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MAPS board reviews design for H.B. Foster Center, approves purchase of adjacent lots for parking
Summary
The MAPS for Citizens Advisory Board heard a design update for renovations to the H.B. Foster Center and voted to recommend purchase of five lots south of the building for use as parking; final design and construction schedule were presented.
At the MAPS for Citizens Advisory Board meeting, architects and staff presented a design update for renovations to the H.B. Foster Center and the board recommended approval of a real estate purchase agreement for five lots south of the facility at 614 Northeast Fourth Street for $379,600.
Architect Jack Joyner of JHBR walked the board through interior renovation plans, exterior repairs and site changes. Joyner said the project is interior-focused: “We are not doing any building additions. So all the renovations are interior and then an improvement to the exterior shell.” He described a revised site plan that adds parking to the south of the building, creates a second main entrance off Fourth Street and organizes interior program space for a partial gym, flexible meeting and work areas, a commercial kitchen for entrepreneurs and small retail spaces to let new businesses test products.
Joyner showed preliminary elevations, storefront glazing for the gym area, and possible locations for commissioned murals to honor Henrietta Foster. He noted the project team is working with OG&E on whether overhead power poles can be removed or placed underground; one pole must be removed because it conflicts with a new entrance.
On schedule and budget, Joyner said the team expects final design to be complete in November 2025, bidding in January 2026 and construction from January 2026 to May 2027. He gave a design and construction budget breakdown: an original design budget of $12,254,000, an early demolition package for $181,000 and a remaining construction budget of $12,073,000.
Board staff then introduced a real estate purchase agreement to acquire five lots directly south of the center to create the needed parking. Staff said two additional parcels remain under negotiation and that the contract comes with subcommittee approval. The board recommended approval of the purchase agreement for $379,600.
The board did not vote to approve final design (task 1) at this meeting; Joyner said the team intends to return next month seeking formal approval of task 1 so the project can move into final design.
Project team members identified in the presentation included Metro Technology Center, Progress OKC, Northeast OKC Renaissance and Spaltz Business Development Center.
