How were economic results measured and how swift was the return on investment?
Oklahoma City's economy has faced significant challenges during recent years. After the fall of the oil and gas industry during the 1980's, the City greatly needed broad-based economic incentives and public development programs to attract new business and jumpstart its slowing economy. Significant public and private development surrounding the MAPS downtown revitalization, building of a new federal campus to replace the Alfred P. Murrah building which was bombed in 1995, new highway construction, and significant new housing and commercial developments have all allowed Oklahoma City to resume a trend of growth and prosperity.

The City of Oklahoma City spent a total of $3,023,516 on the abatement of asbestos in buildings, underground tank disposal, soil and groundwater remediation, waste disposal, capping of an abandoned oil well and the hiring of environmental consultants. These costs were incurred for the MAPS sites that were redeveloped with public funds. The architectural design firm that developed the MAPS Master Plan was hired at a cost of $10 million by the City.


MAPS helped catalyze private-public partnership investments exceeding 3.1 billion dollars that included mixed use offices, upscale housing, arts and entertainment facilities and dramatically altered the public's perception of Downtown and Oklahoma City, creating a vibrant community with a lot to offer.

The $63.1 million renovation of the convention center, started in 1997 and completed in 1999, expanded it by 100,000 square feet. The facility's 15,000 seat arena is home to the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team. From 2005 through 2007, the center hosted an average of 590,000 visitors a year. With upcoming events such as the 2010 Big XII Men's and Women's Basketball tournaments, attendance at the center is expected to continue to increase.

The most expensive of the nine MAPS initiatives at $87.7 million, the 581,000 square foot Ford Center has hosted several sports events, concert tours, and other artists. It also hosted the New Orleans HornetsN BA team for the 2005-2007 seasons. Following unprecedented attendance and citizen approval in March 2008 to publicly fund $100 million in improvements and a $21 million practice center, Oklahoma City now permanently hosts the Oklahoma City ThunderN BA team. Average attendance at the center from 2005-2007 was 1,067,000 and is expected to grow with the addition of a permanentN BA team.

The Civic Center Music Hall was a historic art deco building originally constructed in 1937 and renovated as a premier performing arts venue at a cost of $52.4 million. The music hall has seating for an audience of 3,200. MAPS funded construction began in 1998 and was completed in 2001. Attendance for the 2008 season was 314,100.

The 110,000 4-story downtown Metropolitan library houses a business information center, updated information services, classrooms and meeting spaces for area universities. Construction began in 2000 and was completed in 2004 at a cost of $21.5 million. The library was built on land that had been leveled by the urban renewal attempts decades earlier. Compared with the previous facility, book circulation increased by 113 percent in the first year of operation, and the number of library cards issued has climbed from 1,957 to 7,465. The library is the heart of a metropolitan system with 1.1 million items in its catalog. The library's 2nd floor houses a special collection on the Holocaust and the Oklahoma Collection, which dates back to pre-statehood. The Downtown Consortium of Colleges holds classes throughout the year on the library's 4th floor.

The renovation of the Civic Center and the decision to locate the library two blocks to the east considerably bolstered the standing of other civic buildings in west downtown. Concurrent to the MAPS campaign, museum leaders were able to raise $22.5 in private funds to renovate a historic theater and transform it into the new Museum of Art. In 2008 the museum drew 170,000 visitors. The museum now hosts a permanent exhibit of the most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly glass and hosts various exhibits from all over the country and abroad.

