think in terms of sidewalks, they need to do a study to determine where they make the most sense. So much of this city, even in the urban core, does not have them and there won't be enough money to do a complete build out, so they need to be placed where they are most needed. I also really like that they are pursuing streetcar expansion. I think its essential that the streetcar gets expanded at least to Capitol Hill, NE OKC, and as far as 63rd and Western within the next decade.

I am torn though on whether or not to call this MAPS. Most of what is being talked about could be accomplished through a massive bond package.

I also hate to say it, but there are some parts of OKC that will never be revitalized and the city is better off as a whole not throwing money at those areas for the sake of getting votes, because that's less money for parts of the city that could really benefit.

[checkthat]

As you may know, MAPS collects $.01 of sales tax and only spends money after is is collected.

Selling it as a penny tax has always bothered me. Why don't we raise property or income taxes by a penny to pay for these initiatives? Because that is 1% and people will freak out. When it comes to sales tax though, hey, it is just a penny.

[Pete]

First, MAPS is about the inner city. That's what it has always been. Secondly, then let's not have a 95% downtown Chamber-driven tax.

You're asking why not spend money in those wards? I'm giving you a litany of why not... better question is WHY?

Also you'll recall that most of the MAPS opposition comes from the south side. We'll really solve that issue by apportioning MAPS dollars into 3 mostly-south wards, and 5 mostly-north wards. Brilliant!

Absolutely nothing in the MAPS charter or promotional materials on anything else says it's for the inner city.

I already gave you good reasons to spend money in those wards... Are they less deserving of sidewalks and public transportation and parks?

I'm not talking about where previous opposition came from... I'm talking about the current reality of organized political opposition and the ability to effectively kill any MAPS votes by mobilizing a base of people large enough make the difference, as public turnout is always so low.

[Pete]

Selling it as a penny tax has always bothered me. Why don't we raise property or income taxes by a penny to pay for these initiatives? Because that is 1% and people will freak out. When it comes to sales tax though, hey, it is just a penny.

Remember lots of people pay sales tax in OKC that don't live in OKC. Hotels, restaurants and stores... Not only tourists but people who live in Yukon and Edmond and Moore.

[Just the facts]

Sorry - I just have to laugh at this whole idea. I can't wait to see which ward uses their $62 million to lure a Walmart shopping center.

[Pete]

Sorry - I just have to laugh at this whole idea. I can't wait to see which ward uses their $62 million to lure a Walmart shopping center.

There would be specific projects just like every other MAPS.

[Pete]

Recent podcast on this subject with some of the organizers:

Episode 59 - Maps4Neighborhoods

[5alive]

Well darn. I was just getting all excited about these ideas and then a few negative comments dampened my enthusiasm. I don't necessarily mind criticism but not when it is caustic, overly critical and ridicules ideas of well intentioned citizens.

[Spartan]

I personally think OKC has progressed beyond its need for MAPS as we have known it in the past. The original intention of MAPS was to kickstart a dead downtown, which has been accomplished.

I think at this point, infrastructure improvement, lighting, sidewalks, parks, schools, etc should be the focus and it sounds like the direction they are going. I think in terms of sidewalks, they need to do a study to determine where they make the most sense. So much of this city, even in the urban core, does not have them and there won't be enough money to do a complete build out, so they need to be placed where they are most needed. I also really like that they are pursuing streetcar expansion. I think its essential that the streetcar gets expanded at least to Capitol Hill, NE OKC, and as far as 63rd and Western within the next decade.

I am torn though on whether or not to call this MAPS. Most of what is being talked about could be accomplished through a massive bond package.

I also hate to say it, but there are some parts of OKC that will never be revitalized and the city is better off as a whole not throwing money at those areas for the sake of getting votes, because that's less money for parts of the city that could really benefit.

