MAPS 4 Stadium

[Rover]

It was my impression that the city already claimed there was no money for land acquisition. The Co-op will want a pretty penny for the remainder of the site which I believe would be cost prohibitive for an arena site.

Plus, as an indoor venue, remediation would be expensive.

[Bill Robertson]

I don't know Mr. Funk, and I am not a cheerleader for him or his family. I think Prodigal Sports has lost millions of dollars on OKC sports over the last 15-ish years. The Barons hockey team was a loser from the start, and the NHL was not fair in their treatment of Prodigal and OKC, IMO. As much as some people claim that soccer is big in OKC, we don't see anyone else stepping up with the money to buy out Prodigal's interest in the Energy. Personally, I am thankful Mr. Funk is willing to keep spending and trying to get a USL acceptable stadium build in OKC. I have no inside knowledge, but I'm guessing it costs at least $500,000 a year to keep the Energy on ice.

I could not agree more. Has everything Prodigal has done been great. No.
But at least they tried. No one else has stepped up except for the Thunder ownership.
As to the Barons. We were season ticket holders and huge fans. I LOVE hockey!!!!!!!! 100 times more than basketball. But the Barons were a huge mistake for OKC. Just like an NHL team would be. The Blazers were hugely successful because they were very cheap and often free to attend. They happily let you bring bags of popcorn\hot dogs\etc. from outside. Just no beer. And for many it wasn't so much about the game as about the party. AHL and NHL hockey isn't like that. Decent seats are (were) $25 and up, No outside anything allowed. Not a thing for two of us to blow $100 without trying. I have no idea how a family of 4,5,6,? could do it more than a time or two a year. OKC is not fans of expensive, high level hockey. Funk & Co. aren't at fault for that. Blaming the Baron fiasco on them is asinine.

[BoulderSooner]

Funk had an opportunity to select the top of the line 10,000 seat MAPS 4 Multipurpose Stadium, he selected the less expensive 8,000 seat stadium. Claims he wanted to make sure there were enough funds to back his wife's Palomar project.

Our city leaders should have gone with the 10,000 seat stadium capable of expansion to meet future MLS stadium criteria.

Prodigal doesn't possess the knowledge capacity to manage a USL franchise let alone an MLS level franchise.

things that are not true for 500 Alex ..

[OKC2017]

most modern, multipurpose, best state of the art arena in the world.

but realistically speaking the houston dynamo stadium for MLS is a much closer precedent.
they can plan their stadium upgrades for future phases in increments of 10K seats.
1st phase build first 10K seats. second phase 8-10K seats. third phase if needed 5-10K seats.

[Chicken In The Rough]

Disappointed in this proposal. Build this stadium elsewhere and save the Coop site for something truly special. With 2 billion dollar developments nearby, this site is too valuable and too high-visibility for this underwhelming stadium.

[Bill Robertson]

Disappointed in this proposal. Build this stadium elsewhere and save the Coop site for something truly special. With 2 billion dollar developments nearby, this site is too valuable and too high-visibility for this underwhelming stadium.

Something truly special like what? We have or will build stadiums, arenas for everything., What really special could be built?

[kevin lee]

Something truly special like what? We have or will build stadiums, arenas for everything., What really special could be built?

A Walmart

[Laramie]

What a misrepresentation.

Funk presented two desired stadium options, each expandable if Oklahoma City was in a position to pursue a top-tier Major League Soccer franchise in the future. https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?...dering-3-sites


VENUE VETTING
Funk Jr. well aware there are more critical projects in MAPS 4 than a multipurpose stadium


Bob Funk Jr. doesn’t want to take money from the needy in Oklahoma City.

He’d have to answer for it at home.

Funk is married to Kim Garrett, the executive director of Palomar, the family justice center helping victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and child abuse. Her work not only changes lives but also saves them.

His work isn’t so life or death.

Funk is one of the owners of Energy FC, Oklahoma City’s professional soccer team, and he has been the front man for the franchise’s push to get public funding for a multipurpose stadium. That outdoor facility is one of the projects included in MAPS 4, the city’s one-cent sales tax initiative that residents will vote on Dec. 10.

Thing is, a facility for Palomar is also included in MAPS 4.

While there has been wide-spread support for the public welfare projects within the initiative, support for the three sports facilities included has been more tepid.

Funk understands what takes priority.

“I can’t ask victims of domestic violence, homeless population, mental health to take a backseat to the stadium,” he said. “I don’t think that would be right or appropriate.”

VENUE VETTING - https://stories.usatodaynetwork.com/...or-new-events/

[jn1780]

^ wow, that's what you got out of that pre maps 4 vote article? It's more like "Remember everyone, my wife is director of Palomar so a vote against the thing I want is a vote against she wants". FUNK didn't personally pick anything besides offer proposals which a lot of people did also. Compromises were made across the board for Maps 4 projects.

[Rover]

Disappointed in this proposal. Build this stadium elsewhere and save the Coop site for something truly special. With 2 billion dollar developments nearby, this site is too valuable and too high-visibility for this underwhelming stadium.

That’s why so many professional developers are rushing to buy and develop it.

Site has real issues.

[_Cramer_]

How about, "Express Employment Professionals Stadium?"

[OKC2017]

if the land is secured, clean up work and costs included; then a push for MLS is feasible with the right group of private investors and city leadership all coming together
with a "big league city" plan of action and commitments.

