Seeds of Development Sprouting in North Tulsa

Business is bustling in the new Lansing Plaza in north Tulsa. The "newness" is what attracted Carolyn Crump to the plaza. â€œI'm happy to see some of these vacant lots are becoming occupied with

Thursday, January 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Business is bustling in the new Lansing Plaza in north Tulsa. The "newness" is what attracted Carolyn Crump to the plaza. â€œI'm happy to see some of these vacant lots are becoming occupied with the businesses that we need in north Tulsa," she said.

The dream of Lansing Plaza started when "The Look Style Shop" was looking to expand, but couldn't find a location in the area. â€œMy partner came up with the idea to build a building,â€ said the shopâ€™s co-owner Dennis Ramey. â€œI didn't know we had that much clout, but here we are two years later." Rameyâ€™s partner, Don Boylan, got a loan through a new program aimed at sparking growth in north Tulsa. â€œIt will give more people the incentive to come here and try to build up more businesses," Boylan said.

The â€œPulling Together for Neighborhoodsâ€ program focuses on revitalizing seven areas in north Tulsa. People can also build new homes or even spruce up older houses. A dozen homes so far have received a portion of the $60 million available in loans. Four businesses including an accounting and tax firm, recently moved to Lansing Plaza. When a cafe opens soon, the building will not have a business space left. â€œWe're spearheading,â€ Ramey said. â€œI think others will follow." Crump agrees. â€œIt will give our young people jobs and will also mean jobs for adults and senior citizens," she said.
It's a shot in the arm that Crump says north Tulsa needs. The "Pulling Together for Neighborhoods" program is a partnership between the city of Tulsa and Bank of America.