{"id":21325,"date":"2025-07-19T11:20:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T11:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/21325\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T11:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T11:20:10","slug":"fresh-off-nba-title-okc-gets-a-first-look-at-the-thunders-new-arena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/21325\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresh off NBA title, OKC gets a first look at the Thunder’s new arena"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"new<\/a>A rendering shows the new Oklahoma City arena that features an anticipated 2028 opening date. (Manica Architecture)
\n Support Journalism<\/p>\n

Mayor David Holt spent much of this year\u2019s State of the City address noting progress the city has made when it comes to things like housing<\/a> its homeless population, improving its streets and developing<\/a> its upcoming bond package. Still, Wednesday\u2019s event offered the first glimpse of the city\u2019s new publicly funded basketball arena \u2014 an unveiling that drew a standing ovation at the OKC Convention Center.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s annual address, presented by the OKC Chamber of Commerce, is part pep rally and part discussion of where the city stands at a given point in time. But this one was different. It comes on the heels of the city\u2019s first NBA championship, won last month, and the massive celebration<\/a> held just days later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it, OKC,\u201d Holt told the packed convention center meeting room. \u201cWe did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Holt also said more must be done and there is no time to rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn its modern history, Oklahoma City has always asked itself what is next,\u201d Holt said. \u201cAnd so today, even as the sun hits our face a little different than it did before, we shall ask that question once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next includes a $2.7 billion bond package that will go before voters Oct. 14. The 11-proposition, 547-project package<\/a> entails a wide array of priorities \u2014 from street improvements to housing initiatives to a new crime lab for the OKC Police Department.<\/p>\n

And work is also beginning on the project that saw its design unveiled Wednesday: the nearly $1 billion new arena that will serve as home for the OKC Thunder and, with any luck, an expanded concert lineup. The Thunder\u2019s ownership has pledged to contribute $50 million toward the project\u2019s construction, and the rest will be paid for by a one-cent sales tax overwhelmingly approved<\/a> by voters in 2023.<\/p>\n

As depicted in a video<\/a> that includes the phrase \u201croaring like a river of Thunder,\u201d the new arena will feature a circular design and a glass perimeter, creating sweeping views of downtown, the Myriad Gardens and the setting sun. Holt and architect David Manica said the new arena\u2019s seating capacity is yet to be determined but will be similar in size to arenas constructed over the past decade, which Holt said have been smaller than those of the current Paycom Center\u2019s generation.<\/p>\n

Concert lineup could be upgraded with new arena logistics<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s State of the City presentation included renderings and the video of the new arena, which brought applause from the audience. The arena will also include wraparound concourses that are shared by fans, and Manica said its design will also be more concert-friendly. The Paycom Center has reportedly missed out on some shows because of its reputation for being hard to load equipment into and out of, owing to the position of its loading dock. The new arena won\u2019t have that problem, Manica promised.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability for a building to host a successful concert is dependent upon a lot of different physical things,\u201d Manica said. \u201cIts rigging capacity, its comfort of the back of house areas, its ability to load in and load out quickly. When a building gets a disfavorable reputation in the industry for being a difficult building to load, it drops off the list of tour sites. Now you guys are right in the middle of all those buses going back and forth across the country. This building, with its sort of updates, will put it in the market for all those shows in a way that your existing building doesn\u2019t really afford you to have, just because it is of a previous generation of building.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED<\/p>\n

\"thunder<\/p>\n

Searching for Scissortail Park: Hot times and high security at the Thunder parade<\/a> by Andrea Hancock<\/p>\n

The arena will be vastly more expensive and larger than the current Paycom Center, which was built for about $90 million more than two decades ago. But large capital projects can become cash sinkholes because of cost overruns and inflation. Oklahoma County has found that out the hard way<\/a> with its ongoing funding saga for the new jail.<\/p>\n

Asked if the arena risks similar cost overruns that could surpass its nearly $1 billion projected price tag, Holt bristled slightly at the question during a press conference following his speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obviously not going to cost over $1 billion,\u201d Holt said. \u201cThis is within budget. I made that point out there. You know, that\u2019s why we brought in construction managers. That\u2019s really novel, compared to previous public projects, that we have them at the table. And that allows us to have a lot more confidence. They do this for a living. I don\u2019t know if you have a background in construction, but we have people who are professionals who have certainly priced everything that you saw today and feel very comfortable that it\u2019s within our budget. Obviously, we can\u2019t control some things, right? But as far as today\u2019s environment, we feel very confident in that.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Manager Craig Freeman said the design process will conclude with a final plan brought before the OKC City Council for approval. Located at the site of the now-demolished Cox Convention Center, the new arena is proposed to be ready by the summer of 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe designs are moving forward,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cWe\u2019ll bring those designs to the council, but we don\u2019t know when. We don\u2019t have the exact timing on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone said the new arena appears like it will be what he had hoped it would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited about it,\u201d he said. \u201cTo me, it sort of looks like an Oklahoma City cloud. It looks different from other arenas we\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stone, who has a background in construction, said having construction managers participate in the design process should help the project stay within budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll have to work through it,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the city did a good job bringing in some construction people at the same time the design process is ongoing. That way we can sit there and look at the cost while the design process is ongoing, and I think that\u2019s going to help make sure that we hit our budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward 5 Councilman Matt Hinkle said he had previously met with Manica and had seen early designs of the project, which he praised.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sat and visited with us as a group for quite a while,\u201d Hinkle said. \u201cA lot of what he said is what all architects say, but at the end he came through. I think it\u2019s beautiful. I think it\u2019s going to fit well in the space. I hope it\u2019s not value engineered<\/a>. We\u2019ll see in four or five years, but I think it\u2019s going to be a great piece for this part of the city. I\u2019ve been to a lot of NBA arenas, and it doesn\u2019t look anything like the ones I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s design announcement comes on the heels of the OKC City Council approving management contracts last month<\/a> that include a labor agreement regarding pay and working conditions, which narrowly survived a motion from Ward 1 Councilman Bradley Carter to remove it from the full agreement.<\/p>\n

