Oklahoma City schedules groundbreaking for new downtown arena as demolition and design work near completion

A new venue planned across from Paycom Center

Oklahoma City is preparing for a groundbreaking ceremony for its new downtown arena, a city-owned venue planned for the former convention center site across the street from Paycom Center. The project is intended to replace Paycom Center as the city’s primary large-scale indoor sports and entertainment facility and is tied to a long-term commitment keeping the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder in the city through at least 2050.

How the project is funded and what voters approved

The arena plan follows a citywide vote held on Dec. 12, 2023, when residents approved a 1% sales tax for 72 months to finance construction of a new downtown arena. The measure was structured to maintain the city’s overall sales tax rate by scheduling the new tax to begin after an existing MAPS 4 sales tax ends on April 1, 2028. Under the public framework presented with the arena proposal, the Thunder ownership group is committed to a $50 million contribution toward construction, with additional project funding incorporating previously approved MAPS 4 dollars that had been designated for Paycom Center-related improvements and arena-related facilities.

Design direction and early project milestones

Conceptual design work has moved forward under a team that includes MANICA Architecture as design architect and TVS as architect of record. Early renderings and project descriptions released publicly emphasize a 360-degree glass curtain wall, outward-facing concourses designed to provide panoramic views, and an elevated main entrance on a podium. City and project materials have also described a fan-focused public realm element referred to as “Thunder Alley.”

The selected location—on the site of the former convention center—has already been the subject of demolition planning and early site preparation steps. City and partner communications have indicated demolition activity is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, positioning the project for a start of vertical construction in early 2026.

Construction delivery and oversight

The city has advanced the project using a construction manager at-risk (CMAR) delivery approach, intended to bring the contractor into the process during design and preconstruction while establishing a guaranteed maximum price later in development. A Flintco–Mortenson team has been identified as the construction manager for the arena.

• Project type: city-owned downtown arena replacing Paycom Center as the primary venue
• Site: former convention center property across from Paycom Center
• Key program elements: expanded concourses and public-facing design features; seating capacity and suite counts still subject to final design
• Schedule marker: groundbreaking planned during the first quarter of 2026

What comes next

The groundbreaking will serve as a public marker that the arena has moved from planning and procurement into construction. Final capacity, premium seating counts, and event infrastructure details remain expected to evolve as conceptual plans are refined into construction-ready documents, while the city continues to align the construction timeline with the longer-term sales tax funding schedule approved by voters.

Groundbreaking ceremonies typically signal that major site work is complete and that the project has cleared key design, contracting, and financing checkpoints—elements that are now converging for the new downtown arena.