New Downtown Arena

[jn1780]

Cost-benefit analysis - if it will cost less in the long run and be better for the project, then they should buy Prairie Surf out. I'm sure the big brains have already done the math on that...

Yeah, depends if they have to pay construction works overtime to make a deadline. But I think Mid-2025 would be the earliest they would consider a buyout of the lease. If they could start demolishing today, the site would just sit empty until site and design plans are ready.

[G.Walker]

Saw on News6 that the City is actively seeking partner to help design new Arena? I thought it was Populous?

https://www.newson6.com/story/660100...-arena-project

[Pete]

Saw on News6 that the City is actively seeking partner to help design new Arena? I thought it was Populous?

https://www.newson6.com/story/660100...-arena-project

No, this is the RFP to select the architect, a process all public projects have to follow.

I didn't realize this was posted on March 15th and respondents have until April 5th to put in a bid.

[G.Walker]

So we should know here in a couple weeks...

[Pete]

Here is the entirety of the RFP - not much to it.

It's generally understood the only real qualified firms are Populous and HOK. Given that Populous has already done a ton of work with the City, I expect there have already been discussions with them and they are going to get this contract.

[Urbanized]

This is not a bid for an architect. This is a bid for a consultant and agent for the City, one which will HELP them select and hire - and ultimately supervise - an architect. It’s project management. This consultant will essentially be doing peer review, on behalf of all three concerned parties; the City, the Thunder, and ASM. This is S.O.P..

[Pete]

There will be a vote this week by the MAPS 4 Board to formally move $78 million from the MAPS 3 Paycom improvements budget to MAPS 4.

So, they will soon have tons of money to hire an architect and have the start on the plans.

[Laramie]

^ ^ ^
Good news, now we should hear the press release on the PSM Cox site selection by the year's end.

[LRSooner]

There will be a vote this week by the MAPS 4 Board to formally move $78 million from the MAPS 3 Paycom improvements budget to MAPS 4.

So, they will soon have tons of money to hire an architect and have the start on the plans.

Due to the rapid rate at which designs for arenas are changing, I'd imagine makes it a hard time to release accurate drawings when the project is still a few years out. They'll probably be very basic with the more fine details to be filled in when the arena is less than a year out from construction.

[Pete]

Due to the rapid rate at which designs for arenas are changing, I'd imagine makes it a hard time to release accurate drawings when the project is still a few years out. They'll probably be very basic with the more fine details to be filled in when the arena is less than a year out from construction.

They will have to submit broad designs to both design review and to the citizen oversight committee for what is essentially MAPS 5.

And then there'll be a bunch of permutations as they refine the final design. But they are going to have to hustle to be ready to start work by 12/31/25 when Prairie Surf moves out.

[Urbanized]

They will have to submit broad designs to both design review and to the citizen oversight committee for what is essentially MAPS 5.

And then there'll be a bunch of permutations as they refine the final design. But they are going to have to hustle to be ready to start work by 12/31/25 when Prairie Surf moves out.

This project will not have an associated citizen oversight committee. That function will essentially be filled by the owners representative third party consultant that is currently being sought via RFP. Some posters here have been confused by this RFP, and interpreted it as one seeking the architect of record. It is NOT for the architect. The RFP for the architect is probably 2-3 months out.

The City is being quite clear to repeatedly point out this this is NOT a MAPS project. Obviously it's very MAPS-adjacent, but there are very important differences.

[Pete]

^

Whatever the oversight group is called, it will still be subject to open meetings and open records laws.

So, any decisions will have to involve a public vote with advance notice.

[BoulderSooner]

^

Whatever the oversight group is called, it will still be subject to open meetings and open records laws.

So, any decisions will have to involve a public vote with advance notice.

by guess is that it will function much more like GO bond projects do ..

[gopokes88]

Populous and HOK Sport merged just fyi.

