New Downtown Arena

[chssooner]

I'm not too sure what he really knows. If the vote was approved by the end of the year, design could be completed I'd think in a year which puts us sometime in early 2025. I could see it starting by 2026 or 2027 at the latest.

I don't know when the lease with PSM ends. Depending on when, it could take a while after that to even start disassembling the Cox Center. So 2026 is very reasonable.

[April in the Plaza]

I'm not too sure what he really knows. If the vote was approved by the end of the year, design could be completed I'd think in a year which puts us sometime in early 2025. I could see it starting by 2026 or 2027 at the latest.

Agreed. He doesn’t know much of anything these days and hasn’t for awhile.

Hopefully the City is making its share of the arena cost contingent on the team rebranding. For as bad as the Paycom Center currently is, the team’s marks and logos are like 10x worse.

[Pete]

Holt specifically mentioned having the arena ready by the end of the decade, which means before 2030.

They wouldn't be finalizing plans and putting this to a vote in a few months only to wait 6 years to start work.

[catch22]

With how massive the site is, depending on the layout PSM could coexist in a smaller footprint while demolition and construction begin in other areas of the site. This would allow simultaneous demo, construction, and relocation of PSM.

[Pete]

The City is losing money on that Praire Surf deal.

Their initial term is up at the end of 2025; they have options beyond that but the City has the right to cancel those options with notice.

So worst case, work could start in early 2026 even if they don't buy out Prairie Surf.

[PoliSciGuy]

A good cautionary tale about bad investments with public funds. Wonder if we've learned a lesson there.

[chssooner]

A good cautionary tale about bad investments with public funds. Wonder if we've learned a lesson there.

Not sure if you're trying to say an arena is a bad investment or not. Or just about other projects.

[Teo9969]

Not sure if you're trying to say an arena is a bad investment or not. Or just about other projects.

He's talking about the city's deal with Praire Surf

[Bill Robertson]

While I absolutely believe the new arena will be on the COX\Prairie Surf site Holt was on the Sports Animal yesterday morning and was pretty hard on the idea that the location would be downtown but no decision had been made yet about precisely where. Of course this was probably all mayor speak.

[Pete]

While I absolutely believe the new arena will be on the COX\Prairie Surf site Holt was on the Sports Animal yesterday morning and was pretty hard on the idea that the location would be downtown but no decision had been made yet about precisely where. Of course this was probably all mayor speak.

Yes, just trying to deflect the idea this has all long been decided.

There is no way they are going to announce detailed plans by the end of the summer (less than 2 months) and not know the site.

[Paseofreak]

With how massive the site is, depending on the layout PSM could coexist in a smaller footprint while demolition and construction begin in other areas of the site. This would allow simultaneous demo, construction, and relocation of PSM.

No way they could operate a sound stage with demo and construction going on in adjacent lots. I've been told freight trains gave them fits.

[Bill Robertson]

Yes, just trying to deflect the idea this has all long been decided.

There is no way they are going to announce detailed plans by the end of the summer (less than 2 months) and not know the site.

Yeah. That's what I was thinking through the the whole interview.

[catch22]

No way they could operate a sound stage with demo and construction going on in adjacent lots. I've been told freight trains gave them fits.

Maybe they can sign a film based on a construction worker or a war movie?

Good point, I had not considered that.

[Laramie]

"The public funding necessary to build the new arena will be supplemented by remaining MAPS 4 dollars that are already earmarked for the downtown arena ($70 million), as I mentioned last year.

And for the first time in city history, these public funding commitments will be joined by a significant financial contribution from the ownership of the Oklahoma City Thunder"--Mayor Holt.

Depends on what the amount of the significant financial contribution. The $70 million could be used for arena design, demolition and site prep. The significant financial contribution could start actual construction; then as the collections from MAPS 4 extension along with potential surplus collections you have the underground parking and main structure finished early--the pace of collections are running about +6% - +10%.

The Cox PSM site will save $150 million with the potential to sell parcels within the 4 square block structure.

Is the $1 billion arena construction cost in stone... The new arena could cost $750 million since you have a site
valued at $150 million. City could build something comparable to Chase Center ($1.4 billion) or Fiserv Forum ($524 million).

[floyd the barber]

While I absolutely believe the new arena will be on the COX\Prairie Surf site Holt was on the Sports Animal yesterday morning and was pretty hard on the idea that the location would be downtown but no decision had been made yet about precisely where. Of course this was probably all mayor speak.

I would think it would be OKC.

I cannot imagine the Thunder playing anywhere else besides Oklahoma City (assuming they don't pack up their bags and leave). The suburbs aren't big enough and do not have the charm and ambience to handle a major market basketball team like Los Angeles or Dallas could. Hitting the restaurants and bars downtown before the game adds to the experience.

Somewhat off topic, but I think playing a few regular home season games at the BoK would benefit the Thunder. It would allow Tulsans to feel more included.

