MAPS 3 proposals almost ready for Oklahoma voters

Voters should get their first look at the city’s MAPS 3 proposal within two weeks, Mayor Mick Cornett said.

Oklahoma City residents likely will get to vote on the proposal in December. The proposal will include public transit improvements, a new convention center and a large downtown park, Cornett said.

"I expect there to be more projects, but the bulk of it is going to be those three,” he said.

"I don’t think we’re going to stray too far from what most people would consider the MAPS brand with capital projects and a tax over a specific length of time. But the city is a different place now, and I think the proposal will reflect the changes the city has made.”

Whether those transit improvements will include better bus service, light rail, a modern streetcar or some combination of the three will be among the details city officials release at a news conference within two weeks, Cornett said. The cost of the proposal and length of the sales tax also will be announced.

Former mayor agrees

Former Mayor Ron Norick, who led the campaign for the original MAPS projects, said all three of the expected MAPS 3 projects make sense as a next step for downtown.

Norick said he tried to get a rail system included in the original MAPS and sees real possibility in improved transit. He also blessed a new convention center, as the Cox Convention Center will be more than 40 years old by the time the new one would open.

Norick said the new Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway will leave a large open space south of downtown, and a large park will be a much better welcome to the city for visitors than empty lots.

"The city can either go forwards or backwards, but it can’t stay still,” Norick said. "You’ve got to keep moving forward.

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