Tulsa Seeks Plan For Property Near Downtown

The City of Tulsa wants a new plan for a large piece of property near downtown, which could spark a rebirth of a neighborhood.

The homes and businesses on this land burned in the race massacre, and though a lot was rebuilt - the highway and urban renewal projects led to a long decline. Now the City wants a master plan - for redevelopment.

The City of Tulsa controls 56 acres of undeveloped land separated by the IDL from downtown. It's practically empty - except for homeless people camping, while everything around it is growing.

"It's an exciting opportunity and we want to be thoughtful and intentional," said Ashley Philippsen, the mayor's deputy chief of community development. "They're going to give us a vision for how the land can be developed, which would then be a road map for a developer to say 'I'm great at building businesses, or mixed use live and work spaces, so I'd like to pitch a bid for this space.'"

The city's request requires the new plan honor the history of the property. Community engagement and support is required.

Whatever is built must connect to the surrounding neighborhoods, and incorporate needs like transit and parking, affordable housing and easy access to food.

"Instead of just one big development where it's one developer doing the whole space, we're hoping for incremental development to give a lot of developers an opportunity to bring something of benefit to the area," Philippsen said. 

The city's request does not dictate what's best for the property, the neighborhood, schools and businesses nearby.

The city timeline has plans coming into view before the centennial of the race massacre.

Click here for the link to request for proposals.