OKC City Council Approves New Downtown Parking Garage

OKC City Council has approved the purchase of an OG&N data center at Broadway and SW 3^rd for a new parking garage.

OG&E will get $14 million for the property, which includes money to allow them to move the facility to another property.

The 850-space parking garage will be used by the Convention Center hotel.

“It will serve the arena for events, Bricktown. So, it really is for the entire area,” said President of the Alliance for Economic Development Cathy O’Connor.

The City has agreed to pay Omni hotels $85 million to become the conventional center hotel. The total price tag on the entire project for OMNI is roughly three times that amount.

The parking garage will cost $40 after construction cost, but the Omni isn’t paying anything for the structure.

“It’s just a hidden subsidy for Omni hotels,” argued Councilman Ed Shadid, who was the only OKC City Councilman to vote against the purchase of the parking garage property.

“Why use MAPS 3 funds for something that wasn’t pitched to the people,” said Shadid, who has been a big critic of the convention center, about the parking garage.

The convention center and parking lot is expected to open in Summer of 2020.