[EtanEiko]

I hate to say it but I think the ship has sailed on MLS. BUT we can have a beautiful stadium for USL or maybe even a pro womens soccer team and also the stadium could be used for concerts and maybe even music festivals with the amount of space that will be available around the stadium. Can also maybe be used for smaller class football state championship games and soccer state championships. I love this for the co op site, we will have our baseball stadium, soccer/ mixed use stadium and Top Of The Line arena all within walking distance of each other. Very optimistic about this and all the possibilities

[Chicken In The Rough]

Something truly special like what? We have or will build stadiums, arenas for everything., What really special could be built?

I assume you're joking, or perhaps trolling. Something like the Bricktown Boardwalk next door would qualify as truly special even without the silly-tall tower. The new basketball arena could be special. A village of midrise condos could be special.

The opportunity cost of this proposal is too high. This particular stadium design is not the highest/best use of this parcel.

[Chicken In The Rough]

That’s why so many professional developers are rushing to buy and develop it.

Site has real issues.

This site could contain a project of significant value. Unless there is buried nuclear waste, remediation will be a blip on a $700M to $1B+ development budget.

[chssooner]

This site could contain a project of significant value. Unless there is buried nuclear waste, remediation will be a blip on a $700M to $1B+ development budget.

Again, it has been vacant for YEARS. Not months or weeks, YEARS. If there were so many developers who felt like you think they do, it would have been developed years ago. But it hasn't. Ergo, it is more of an issue than you think. Rich people don't spend more than they have to.

[Chicken In The Rough]

Again, it has been vacant for YEARS. Not months or weeks, YEARS. If there were so many developers who felt like you think they do, it would have been developed years ago. But it hasn't. Ergo, it is more of an issue than you think. Rich people don't spend more than they have to.

So, highest & best use should not considered? Just first come first served? The Okana site sat vacant for years; all sites sit vacant until the appropriate project comes about. I'd like to see this stadium built, but not here. It sets too low of a bar for how our downtown should be developed.

[jn1780]

Your just married to a certain vision for the site which is fine. It's only 1/3 of the site, and it actually increases the chances that this "grand vision" actually happens. The site isn't even that great even outside of contamination issues. Only a few access points on the north and south. The boulevard is basically a freeway there immediately east of the light

[SEMIweather]

I hate to say it but I think the ship has sailed on MLS. BUT we can have a beautiful stadium for USL or maybe even a pro womens soccer team and also the stadium could be used for concerts and maybe even music festivals with the amount of space that will be available around the stadium. Can also maybe be used for smaller class football state championship games and soccer state championships. I love this for the co op site, we will have our baseball stadium, soccer/ mixed use stadium and Top Of The Line arena all within walking distance of each other. Very optimistic about this and all the possibilities

The ship certainly hasn't sailed on getting an MLS team in OKC, IMO. It will obviously never happen with the current ownership group, but I would bet that MLS won't stop expanding until they get to 40 teams, and that it will probably take them another 15-20 years to get to that point. Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Detroit are all very viable MLS expansion targets, but beyond that, there's no reason OKC can't compete with the likes of Tampa, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Raleigh, and Louisville for the last handful of spots.

[Zorba]

I LOVE that Funk is already anticipating building parking garage(s) to accommodate this, rather than the usual sea of parking developers often build around stadiums. That itself indicates to me that they're serious about the entire site not just the 9 acres. ..

They should add a BRT stop there that can be used during events.

[Zorba]

My preference would’ve been to utilize a third party without a direct vested interest. Fortunately, for the city we have large swaths of vacant land due to urban renewal in and around the city center.

The city helped create $3B in additional net worth for the Thunder Ownership group by building Paycom. Now we’re looking at adding to the net worth of another private developer and letting him call the shots.

I need to figure out how to get in line.

The whole point of these projects is to encourage growth. Seems like this about the best way possible to encourage growth with this stadium, especially non-sprawl growth. I'm not one for corporate handouts, but seems like a win for both sides. The city is given very valuable land, exactly where they wanted to built the stadium, and the land owner gets to put in high density development around it, which helps bring more taxes into the city with low infrastructure costs.

[yukong]

This site could contain a project of significant value. Unless there is buried nuclear waste, remediation will be a blip on a $700M to $1B+ development budget.

I can say with absolute certainty that there have been multiple developers, with fairly detailed development plans who tried to buy the site, but each has walked away because of the uncertainty about environmental issues. And there is no buried nuclear waste. So clearly, those developers did not view possible remediation costs as a "blip." Again...every developer to come forward has wanted, and believed that to make the site work, there has to be a residential component. Residential cleanup levels are very expensive to attain. Cleanup could be in the millions or tens of millions. That makes margins very tight. Another issue...most all developers require some level of financing through a bank or banks. Banks are notorious for refusing to lend money on property with environmental issues. As Rover said..."the site has issues."

[Plutonic Panda]

Can’t they also get brownfield money from the government to assist with the costs of cleanup?

[Zorba]

Something truly special like what? We have or will build stadiums, arenas for everything., What really special could be built?

A Bass Pro Shop and a U-Haul storage facility.

[Chicken In The Rough]

Your just married to a certain vision for the site which is fine. It's only 1/3 of the site, and it actually increases the chances that this "grand vision" actually happens. The site isn't even that great even outside of contamination issues. Only a few access points on the north and south. The boulevard is basically a freeway there immediately east of the light

You're absolutely right about my marriage to a grander vision. I mean, there are high school stadiums in Oklahoma larger than this one. A grander vision is not a stretch. Maybe we'll get a few luxury suites, but this proposal should be doubled in size, at least, or built somewhere else.