Construction of the Bricktown Ballpark began in 1996 and was completed in 1998 at a cost of $34.2 million. Home to the Oklahoma RedHawks, a Triple A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, and 15,000 of their fans, the ballpark has been named one of the nation's top two minor league baseball facilities. In 2007, attendance at the ballpark was 529,600, 92 percent above the league attendance average. This versatile facility is also used for community events, concerts, and recreational activities which include annual snow-tube slide open through the holiday season.
Following completion of the Cox convention center and the Bricktown Ballpark, the surrounding area has seen tremendous growth. The city's original skyscraper, the Colcord, was transformed from an office building into a boutique hotel, and the historic Skirvin hotel was restored to its original grandeur in 2007. Several other hotel chains have also situated establishments in the area. In total, downtown now boasts more than 1,800 hotel rooms with at least 200 more planned, which provide visitors with places to stay while they enjoy the various amenities of the area. This is in stark contrast to when there used to be only one major hotel in the downtown area in the 1990s. Seven substantial hotel facilities have been added and this addition is a significant reflection of how far Oklahoma City's central core has changed since MAPS began. Approximately $201.5 million has been invested in the area's hotel industry for the period since MAPS began until 2003

MAPS funds totaling $14 million were used for the renovation and improvement of the State Fairgrounds. The project began in 1996 and was completed in 1998. The fairgrounds host one of the nation's largest state fairs, and are the leading equestrian center of the southwest. Construction of a $75 million new Equestrian Center at the fairgrounds with revenue generated from an increase in the area's hotel bed tax is almost complete. The fairgrounds draw over $100 million annually into the local economy.

The "Oklahoma Spirit" Trolley service began operations in 1999 with nine trolley replica buses that provided shuttle service and tours of the area. This service is particularly important between downtown and the hotels concentrated five miles to the west. The original cost of the project was $5.3 million. About 68,114 people utilized the trolley services in 2008. The Oklahoma City Transit Services Department received funding from MAPS and the Federal Transit Administration for the trolley system.

Bricktown Canal, extends through the Bricktown Entertainment District, and was opened in 1999 at a cost of $32.1 million. Shops, dining venues and entertainment, hiking and biking trails, and park areas with public art displays such as the $6 million Land Run sculpture, wall murals etc. are part of this rapidly developing area. Since the canal opened, adjacent properties have benefited from a 400 percent increase in properties and the area has seen over $150 million of investment initiatives.

The North Canadian River, a segment of which was renamed the Oklahoma River, was transformed from a ditch that had to be mowed several times a year into a 7-mile long series of river lakes with recreational activities and open space. This $23.1 million project began in 1999 and was completed in 2004. The River has since gained world-wide recognition as one of the top venues for popular sports such as rowing, kayaking and dragon boat racing and has quickly become a popular destination for fitness and recreation. It has also been named as the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team Training Center and the City was appointed as the host of the 2008 Olympic trials for kayaking and rowing. Four Universities have agreed to set up new training centers with a budget exceeding $30 million dollars. Over 143,847 people visited the Oklahoma River in 2008. The development potential of the river has also attracted the $150 million Native American Cultural Center and the $40 million Dell customer service center. The visual appeal of this riverfront location influenced the decision of Dell to locate at this specific site. The Dell facility has provided employment to about 2,000 workers. The City of Oklahoma City received a Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Pilot Grant in 1999 for implementation of passenger boats connecting nearby areas along the North Canadian River. A water taxi terminal has been constructed that allows visitors to shuttle between the airport or their hotels and downtown Oklahoma City and 141,686 people have used this service in 2008

Downtown housing has also rapidly developed where no housing existed before. More than 1,200 new housing units have been added and 200 more are in various stages of planning. Some of these units were built from the ground up while others were designed to adapt and reuse existing structures. Studies have indicated a demand for up to 8,000-10,000 downtown housing units. Several new hotels, an Art Museum, a 16-screen cinema complex, and a host of dining venues have since opened their doors in Oklahoma City's downtown. Several large parking facilities have been constructed, facilitating access to the downtown area. Downtown is evolving into a complete 24/7 community where people can opt to live, work and seek entertainment and people have embraced this change.
Property values have also risen substantially in parts of downtown, especially in Bricktown. The aggregate market value of properties in the Bricktown area grew from $12.2 million in 1999 to $40.2 million in 2004. Plans for new investment at the nearby Oklahoma Health Center and the St. Anthony Hospital exceed $520 million. The City is planning on linking the two complexes with a "health corridor".