$2.7 billion bond package set for Oct. 14 vote
\n\"OklahomaMembers of the public meet City of OKC staff at an open house Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at the Pete White Wellness Center in southwest Oklahoma City for the next round of GO bonds expected to be proposed and voted on in 2025. (Matt Patterson)<\/p>\n

Long before the first jump shot graces the nets of the new arena, OKC voters will determine the fate of a $2.7 billion bond package that will go before them Oct. 14. Among its components<\/a> is a whopping $1.3 billion for streets that will include 133 residential resurfacing projects, 27 street widening projects, 25 sidewalk projects and 184 arterial resurfacing projects.<\/p>\n

Additionally, another $414 million would be directed toward parks and recreational facilities. That includes renovations to parks, park facilities and trails. It will also include expansions or renovations of the Lake Hefner golf clubhouse, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Bricktown Canal, Civic Center Music Hall and USA Softball Complex, as well as the Riversport Rapids and Regatta Park facilities, among others.<\/p>\n

About $175 million would be directed to citywide economic development and affordable housing programs, while another $140 million would be used for 44 drainage improvement projects around the city.<\/p>\n

Another proposition would fund a new training center for the city\u2019s fire and police departments, as well as a new maintenance facility to be located at Southwest 15th Street and South Portland Avenue. Several fire stations would also be expanded and upgraded.<\/p>\n

The package would also include about $130 million for transit, including a new headquarters facility, downtown parking garage and modernization of EMBARK\u2019s fleet of buses. The police department would see a new crime lab, a new police station in west OKC and a new parking garage for police, courts and 911 operations.<\/p>\n

About $90 million would be used to fund 25 bridge projects and reduce or mitigate flood risks. Another $81 million would be used for 25 intersection improvements, including new traffic signals and other upgrades. About $52 million would be allocated for the city\u2019s libraries and would provide upgrades to the Ron Norick Library downtown and an expansion of the Ralph Ellison Library on the city\u2019s east side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new bond issue puts $2.7 billion towards core infrastructure across the city,\u201d Holt said Wednesday. \u201cAnd it does so without increasing property taxes, as we simply extend the taxation that has expired from previous bond issues. Most of what you pay in property taxes each year does not go to the city government. We are just a small slice of your overall property tax bill. And the average millage rate<\/a> you\u2019re paying today in those property taxes to the city will stay the same over the next decade as this bond issue plays out. And if it stays the same, you\u2019ll get to keep driving on streets and drinking water. This is not an initiative for dreamers. It\u2019s about maintaining what we have. It\u2019s about the basics. It\u2019s about needs, not wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stone said he was pleased with the final bond package, which came largely from public input<\/a> over the last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of the money is going to fix our streets and things like that, which we need,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery specific ward wants more of it but overall, I\u2019m generally pleased with how they laid it all out. I think there\u2019s something for everyone in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hinkle said he believes the city\u2019s south side, home to his ward, will receive some critically needed street improvements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not crazy about the way it was divided up per ward, but the south side of OKC got more than its fair share,\u201d he said. \u201cWard 5 is a tiny little spot. [Ward 3 and Ward 4] are all across Oklahoma City. But we\u2019re getting lots of new roads and lots of new infrastructure down there, which is sorely needed. It hits a lot of different areas. Some of it isn\u2019t as much infrastructure as I would want it to be, but that\u2019s OK. I get it. There is a lot of the city that I don\u2019t have say over and don\u2019t understand how it works. I don\u2019t want to be telling a chef how to bake a cake when I don\u2019t know how to do it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Matt <\/p>\n

Matt Patterson<\/a> <\/p>\n

\n Matt Patterson has spent 20 years in Oklahoma journalism covering a variety of topics for The Oklahoman, The Edmond Sun and Lawton Constitution. He joined NonDoc in 2019. Email story tips and ideas to matt@nondoc.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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