[scottk]

Related to citizens funding arenas and stadiums for professional teams. I was a little surprised by the Jackson county vote in Kansas City to reject/No vote to the 3/8 cent sales tax to build the Royal's a new stadium and renovate Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. It was a 40 year tax proposal! I am wondering if that is why the proposal failed? It will be interesting to see what the two ownership groups do in response. It initially sounds like this was the "best/only deal" offered.

There are rumors that the Kansas side of KC may offer incentives for the Chiefs to move, but stay in the Metro, while the Royal's future in KC seems a little more uncertain.

https://www.kctv5.com/2024/04/03/roy...ales-tax-vote/

It was voted down almost 60% to 40%, noting that this was a county vote, not a city/metro vote, which may have impacted the numbers, or simply the citizens didn't agree with the scope of what was being proposed. Given the Chiefs recent success (3 Super Bowl victories in 5 years) and Arrowhead Stadium known for its loud atmosphere and 50+ year history, I wonder if bundling the deal with the Royals also hurt the proposed sales tax?

OKC Citizens voted yes by a 70%+ margin to fund the penny for a new Paycom Center.

[April in the Plaza]

Related to citizens funding arenas and stadiums for professional teams. I was a little surprised by the Jackson county vote in Kansas City to reject/No vote to the 3/8 cent sales tax to build the Royal's a new stadium and renovate Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. It was a 40 year tax proposal! I am wondering if that is why the proposal failed? It will be interesting to see what the two ownership groups do in response. It initially sounds like this was the "best/only deal" offered.

There are rumors that the Kansas side of KC may offer incentives for the Chiefs to move, but stay in the Metro, while the Royal's future in KC seems a little more uncertain.

https://www.kctv5.com/2024/04/03/roy...ales-tax-vote/

It was voted down almost 60% to 40%, noting that this was a county vote, not a city/metro vote, which may have impacted the numbers, or simply the citizens didn't agree with the scope of what was being proposed. Given the Chiefs recent success (3 Super Bowl victories in 5 years) and Arrowhead Stadium known for its loud atmosphere and 50+ year history, I wonder if bundling the deal with the Royals also hurt the proposed sales tax?

OKC Citizens voted yes by a 70%+ margin to fund the penny for a new Paycom Center.

They probably messed up by trying to tie the Royals’ deal to the Chiefs Arrowhead improvements. And I also heard the Royals had some wild land use asks.

In any event, good for those taxpayers. It’s nice to see one of these boondoggles voted down.

[Dob Hooligan]

I think baseball has real challenges in the current sports landscape. It is seen as a slow moving game that draws old men.

The Baltimore Orioles just struck a deal to sell for $1.725 billion. A team in a top 10 area, when you consider the DMV. Playing in one of the iconic stadiums of the last 50 years. Yet they went begging for an owner for years, and the Washington Nationals finally gave up trying to find an owner.

The Oakland Athletics are embarrassing the game through their incompetent search for a new stadium, which has zero chance of happening in the current Las Vegas scenario. This after exposing their financial weakness in their attempts to get a new stadium in Oakland.

The Royals are the weak link in the KC vote, IMO. There is nothing smaller than a small market team in MLB.

All these teams that want multi billion stadiums, yet aren’t worth half of what the Thunder could sell for in 2026.

[PoliSciGuy]

Related to citizens funding arenas and stadiums for professional teams. I was a little surprised by the Jackson county vote in Kansas City to reject/No vote to the 3/8 cent sales tax to build the Royal's a new stadium and renovate Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. It was a 40 year tax proposal! I am wondering if that is why the proposal failed? It will be interesting to see what the two ownership groups do in response. It initially sounds like this was the "best/only deal" offered.