Due to the very visible success of the MAPS program, city voters approved two additional initiatives, MAPS II and MAPS for Kids, and a MAPS III is in the planning stages. MAPS II was implemented by a 32-month, half-cent, Police and Fire Equipment Sales Tax approved by voters in March, 2000. Improvements funded with this tax included police and fire vehicles, information systems, mobile data systems, and a city-wide 800 MHz radio communication system among several others. The MAPS for Kids program was made possible, when the City asked citizens to approve a dedicated city sales tax for the support of public schools within the corporate limits of Oklahoma City. The sales tax, approved by citizens in November, 2001, is projected to generate $500 million to provide the highest quality of public education to the children of Oklahoma City residents and improve the condition of educational facilities over the life of the tax. The MAPS III package is expected to include projects involving a large public park near downtown and mass transit system upgrades, items supported by public polls. Other projects have yet to be decided.

Spin-off development from the City's MAPS program is steadily gaining momentum as businesses and community organizations commit resources in the downtown area, particularly along the Bricktown Canal and the surrounding entertainment district. A downtown Business Improvement District, tax increment financing, leveraged grant funds, and loans to encourage reinvestment in the community are now in place to attract businesses to downtown. In March 2008, Devon Energy Corp. announced plans for construction of a 925 foot (54 floors) office building that would serve as corporate headquarters and house up to 3,000 employees, consultants and contractors at cost of $750 million. Construction is proposed to begin October 1, 2009 and be completed in December 2012. Up to 600 people are expected to be employed on the project. The Tax Increment Finance District (TIF) proposed for Devon's new building will be the eighth such district in Oklahoma City. A tax increment finance district, also known as a TIF, allows a city, town or county to use tax money generated by a new development to pay for public improvements in the development area. Improvements associated with redevelopment projects can be supported by bonds, with the debt to be repaid by money generated within the TIF district. The proposed TIF for the new Devon tower would, if created, last for 25 years and projects would be paid through a line of credit and long-term bond financing. The TIF dollars are proposed to be used for creation of a new downtown park, for overhauling the existing Myriad Gardens, improvements to the neighborhoods surrounding the Tower, and construction of an elementary school. The tax increment finance district is projected to generate $175 million over its 25-year life. Although Devon won't generate ad valorem revenue in the first five years of the plan, it will still pay about $20 million in city sales taxes during the construction phase. It is also estimated that the headquarters will generate about $800 million in real estate market value and $100 million in personal property value. The county's collection of personal property taxes on furniture, fixtures and equipment in the new tower also will be entirely directed into the TIF.

Ground was broken for the Devon Boathouse on June 1, 2009. The Oklahoma River used to be so dry that former Mayor Ron Norick recalls that it was part of the city's mowing program. This has since changed. As a result of a series of low-water dams, water constantly laps against a shoreline that has become lined with docks and rowers who practice and train for their sport on the river. The 33,000-square-foot boathouse will be constructed at a cost of $10million and will house Oklahoma City University's rowing program and will be a high-performance training center for some of the nation's most elite athletes. In addition to the Devon Boathouse, a boathouse for the University of Oklahoma's fledgling rowing program is planned, and University of Central Oklahoma officials have discussed building another one along the river.

After funding the existing boathouse, opened in January 2006, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy, the nation's largest independent natural gas producer, is donating $5 million toward a four-story tower along the river to be named the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower. The 7,500-square-foot tower will stand 60 feet tall and be built of white architectural grade panels with clear and translucent glass, giving those inside a panoramic view of the rowing race course. This is truly the result of vision," said Mike Knopp, a rowing coach at OCU and executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation. "The Devon Boathouse, the existing Chesapeake Boathouse, that opened in January 2006 and others planned are combining to give the city an international reputation for its support of rowing. You don't do that without a committed community", Knopp said.

Mr. Blake Wade, chairman of the Oklahoma Centennial Commission, said MAPS sparked a renewed interest in downtowns across the state. The impact of MAPS is visible throughout downtown, where investment is expected to top a billion in the next few years. Permanent job creation credited to MAPS: more than 1,000. Mr. Ralph McCalmont, interim director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, said MAPS has turned downtown into a destination. The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce reports that 6.2 million people attended downtown events last year.