However you would be wrong to say that the entire south side will never be revitalized. That said, it's not about replacing lower-income minorities with gentrifiers. The community that lives on the south side deserves place-based strategies as well, through which we can improve lives and the south side could be revitalized in place, and not on paper. It's time to rethink the goals of revitalization if we're really serious about it, and I think a lot of words get bandied about, but they all simply refer to the act of investing public resources into an area to better it.

Your original text is in bold, and my responses are in red.

Absolutely nothing in the MAPS charter or promotional materials on anything else says it's for the inner city. Are you really going to make the argument that MAPS was never about downtown? You should just let us know, because if so, it's not even worth arguing over. People who live in separate realities won't ever see eye to eye and that's just the way that cookie crumbles.

"The $350 million sales tax-funded initiative was created to revitalize Downtown (including an area of empty warehouses), improve Oklahoma City’s national image and provide new and upgraded cultural, sports, recreation, entertainment and convention facilities. "

https://www.okc.gov/maps3/mapshistory.html

There is also nothing in the MAPS charter about the PROJECTS themselves, so I'm not sure you really want to use the charter as evidence of anything.

I already gave you good reasons to spend money in those wards... Are they less deserving of sidewalks and public transportation and parks? Yes, they are "less deserving" of amenities that inner city neighborhoods don't even have. Sidewalks and public transportation going where? It's literally beyond my understanding how anyone wouldn't want those connected to something, and to go where the need is. The need for this is not Ward 8 or Ward 4, sorry.

You can't say, "I'm tired of seeing low-income folks walking in the street and traipsing through yards on Western Avenue, so I'm going to go build some sidewalks on Western north of Memorial Road! Problem solved!

I'm not talking about where previous opposition came from... I'm talking about the current reality of organized political opposition and the ability to effectively kill any MAPS votes by mobilizing a base of people large enough make the difference, as public turnout is always so low. You just keep reiterating yourself. You have a good point but it's misguided bc while there is opposition, it's not on the north side. It's on the south side. That was a huge trend that everyone had to notice after MAPS 3 passed. You don't get the south side on board by dispersing MAPS dollars 5 to 3 in favor of the north side, assuming that Meg Salyer isn't going to spend her $62 million south of the river (which is a safe assumption as CTP and the Linwood corridor make more sense).

I really wish people were more thoughtful. There is nuance to this kind of stuff. This isn't a pizza that's already sliced up for everyone. MAPS will lose support from people who actually want urban revitalization and are tired of being strung along to support everyone else's goals by theirs.

Why should Ward 8 and Ward 5 get "an equal share" of MAPS dollars when the lower-income inner city neighborhoods NEVER get an equal share of anything other than CDBG? Look at where all of our subsidy goes - downtown, Memorial Road, Council Road, Northwest Expressway, etc. The desire to make MAPS work for neighborhoods doesn't mean there is a desire to make MAPS do equally nothing for ALL neighborhoods. You can't have a compromise built on inequity.

I am literally incensed by the idiocy of this approach. It is literally an affront to anyone working to actually revitalize neighborhoods that need it and I hope that this is not taken seriously.

[Pete]

As a reminder, there will be a big general obligation bond that may be voted on concurrently with MAPS 4 next year.

Some streets and infrastructure will be covered but even with half a billion and a big G.O. Bond, we won't come close to touching all the needed sidewalks, bus shelters, lighting and just basics that the huge majority of this city is lacking.

I find it embarrassing and even shameful to see someone in a wheelchair going down Classen because there is no sidewalk (witnessed this several times). I also saw a blind school-aged kid walking in the street on Western near 23rd, banging his cane against the curb. Just minutes later, I saw a young mother with her stroller in the street with a toddler trailing behind. It made my stomach hurt.

And this is in the areas that are supposed to now be much improved. Take a little trip to the NE side or Capitol Hill or even big parts of NW OKC.

This is tax money paid by everyone with the fundamental idea of improving ALL of OKC, not just the core. That was the original mission and remains to this day.