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Council adopts MAPS beautification master plan to fund corridors, gateways and public art
Summary
The Oklahoma City Council adopted a MAPS beautification master plan that sets priorities for corridor treatments, gateway signs, public art and small plazas, directing MAPS dollars toward people‑centered projects across several phases.
The Oklahoma City Council on May 20, 2025, adopted a MAPS‑funded Beautification Master Plan that lays out a multi‑phase program of public art, corridor improvements, gateway treatments and smaller public‑space projects across the city.
Council action followed a presentation by CH Guernsey and a public discussion that ranged from support for neighborhood projects to concern from at least one council member about changes made to an earlier project list.
Consultant Daniel Spurley told the council the plan sprang from broad community input — more than 3,500 survey responses, nine pop‑up events and meetings with more than two dozen stakeholder groups — and recommended a set of interventions guided by five principles: people‑centered places, purposeful projects, promotion, sustainability and connection. Proposed projects include improvements along Route 66 approaches, the Bessie Coleman Gardens, a Reno‑to‑Eastern/First Americans Museum corridor, multiple pedestrian bridges, and city entrance/gateway treatments.
The plan allocates MAPS dollars in phases. Spurley summarized earlier MAPS allocations that had funded land acquisition and maintenance reserves: the city previously dedicated roughly $32.9 million to the beautification effort, including $5 million for permanent beautification staff, $5 million for acquisition of a northeast property at Northeast 23rd and Martin Luther King Avenue, and about $1 million set aside for tree planting and long‑term maintenance. That left roughly $19 million for projects; staff reported small additional receipts have increased the total available for project work to about $20 million.
The consultant emphasized that the program is intentionally surface‑level and varied in scope, from low‑cost installations (murals, painted pillars, fence art and temporary wraps) to higher‑cost, more structural work such as sculptural elements, lighting and pedestrian bridge upgrades. "This has always been about surface level beautification, which I think is very important and very impactful," Councilman Cooper said during the discussion, describing the work as complementary to larger capital projects like sidewalks and road reconstruction that require separate funding.
Council members raised neighborhood concerns. Councilman Cooper voiced disappointment that some bridge projects he and residents had expected to see were removed from the final list; he said staff later engaged with him and other council members to identify how to address those corridors and agreed there would be further coordination on project scope. Councilwoman Hammond and Councilor Stump spoke in favor and emphasized the plan's role in improving first impressions and pedestrian safety on major corridors.
The council voted to adopt the master plan unanimously. City staff and the consultant said individual project design and community engagement will begin in the plan's next implementation phases; project prioritization, detailed scopes and construction schedules will be developed before work begins on each corridor or gateway.