There are rumors that the Kansas side of KC may offer incentives for the Chiefs to move, but stay in the Metro, while the Royal's future in KC seems a little more uncertain.

https://www.kctv5.com/2024/04/03/roy...ales-tax-vote/

It was voted down almost 60% to 40%, noting that this was a county vote, not a city/metro vote, which may have impacted the numbers, or simply the citizens didn't agree with the scope of what was being proposed. Given the Chiefs recent success (3 Super Bowl victories in 5 years) and Arrowhead Stadium known for its loud atmosphere and 50+ year history, I wonder if bundling the deal with the Royals also hurt the proposed sales tax?

OKC Citizens voted yes by a 70%+ margin to fund the penny for a new Paycom Center.

I think it’s because more and more metro populations understand how much of a scam these sorts of bailouts are. See also the experience of the Caps/Wizards in Virginia

[mugofbeer]

I think it’s because more and more metro populations understand how much of a scam these sorts of bailouts are. See also the experience of the Caps/Wizards in Virginia

There's more behind the story than just that. The owners did some things to shoot themselves in the foot and a large number simply didn't want to leave Arrowhead. It's still not going to reverse OKC citizens vote.

[Lafferty Daniel]

I think it’s because more and more metro populations understand how much of a scam these sorts of bailouts are. See also the experience of the Caps/Wizards in Virginia

Here we go again...

[BoulderSooner]

They probably messed up by trying to tie the Royals’ deal to the Chiefs Arrowhead improvements. And I also heard the Royals had some wild land use asks.

In any event, good for those taxpayers. It’s nice to see one of these boondoggles voted down.

boondoggle?? lol

this is the start of both of those teams moving to Kansas ..

[BoulderSooner]

I think baseball has real challenges in the current sports landscape. It is seen as a slow moving game that draws old men.

The Baltimore Orioles just struck a deal to sell for $1.725 billion. A team in a top 10 area, when you consider the DMV. Playing in one of the iconic stadiums of the last 50 years. Yet they went begging for an owner for years, and the Washington Nationals finally gave up trying to find an owner.

The Oakland Athletics are embarrassing the game through their incompetent search for a new stadium, which has zero chance of happening in the current Las Vegas scenario. This after exposing their financial weakness in their attempts to get a new stadium in Oakland.

The Royals are the weak link in the KC vote, IMO. There is nothing smaller than a small market team in MLB.

All these teams that want multi billion stadiums, yet aren’t worth half of what the Thunder could sell for in 2026.

almost non of this is accurate ..

the orioles were not going to be sold until after the owner died ... that is what happened ..

[bison34]

Why are we comparing Kansas City to OKC? Kansas has 2 states they can plunder and pillage for funds. With one saying "no" the other will open their pockets. OKC doesn't have that.

I hate when people on here try to trivialize each and every stadium or arena situation to the one OKC was in, and make them all out to be the same. "See, if KC can do it, why shouldn't OKC"?

Nostradoofuses all around.

[bison34]

Here we go again...

Same poster, as well.

Except this time, he basically called OKC stupid, since we couldn't vote against our team owners' best interests.

[Dob Hooligan]

almost non of this is accurate ..

the orioles were not going to be sold until after the owner died ... that is what happened ..

So all those stories I have been reading in the Washington Post online edition over the last 8 years regarding Peter Angelos declining health and dementia; family squabbles about team control and sale; negotiations with different potential buyers; frustration at no bidders close to $3 billion; fights with the Washington Nationals over MASN revenue split; how the Lerner family has been trying to sell the Nationals for 3 years and finally gave up? None of those are true?

All those stories on ESPN and Las Vegas Review-Journal sites about John Fisher in Oakland pitching multi-billion dollar developments, getting the city to go along, and then backing out when it comes time to put up financially? How the owner of the Las Vegas site where the recently shuttered Tropicana sits on, Bally's gaming, doesn't have the money to finish their Chicago location; has no funding plan lined up for Tropicana replacement; the portion of the Tropicana site set aside for the baseball park is an impossibly small 9 acres; how there is no funding in place for the stadium other than the Nevada State commitment of $380 million?