RFP issued for new Oklahoma NBA arena

Image: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Urbanative, CC BY-SA 3.0

Officials in Oklahoma City have issued a request for proposal (RFP) for an architectural consultant to plan the city’s new arena.

The new venue will be home to the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and replace Paycom Center.

Sports Business Journal said the city and the NBA team’s development agreement was approved by the city council during a late May meeting, allowing the $750 million project to advance.

The 18,203-capacity Paycom Center is an arena located in Downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It opened in 2002 and since 2008 has served as the home venue for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA’s) Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City Thunder is an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City (US). The Thunder competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at the Paycom Center.

Sports Business Journal further stated that the RFP details the city’s proposed schedule for proceeding, with an initial deadline of July 17, an August 5 notification of short-listed firms, and interviews with finalists by September 5.

The city also plans to recruit a construction manager later this year.

The arena will be built on the site of the former Cox Convention Center (which needs to be demolished) and completed no later than the summer of 2029, though the city’s goal is to open the venue by the summer of 2028.

The City will own and maintain the new arena, which is expected to be at least 750,000 square feet. The agreement also includes a new parking garage onsite with at least 650 spaces.

Additionally, about 1.4 acres of the new arena site is being reserved for a potential interCity transit hub in the future.

The agreement also details an ongoing collaborative process between the City and the team, with evaluations along the way to ensure the new arena meets NBA standards as well as maximizing team revenues.

in December 2023, Oklahoma City voters overwhelmingly approved a penny sales tax to build a new, publicly-owned arena. The new arena will be the fourth downtown arena in City history constructed by the public.

The RFP, issued July 11, mentions that responsibilities for the chosen architect could include (but not be limited to): master planning services to initiate the project; programming services (establishing the general vision, requirements, and goals for the arena and overall site’s design); design phase services (including potentially conceptual design, schematic design, design development, and construction drawings).

It would also include pre-construction services; construction administration services; post-construction services; and any additional services. The arena project’s construction budget is $750 million.

The Thunder will continue to play home games at the Paycom Center until the new arena opens.

The agreement maintains the completion date of 2029 as outlined in the letter of intent but provides a path to a target completion date of June 2028, with a contractual obligation to open the new arena by June 2030; and

The Thunder’s 25-year commitment to remain in Oklahoma City begins when they move into the new arena.

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