North Cincinnati Avenue Switch Will Cost Tulsa Businesses Thousands

A name change to honor a civil rights figure will cost the City of Tulsa almost $100,000. Several businesses will end up are paying too because the name that's changing is North Cincinnati Avenue.

Although the signs say Cincinnati Avenue, it's actually Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. The City changed the name but not the signs last year.

In a few months, every one of the street signs will be changed out to reflect the new official name - Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

"It's got a good sound to it, it gives people some pride about the community and I think the property value on Cincinnati will go up because people will want to be located on Martin Luther King Boulevard," said Tulsa City Councilor Jack Henderson.

The City officially changed the name of North Cincinnati Avenue last summer. Even though no signs have changed, the new name changes every address on Cincinnati from Archer north to the city limits - the new MLK Boulevard. That's 6 miles.

Read the letter the city sent to residents

And unlike honorary street names, like Bob Wills Boulevard that's really Main Street, MLK Boulevard is a new address for every home and business.

The Gypsy Coffee House and Sanctuary Salon are the only downtown businesses on North Cincinnati - the new MLK.

Owner Bradley Garcia has to change everything from business cards to the title on his property - and he says it's going to cost a lot.

"Abstract and title work, that's $1,000 at least. This name change is going to cost me $4 or $5 thousand dollars and I'm just a little guy trying to make ends meet down here. I don't know how I'm going to do it," Garcia said.

Garcia says it's already confusing for people to drive into downtown and believes a short leg of MLK that turns back into Cincinnati will only make things worse.

He wishes it would start at the IDL and go north from there.

"I don't have $5,000 to throw out just for a name change when I'm not moving or going anywhere," Garcia said.

Henderson says it's been long overdue - and it's worth the $97,000 the city will pay for the new street and highway signs.

Read the breakdown of the sign cost

"Tulsa has never had a Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and now we do," Henderson said.

The official change took effect last June, but the signs won't change until this coming August.