Oklahoma City voters have overwhelmingly approved the MAPS 4 package, effectively advancing plans for a proposed OKC Energy FC stadium.
Among the projects included in MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) 4 is a multipurpose outdoor stadium, with the initiative to generate $37 million in funding for the facility. The stadium has been pitched as a future home to USL Championship’s OKC Energy FC, along with events such as college and high school soccer, high school football, and concerts.
Oklahoma City residents who took part in the vote gave MAPS 4 a strong endorsement, as more than 71% of a reported total of 44,439 voters approved the package. As the results came in Tuesday, Oklahoma City officials hailed the passage of MAPS 4 as a major victory. More from NonDoc:
“Tonight we have the largest percentage of support in the history of Oklahoma City,” Mayor David Holt told an assembled crowd in south Oklahoma City. “This is not just a victory. This is a mandate without historic precedent in our city. We have never been more united as one OKC.”
The nearly $1 billion package — which will fund a new outdoor arena, a new State Fairgrounds coliseum and improvements to the Chesapeake Energy Arena — received broad bipartisan support from OKC politicians.
But MAPS 4 may end up being known for much more than its city-central sports venue projects. Referred to as a “MAPS for neighborhoods” by Holt prior to the election, MAPS 4 features hundreds of millions of dollars for parks, youth centers, mental health care and other social services aimed at improving quality of life in a different way.
There will be some crucial areas to resolve in the planning process for the stadium. A construction timeline has not been finalized, nor has a site, though the facility is expected to be built near downtown. MAPS 4’s passage was celebrated by OKC Energy, with the club taking to social media to tout the stadium plans:
The future of professional soccer in OKC is bright!
— Energy FC (@EnergyFC) December 11, 2019
Thank you, sincerely, for your support. We couldn’t have done it without you!#ForCityAndClub | #LoveYourOKC pic.twitter.com/CbHOd6OvUK
Voter approval allows the 1-cent MAPS sales tax to be extended for the initiative. It is projected to raise $978 million over an eight-year window beginning in April 2020 and cover 16 projects, including the stadium. Backers of the facility have billed it as a venue that not only provides OKC Energy with an improved facility over its current home–Taft Stadium–but also give the city an outdoor venue that can draw other events.
Rendering courtesy OKC Energy.
RELATED STORIES: MAPS 4 Proposal with OKC Energy Stadium Funds Moves Forward; Proposed MAPS 4 Initiative Includes OKC Energy Stadium Funding; Proposed Outdoor Stadium Would Host OKC Energy; New OKC Energy Stadium Plan Unveiled