And while I suport a new arena, I don't think the Paycom is that bad. I have been to other arenas with big market sports teams where the arena was far worse. Paycom is pretty good. But I understand having the Thunder is a tremendous net benefit to this state so I wholeheartedly support a new arena. As a young dad, it is a goal of mine to take my boys to a Thunder game someday.

[Urbanized]

Gotta chime in here: all of the details have NOT been decided, and that’s a fact. The mayor wasn’t covering for anything. You can believe him or don’t believe him, but he’s telling the truth. He’s honestly being remarkably transparent, considering how close-to-the-vest the Thunder likes to play things, but I would agree if you said that in itself is political strategy in this case.

We are just very fortunate as a community to have true professionals working on both sides of this to put it all together. The City AND the Thunder ownership are both working hard to lock down OKC as the home of this team for another generation. Legacy-securing stuff for a lot of these people.

[chssooner]

I would think it would be OKC.

I cannot imagine the Thunder playing anywhere else besides Oklahoma City (assuming they don't pack up their bags and leave). The suburbs aren't big enough and do not have the charm and ambience to handle a major market basketball team like Los Angeles or Dallas could. Hitting the restaurants and bars downtown before the game adds to the experience.

Somewhat off topic, but I think playing a few regular home season games at the BoK would benefit the Thunder. It would allow Tulsans to feel more included.

And while I suport a new arena, I don't think the Paycom is that bad. I have been to other arenas with big market sports teams where the arena was far worse. Paycom is pretty good. But I understand having the Thunder is a tremendous net benefit to this state so I wholeheartedly support a new arena. As a young dad, it is a goal of mine to take my boys to a Thunder game someday.

Up there among the weirdest things I have ever seen typed.

In no way, shape, form, or fashion will that happen, or should it. The Thunder are OKC, not Oklahoma. That benefits only Tulsa, and hurts OKC. No way that will happen. Preseason games? Sure. that happens now. But no regular season game should.

[floyd the barber]

Up there among the weirdest things I have ever seen typed.

In no way, shape, form, or fashion will that happen, or should it. The Thunder are OKC, not Oklahoma. That benefits only Tulsa, and hurts OKC. No way that will happen. Preseason games? Sure. that happens now. But no regular season game should.

To each their own.

Green Bay Packers split home games between Milwaukee and GB for years and you could argue they have one of the greatest fan bases in sports.

[Shortsyeararound]

But Green Bay hasn’t done that since 1994 and is about the same distance from Milwaukee that Tulsa is to Okc. One team, one state- I was in Tulsa last week and saw lots of Thunder clothing on people. I think the Thunder will be ok just playing regular season games in Okc.

[floyd the barber]

Of course they will be fine.

I just think it would be cool. It's a marketing idea that would differentiate ourselves from every other team in the league. I don't go to Tulsa very often, but I feel the Turnpike really divides the state, and having the Thunder play maybe four games a season there would add some state unity.

I fully own up to the fact this is a highly unpopular opinion, and that's fine. I would love it.

[caaokc]

The Spurs did that this past season. Played a couple of games in Austin toward the end. I think it was easier to do that since the Spurs were tanking pretty hard. Now San Antonio is in early talks of getting a new arena downtown.

But I agree, it’d be silly to have a regular season game in Tulsa

[Bellaboo]

To each their own.

Green Bay Packers split home games between Milwaukee and GB for years and you could argue they have one of the greatest fan bases in sports.

Many years ago, the Kings split games between Kansas City and Omaha. No idea what the ratio was but it happened. Then they moved to Sacramento.

[caaokc]

I did enjoy Holt’s part of his speech that the arena is being built specifically for basketball with friendly views and sight lines

[Laramie]

Tulsa's 2020 MSA listed 1,034,123 residents comparable to the size of Oklahoma City's MSA 1,083,346 in 2000, when we first put in a bid for an NHL franchise in 1997 without an arena.

U.S. Metropolitan Area Population: 1990-2000: http://www.demographia.com/db-usmet2000.htm

Tulsa is in a better situation than Oklahoma City to bid on or lure their own NHL franchise expansion or relocation since their BOK Center is 'arena ready' seats 17,096 for NHL hockey--comparable to many NHL arenas today:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._League_arenas

Are the Phoenix Coyotes looking for a new home--go get those Coyotes for Oklahoma, Tulsa. Oklahoma City and Tulsa are a dual TV market 1.3 million TV households, we could support the NBA (Oklahoma City) and the NHL (Tulsa). NHL Oklahoma Coyotes...

Also could the state help chip in some funds for the new Oklahoma City arena development--40% of the State's GDP comes from Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area.

[catch22]

I think it would not be wise to get state help with this. This could create undue pressures in certain political climates that I think OKC would best avoid. OKC has been fairly insulated from some of the chaos at 23rd and Lincoln.