Improve Our Tulsa Plan Would Invest $90M In Housing

The City of Tulsa could soon make a first-of-its-kind investment in housing through the "Improve Our Tulsa" package.

The first public draft of the "Improve our Tulsa" tax renewal includes millions for typical projects like streets, and public safety, but also has millions to encourage new housing construction which the City has not directly invested in before. The city has a housing authority that subsidizes rent and builds complexes, but it hasn't helped build individual houses or apartments.

"Opening a low barrier shelter is another one we've got to get done in Tulsa. So many of the folks you see on the street right now could be in there right now if we had one in Tulsa, but we don't," said Mayor GT Bynum.

The Housing Initiative includes efforts to cut red tape on housing permits, offer incentives for the construction of affordable housing, and subsidies for transitional and long-term supportive housing.

"And so these are all things the government can play a role and in the past, we would always hope the federal government was going to send us enough money to make it happen, and that isn't happening. So we either can lament that that isn't happening, or Tulsans can take command of this situation and invest in housing like we need to, to solve it," said Bynum.

There will be public meetings and a council vote to set the final package, which goes to voters in August.