Developer Plans To Break Ground On Helmerich Park Late 2017

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said opposition to the sale part of Helmerich Park led to significant changes in the deal.

The changes include specifying that REI develop a store there and that a restaurant face the river instead of just the parking lot.

In a marathon meeting Wednesday night, the city council heard two-and-a-half more hours of citizen input, most of it was against the plan, but the council approved it by a single vote.

3/1/2017 Related Story: City Council Votes In Favor Of Controversial Sale Of Helmerich Park

"Leadership is identifying true concerns that people have when those people might not agree with you, and finding out how you can more closely accommodate the appropriate concerns that they have, and I think we did that,” Bynum said.

The developer still has to finalize contracts, but said they plan to break ground October 2017 and open fall 2018.