See our Video Center section for more animated concept renderings and project info.
A notable absence on our city's landscape is that of a destination park for the entire community. This world-class community gathering place will be fully programmed and would provide citizens with a variety of recreation activities, including concerts, walking / biking / running trails, picnic sites, youth sports fields, play areas, public art, interactive water features, and outdoor education opportunities, in addition to promoting a more healthy lifestyle. Designed to be both environmentally and economically sustainable, this park will be unlike anything else in Oklahoma. It will be on par with world class parks like the signature parks in Chicago, Houston, New York City and even Paris.
This park will provide a critical catalyst to attract private investment in order for us to take full advantage of the opportunity presented by the relocation of I-40 and the new Boulevard. It will connect the core of the city to the Oklahoma River and all of its redevelopment progress. Comparable parks in other cities report millions of dollars in private investment in the area following completion of their parks. In addition, the Park will incorporate a sustainable design that will further reduce operating costs, and will utilize the new SkyDance pedestrian bridge (already funded) to connect the upper and lower portions of the park.
The park's benefits abound:
More than 30 studies have shown that parks have a positive impact on nearby residential property values - an excellent destination park has the potential to add 15 percent to the assessed value of all properties near the park, increasing our tax revenues.
Recent research suggests that access to parkland, such as a world-class destination park, can help people increase their level of physical activity. There is a $250 cost difference in medical treatment between those who exercise regularly and those who don’t. For people over 65, the difference is $500. A study done on Sacramento’s parks found that the city saved $19,872,000 in medical costs in 2007 due to park exercise.
A destination park has environmental benefits, including water pollution reduction and air pollution reduction due to the air pollutants that trees and shrubs absorb. A study on Philadelphia’s park system found that the city saves a yearly average of $5,948,613 in park runoff reduction. A study on Washington D.C.’s park found park removed 244 tons of pollutants in 2005.
A destination park would increase sales tax revenues through spending by tourists who visit. Parks themselves can become tourist attractions and great venues for festivals, sports events and music / cultural activities.
Numerous studies have shown that the more webs of human relationships a neighborhood has, the stronger, safer and more successful it is. Any institution that promotes this kind of community cohesion, such as a destination park, adds value to a neighborhood and by extension to the whole city.
See our Video Center section for more animated concept renderings and project info.
PROJECT DETAILS
Cost: $130 million
Description: This project is a downtown park that is approximately 70 acres. It will begin as a two-block-wide park at the future boulevard (the current Interstate 40 alignment), proceed south to the future Interstate 40 alignment, and continue from there as a one-block-wide park to the Oklahoma River. The upper park will be fully programmed, including a cafe, lake, and other amenities.
Background:
The concept of a large, central park is the result of an inclusive community planning process known as “Core to Shore” that was convened to consider what should be done with the land south of the soon-to-be-relocated Interstate 40.
Some land acquisition for the park was funded by the 2007 bond issue.
The “SkyDance Bridge,” which is already funded, links the upper and lower parks.
A large central park will provide an amenity that most world class cities enjoy.
Statistics and information taken from “Measuring the Economic Value of a City Park System” by Peter Harnik and Ben Welle
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DID YOU KNOW?
MAPS is one of the most aggressive and successful public-private partnerships ever undertaken in the U.S. The original MAPS ($363 million) spurred over $3 billion in private investment.
DID YOU KNOW?
MAPS for Kids was the first-ever partnership between a city and local school districts.
DID YOU KNOW?
The new MAPS proposal will NOT raise taxes from current levels.
