SAME BASIC PLAN (Arena to anchor bar/restaurant strip), BIGGER PRICE TAG  

A little review of Arena 1.0 plan from 2018 is valuable.

“We elected to withdraw that motion, and step back, and work with the community and look for other ways to bring the project to life,” said OU Foundation spokesman Chip Carter."

 Let's see they hired Lawrence McKinney (Norman Economic Development Coalition) to head up TEAM Norman. Team Norman organized a "failed?" attempt to steer the ONE Visioning process to support an arena/entertainment district as a priority.  That process was pretty strange - a bunch of meetings in the summer and then meetings kept being added.  One thing that was clear from the process from the beginning was the desire for affordable housing and to address homelessness.  

Seems like the prediction that OU was looking to change council and not the plan was pretty on point.  

The basic plan is very similar to the original masterplan for the UNP district.  What has changed is the price tag and the ask. Giving up 100% of growth in tax revenues in the proposed district for up to 25 years is simply preposterous.  

Have a read.  OU Foundation pulls plan for new arena | KFOR.com Oklahoma City