The Core to Shore program was established by the City of Oklahoma City to maintain the momentum of MAPS and ensure that the area south of downtown is developed to be complimentary to, and not competitive with investments in downtown. The Core to Shore program aims to realign Interstate 40 and replaced the old, worn out elevated lanes of the current freeway with a new boulevard at ground level. This move will bring significant changes to Oklahoma City, especially to the area between downtown (the "core") and the Oklahoma River (the "shore"). This will also open up a gateway to downtown and will offer new development opportunities and provide better access to neighborhoods and businesses throughout the area between downtown and the river. Completion for the new freeway is targeted for 2012.

In December 1993, Oklahoma City voters voted a limited-purpose, five year, one-cent City sales tax to fund the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) program. Subsequently, voters approved a six month extension of the tax. The tax expired on July 1, 1999. During the 66 months it was in effect, more than $309 million was collected. In addition, the deposited tax revenue earned about $54 million in interest. Except for improvements at the State Fairgrounds and the dam-lock-lake improvement to the North Canadian River/Oklahoma River, the MAPS projects were all located in the City's downtown central core. The City of Oklahoma City imposed a one cent use tax on goods imported into the City from outside Oklahoma, creating a MAPs Operations Fund to cover initial operating costs of the various projects. The Oklahoma City Transit Services Department received funding from MAPS and the Federal Transit Administration for the trolley system. The Oklahoma River's original overall cost of $51.8 million included $39 million of MAPS sales tax money and federal funds through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The City of Oklahoma City also received a Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Pilot Grant in 1999 for implementation of passenger boats connecting nearby areas along the North Canadian River. The projects have been completed and are all debt-free. The amount spent in what was an ambitious and highly successful public-private partnership exceeded three billion dollars.

The City received more than $2 million in private donations to form a foundation for the Civic Center Music Hall. The donations came from the sale of naming rights to the nearly completed main performance hall, the hall of mirrors, rehearsal hall and theatre by the City. Half of the amount donated went towards completion of the Civic Center Music Hall.

Within the realm of Brownfields, Oklahoma City has been the recipient of two, $200,000 Assessment grants; a $200,000 Petroleum Cleanup grant; and a $2 million Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant, awarded in 2005. The grant's findings helped to leverage more than $2.3 million in cleanup and more than $49 million in redevelopment funds from the public and private sectors, creating new transportation facilities, commercial redevelopment, and a Native American Cultural Center for residents and visitors to Oklahoma City. The EPA Revolving Loan Fund award has also played a significant role in the City's overall revitalization plan; among other projects, it funded the cleanup and removal of asbestos, mold, and lead paint from the historic Skirvin Hotel, which had been dormant for decades. One of the key accomplishments of the Skirvin Hotel restoration project was that it leveraged approximately $66 million for cleanup and redevelopment efforts. In 2007, EPA announced that the following the Oklahoma City had been selected to receive $250,000 in supplemental funding to replenish its RLF grant.

The City of Oklahoma City was chosen as a federal urban Empowerment Zones in January 2002, and most of downtown area has been included in the City's Empowerment Zone (EZ). The EZ is a federally designated area created by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to facilitate the self-sustaining, long-term revitalization of economically distressed, high poverty neighborhoods in the United States. The Empowerment Zone initiative promotes public-private collaboration and strives to serve as a catalyst for business start up, expansion and job retention by providing a pool of tax breaks and incentives for businesses and employees in the Zone. By statute, funds for these programs would come from the issuance of general obligation bonds by the district involved. These loans can be for up to 100% of the estimated cost of the building and equipment. Employees living and working within the EZ also benefit by becoming more marketable to EZ businesses. Some employers have passed their savings back to their employees in the form of bonuses, down payment home-buyer assistance, and enhanced health benefits and training programs to advance their careers.