MAPS 4 Animal Welfare Center construction reaches halfway point

Published on March 03, 2026

The MAPS 4 Louisa McCune Animal Welfare Center was ceremonially “topped out” Tuesday, marking the halfway point construction. The $42-million center is scheduled to be completed this fall.

The 70,000-square-foot animal welfare center, funded through MAPS 4, is critical to making OKC a safer and more welcoming place for residents and pets.

The new center will be named the Oklahoma City Louisa McCune Animal Welfare Center after the late Louisa McCune. McCune was a passionate advocate for animals. Through her work as Director of the Kirkpatrick Foundation, she was instrumental in securing MAPS 4 funding for the center. Mayor David Holt appointed her to serve on the MAPS 4 Neighborhood Subcommittee. McCune passed away in 2024 from cancer.

"Today’s topping out brings us one step closer to our goal of providing a modern, inviting animal welfare experience for Oklahoma City,” MAPS Program Director David Todd said. “We are on schedule, on budget, and eager to welcome both people and animals into this state-of-the-art facility.”

The building will have four entrances, one for each service: adoption, intake, training and the clinic. The center’s layout will improve the building’s flow, safety and hygiene.

The new facility will feature separate cat and dog kennel wings designed to create quieter, less stressful spaces for pets awaiting adoption. Each kennel room will include windows, so the animals get natural light. The new facility will increase the number of dog kennels to nearly 550 and increase the number of cat condos to more than 300.

The center will also include outdoor play yards covered with artificial turf designed for exercise and socialization, a training room, meeting spaces for events and educational sessions.

The new center is being constructed behind the current shelter, 2811 SE 29th St. Once the animals and staff move into the new facility, the old shelter will then be demolished, and crews will begin construction on a 2,800-square-foot barn adjacent to a pasture.

HSE Architects and Connolly Architects designed the center, and the general contractor is Crossland Construction.

About MAPS 4

MAPS 4 is a debt-free public improvement program funded by a temporary penny sales tax that will raise a projected $1.07 billion over eight years. Oklahoma City voters approved the sales tax to fund MAPS 4 in a special election on Dec. 10, 2019, moving forward with a unique and ambitious plan to transform our community. The temporary penny sales tax funding MAPS 4 began April 1, 2020, and ends in 2028. More than 70 percent of MAPS 4 funding is dedicated to neighborhood and human needs. The rest is for quality of life and job-creating initiatives. The MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board and its six subcommittees will guide MAPS 4 planning and implementation, making recommendations to the City Council. The Council has final authority on MAPS 4. The MAPS Investment and Operating Trust developed a strategic investment plan to support long-term sustainable funding for MAPS 4 projects' operational expenses and maintenance. Visit okc.gov/maps4 for more.