Oklahoma City is marking 32 years since voters approved the original Metropolitan Area Projects program, better known as MAPS. The December 1993 vote launched a one-cent sales tax that funded public projects designed to revive the city’s core and improve quality of life.
A turning point for the city
MAPS became a turning point for Oklahoma City. Since the tax passed, the program has driven more than $5 billion in public and private investment across the city. The projects were built over 10 years, even as OKC recovered from the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The city’s rebuilding efforts and MAPS construction moved forward together, setting the stage for two decades of steady growth and national recognition…