New arena or upgrade the Ford Center?

[JavaDaves]

New arena or upgrade the Ford Center?

[Easy180]

Will have to do both to obtain and retain an NBA team

[andy157]

Will have to do both to obtain and retain an NBA team

Do you think they will include the building of a new arena in Maps 3? Or, will it be a stand alone vote?

[metro]

Yeah, there really needs to be a both option. As in upgrade the arena enough for 5+years until a new one can start construction.

[andy157]

Yeah, there really needs to be a both option. As in upgrade the arena enough for 5+years until a new one can start construction.

I agree. The solution to pay for the temporary upgrades has been dealt with. But we will still have to pay for the new arena in 5 years. How are we going to pay for that?

[betts]

I agree. The solution to pay for the temporary upgrades has been dealt with. But we will still have to pay for the new arena in 5 years. How are we going to pay for that?

What? There will be no new arena in five years. Even if it were necessary, which it will not be, no one would ever vote to pass a tax for a new arena in five years, me included.

[andy157]

What? There will be no new arena in five years. Even if it were necessary, which it will not be, no one would ever vote to pass a tax for a new arena in five years, me included.

I didn't say we needed one. But others have. I was just curious how we would be paying for it.

[Intrepid]

I agree. Both will have to occur.

[Martin]

ok... so where should this new arena to be located? -M

[NE Oasis]

I don't know enough about NBA arena's - WIll it be a dedicated facility or available for other uses? My vote would be somewhere between McArthur and Yukon close to I-40. That area has enough land available for parking as well as a roomy facility. Close proximity to I-40 would help fans as well as team staff should the Ford Center become the Okahoma Bolters practice facility and team offices be in Bricktown.

[PUGalicious]

My vote would be somewhere between McArthur and Yukon close to I-40. That area has enough land available for parking as well as a roomy facility. Close proximity to I-40 would help fans as well as team staff should the Ford Center become the Okahoma Bolters practice facility and team offices be in Bricktown.

What????? Why would you have it away from downtown? If you moved it there you certainly limit its uses.

Okahoma Bolters

WHAT??????? Bolters?

I think I'm gonna be sick.

[okclee]

I don't know enough about NBA arena's - WIll it be a dedicated facility or available for other uses? My vote would be somewhere between McArthur and Yukon close to I-40. That area has enough land available for parking as well as a roomy facility. Close proximity to I-40 would help fans as well as team staff should the Ford Center become the Okahoma Bolters practice facility and team offices be in Bricktown.

LMAO........


I think we should locate it somewhere between Guymon and Bowlegs.

[mranderson]

LMAO........


I think we should locate it somewhere between Guymon and Bowlegs.

I was thinking we should build that 500 million dollar arena in Slapout. Then the people of Oklahoma City would be slap out of money.

[NE Oasis]

I don't know enough about NBA arena's - WIll it be a dedicated facility or available for other uses? My vote would be somewhere between McArthur and Yukon close to I-40. That area has enough land available for parking as well as a roomy facility. Close proximity to I-40 would help fans as well as team staff should the Ford Center become the Okahoma Bolters practice facility and team offices be in Bricktown.

I feel like a narcissic(sp) dork quoting myself, but I don't know any other options. My suggestion for a new arena to the west was more due to economics that anything else, I don't know how much land would be required for a first rate facility with room to grow ten years after completion when team owners consider it dated.

Okahoma Bolters was an attempt to start discusson for a name other than Sonics, (too much pressure on Cliff Hudson as well as easy work for late night TV writers) since the team is bolting from Seattle.

[brianinok]

The Ford Center should simply be updated as long as that is physically and financially smart to do. Look at Madison Square Garden in NYC. It has been updated numerous times and is a nice NBA area, despite the fact that it is old. On the flip side, look at the arena that causes most of this talk-- Key Arena in Seattle. While it too has been updated numerous times, it cannot be updated to NBA standards physically or in a financially smart way. It would cost too much money. We should concentrate on updating the Ford Center every so often to keep it NBA-worthy. But, we should not be naive enough to think that a new area MIGHT not be needed at some point. When that day comes (maybe 10 years from now, maybe 50 years from now), it should be downtown in/near a district where current hotels and restaurants are within walking distance of it.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

If it had to go anywhere other than downtown (which would be my preference), I say knock down Crossroads and put a new arena there. That area could sure use a face lift.

[Pete]

New arena could be on the site of the current Cox Center, assuming a new convention center will be built south of the Ford Center.


