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

[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.

[Intrepid]

I agree. Both will have to occur.

[Martin]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Anybody ever heard of Gallagher-Iba?

Gallagher-Iba Arena -

Constructon Photos:

Oklahoma State University Physical Plant - Project Details

[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.

[Easy180]

Anybody ever heard of Gallagher-Iba?

Gallagher-Iba Arena -

Constructon Photos:

Oklahoma State University Physical Plant - Project Details

There is your $50 mil in improvements at the Ford Center...Thats a gimme...NBA and a university in Stillwater are extremely different beasts

[JavaDaves]

Anybody ever heard of Gallagher-Iba?

Gallagher-Iba Arena -

Constructon Photos:

Oklahoma State University Physical Plant - Project Details

Yes, Gallagher Iba has history, and they'd never consider tearing it down and building a new arena. Instead, the enlarged and improved the arena they already had.

[JavaDaves]

There is your $50 mil in improvements at the Ford Center...Thats a gimme...NBA and a university in Stillwater are extremely different beasts

Not necessarily. Tell that to the people in New York.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Yes, Gallagher Iba has history, and they'd never consider tearing it down and building a new arena. Instead, the enlarged and improved the arena they already had.

Exactly. History.

Something that will never be achieve by tearing down and building again.

[JavaDaves]

Exactly. History.

Something that will never be achieve by tearing down and building again.

Tell that to the Urban Renewal Authority that destroyed downtown Oklahoma City.

[Easy180]

Oh yeah I forgot...The Ford Center has so much tradition and history...Who can forget the first time Disney on Ice skated there and can't dismiss the historic Pearl Jam concert?...Eerily similar to the slightly older Gallagher Iba and Wrigley

Good examples though...Mind if I compare it to other 5 year old multi - purpose arenas instead of a 90 year old baseball stadium and a 70 year old college basketball venue?

[JavaDaves]

90 years from now, you might be singing a different tune, especially if the Ford Center is well maintained.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Oh yeah I forgot...The Ford Center has so much tradition and history...Who can forget the first time Disney on Ice skated there and can't dismiss the historic Pearl Jam concert?...Eerily similar to the slightly older Gallagher Iba and Wrigley

Good examples though...Mind if I compare it to other 5 year old multi - purpose arenas instead of a 90 year old baseball stadium and a 70 year old college basketball venue?

Grow up.

History has to start somewhere. Why not here?


Oh and by the way:

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.

Yukon? Bolters? What?

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

Do yourself a favor and do a little research and see what NBA arenas are going for these days. And in case you have been under a rock since 1993, the MAPS projects are funded by a CITY sales tax...not the state.

[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.