City Of Tulsa Works To Spur Growth In Greenwood, International Districts

Tulsa's leaders are trying to spur more growth in two parts of town. They're looking to create two Main Street programs to help revitalize the Greenwood neighborhood, and International District.

They've done this in the past with the Kendall Whittier area, as well as Route 66.

In the past couple of decades, the area near 21st and Garnett has seen major changes. Some big businesses have packed up and left, and dozens of family-owned multicultural stores and restaurants have come in.

They have a large Hispanic population, along with Vietnamese, Hmong and other Asian populations.

"So on each of these corners we've had major changes," Tulsa City Councilor Connie Dodson said.

Dodson is spearheading an effort to bring big improvements to this International District. This week she pushed a resolution to bring this intersection under the state's Main Street Program.

A similar resolution by Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper targeted the historic Greenwood District.

"We've got both historical and cultural in Greenwood, and a vast array of different ethnicities here," Dodson said.

The goal is to have spaces near the intersection at 21st and Garnett to hold events, where visitors could come and learn about the different cultures here.

The program would include making repairs, and fixing up storefronts and parking lots.

"It's just basically a way to help focus that development and keep it growing in a positive way," Dodson said.

The Greenwood District and International District are both parts of Tulsa that Dodson says are especially important to the city, which is why they want to support them both.

"They've shown that every dollar we invest produces a multitude of dollars back, so I think it's important to make those investments, especially when we have areas that are doing well but could do better," Dodson said.