NORMAN — Team Norman, a coalition of local leaders, announced its proposal of a billion-dollar development on Wednesday.

Included in the proposal is the construction of a multi-purpose venue that would host the OU basketball teams, OU women’s gymnastics, high school state championships and national youth basketball tournaments.

The venue would hold 8,000 spectators. But the entire project, which is planned to be at Rock Creek Road and 24th Ave., must first be approved by various stakeholders and governmental bodies, beginning with the Norman City Council and Cleveland County Board of Commissioners.

“What we’re talking about today is a once-in-two-or-three generation moment,” OU president Joe Harroz said of the project, which would also include retail shops, restaurants, housing and more. “The big attraction is it creates a vibrancy in our city that right now is missing.”

More: What we know about the $1 billion entertainment district, including OU arena, proposed in Norman

Norman mayor Larry Heikkila said the hope is that the proposal will be approved by city council by the spring. It would then likely take 3-4 years for the arena to be built.

That can’t come soon enough for Porter Moser, who has been pushing for a new venue since he became OU’s men’s basketball head coach in 2021. The Sooners have called Lloyd Noble Center home since 1975.

OU went 15-17 last season, and it struggled to create a consistent home atmosphere. The Sooners went 9-7 at LNC and recorded an average attendance of 7,105 spectators despite the venue boasting a max capacity of 11,528 spectators.

“I think everyone knows the commitment needs to be towards having a new venue.” Moser said on March 6. “You look at some of the teams’ venues and atmospheres in this league, and it becomes very hard to play in. … Let’s just move in that direction.”

In addition to creating a better home atmosphere, a new venue would be a major asset on the recruiting trail.

OU’s 2023 class was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 38 class in the nation. And it isn’t just out-of-state prospects the Sooners hope to bring to Norman.

Improved facilities would also help the program retain in-state talent. A recent example is former Norman North star Trae Young, who played for OU in 2018 and is now a two-time All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks.

Young ultimately chose to play for OU, although he entertained the idea of attending various out-of-state programs due to their facilities.

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“I can promise you guys, there’s another Trae Young in this community right now,” said Rayford Young, Trae’s father. “If this was here when (Trae) was coming up, he probably wouldn’t have visited Duke or North Carolina or Kansas or Kentucky because there would’ve been no reason to.”

OU will be competing in the SEC if and when any ground is broken. The Sooners will make the move from the Big 12 on July 1.

OU will need every edge it can get to hold its own on the recruiting trail. In the past five years, three different SEC programs have ranked in the Top 3 of 247Sports’ recruiting class rankings.

That list consists of Kentucky, Arkansas and Alabama. No Big 12 program ranked in the Top 3 during that time.

“I know basketball isn’t prepared for this (move),” Rayford Young said. “I want to see the basketball team succeed, and right now it’s just not there. And one of the reasons it’s not there is because we don’t have the facilities.

“If this passes, it’s going to change not only things for Oklahoma but for this community.”

More: OU basketball announces 2023-24 non-conference schedule, return to McCasland Field House

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New OU basketball arena earmarked in $1B Norman project proposal