And I think we all agree on a new arena, it's just the timing that's in doubt.

And then the second question is whether to include it in MAPS III.

[BG918]

New arena could be on the site of the current Cox Center, assuming a new convention center will be built south of the Ford Center.


And I think we all agree on a new arena, it's just the timing that's in doubt.

And then the second question is whether to include it in MAPS III.

This is the best idea IMO. OKC needs to have its arena still next to Bricktown and surrounded by hotels and restaurants in the CBD. The Cox site is perfect.

[soonerliberal]

I understand where you are coming from on the eventual necessity of a new arena. However, I disagree on the time frame. The Ford Center, if refurbished, can last a good 10 years as an NBA arena.

Attaching a new arena to MAPS 3 will almost certainly cause much criticism and could potentially endanger the entire MAPS from passing. The general voting public will be thinking the same thing: We just got an arena. Why do we need another one now? Why did the city waste $87 million of my money on the one we have if we need a new one already?

I fundamentally disagree with the notion that we as a city should whore ourselves out to the NBA. If they are going to want a new arena every 10-15 years, is it such a good investment to the city? A basketball team alone will not solely continue the city's renaissance. I'd much rather see $250 million in MAPS3 be spent on the foundations for a light rail system.

[Easy180]

Sooner...You say 10 I say 5 yrs...Not a huge difference there

If we start building in 5 or 6 years and the new arena is ready to roll in 2015 the Ford Center would be 13 years old...If we land an NBA team and house them for another 7 years in the Ford center...Add in 13 years of concerts, conventions, sporting events and all the publicity garnered by building it

I would say that's the best $80 million this state has EVER spent

[BDP]

I actually think that the Ford Center could be added on to in many ways to make it a great NBA arena without buidling a new one. If I am correct, that's what i think should be done, because it is in such a great location.

I think the Ford Center could easily accomodate the following improvements:

1) Finish it out nicer
2) Sky Boxes
3) New facade and grand entrance/atrtium, either on Reno or to the south when the freeway moves
4) More Restaraunts and accomodations in and around the arena.
5) A retail complex to the south

I don't know. I'm not sure that what most are looking for these days in an arena couldn't be added to the existing structure, which I think would be a great way to go, so we don't lose the location. The capacity at around 19,100 is fine. I think the biggest obstacle is the limited number of luxury boxes. If it had another row of boxes just above the 100s or directly under the current boxes, the guts would be fine and all you'd have to do is dress it up and deck it out more, which can be done without completely abandoning the place.

And whatever we do, don't take it out of downtown.

[JavaDaves]

I promise you that if you include an arena in MAPS III, it will not pass, and most of the citizens of Oklahoma City will be questioning the sanity of our city leaders. Most ordinary people, myself included, wouldn't think it makes financial sense to build another arena when we already have a new arena. Plus, the arena we have isn't even finished yet. The Ford Center needs to be completed first. And it could take at least 5 years to complete the Ford Center. Then we need to take advantage of the upgrades we've made to the Ford Center for many years, before we consider building a new arena.

We didn't just waste $90 million on a 20K seat arena for it to sit idle. Let's use it, and expand on it.

Madison Square Garden is many years old, yet it has been updated many times, and frequent updates keep it as one of the nicer arenas in the NBA.

Ford Center has great location. Let's take advantage of that and build upon the arena we already have.

I don't know why we're even arguing about this. City leaders plan to make improvements to Ford Center, not build another arena. They're not stupid enough to include another arena in MAPS III when we already have a new arena.

[Easy180]

That's why you see a lot of IF's in people's posts java


Anyways....We all know improvements will be made to the Ford Center if the Sonics come here...That is a foregone conclusion

As for the arena...Do you consider a 13 yr old arena as new ?..You are acting like we are recommending a ground breaking on a new arena next month...Not the case at all

[JavaDaves]

That's why you see a lot of IF's in people's posts java


Anyways....We all know improvements will be made to the Ford Center if the Sonics come here...That is a foregone conclusion

As for the arena...Do you consider a 13 yr old arena as new ?..You are acting like we are recommending a ground breaking on a new arena next month...Not the case at all

I think most arenas have an average lifespan of around 25-30 years. If we continue to make improvements to the Ford Center, it could easily last that long.

By the way, I bet you'd be all in favor of tearing down Wrigley Field, wouldn't you?
You're just like every other person in this city. Go join the folks at Urban Renewal.

[JavaDaves]

By the way, we don't even have an NBA team guaranteed to us yet, so I think we have the cart before the horse here.