Downtown Tulsa Development Enhanced by Tulsa County, City and Tulsa Metro Chamber
Tulsa County, the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Metro Chamber have announced a partnership to support growth and investment in downtown Tulsa by building a strategy for implementing the downtown master plan to advance downtown development. Working with various stakeholder groups, the coalition will bring in a consultant and facilitate a public engagement process to identify and prioritize top opportunities for the future growth and development in downtown.
“Downtown Tulsa is an economic, cultural and tourism driver for the entire region, and we all have an interest in making downtown the best it can be,” says Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith. “To achieve that goal we need to work together from the same blue print. Cooperating with the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Metro Chamber in this effort only makes sense, and I’m proud to represent Tulsa County as part of the Downtown Coordinating Council.”
Downtown Tulsa continues to attract major investment and impressive development, with nearly $400 million in private funding invested in downtown in the form of projects recently constructed, under construction, planned or announced. Recent announcements, ranging from the attraction of a variety of new businesses to the news that downtown housing demand outpaces availability indicate that development in Tulsa’s vibrant urban center is not slowing anytime soon.
“This downtown renaissance is a crown jewel in the making and never have we had such a great opportunity, nor such a concentration of collaborative effort,” says Tulsa Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr. “I have said this before and I’ll say it again, from public safety to economic development this city has gained the reputation around our region as a city of collaboration. Every single time we’ve come together, city, county, chamber and now downtown, we all win.”
All three entities have committed to aligning resources to maximize investment in the city’s core. The Tulsa Metro Chamber considers downtown Tulsa as a key part of their focus on regional economic development.
“A strong downtown serves as a catalyst for development throughout the city as a whole and the region,” says Mike Neal, president and of the Tulsa Metro Chamber. “Promoting a vibrant urban core in Tulsa creates a stronger community and region, overall, and we are encouraged to be working with the city and county in a collaborative approach to maximize future investment in downtown Tulsa.”
The new partnership and the commitment of many stakeholders across diverse sectors who are investing in downtown’s future is evidence of a growing momentum in Tulsa’s core.
Downtown Tulsa by the Numbers:
• Private investment nears $400 million 2nd Quarter of 2012.
• Downtown workforce population reaches 35,736 in 2011. Recent corporate announcements include expansion and relocation to downtown Tulsa: Airgas, Cimarex, and Northwestern Mutual Financial Group.
• Downtown residential population nears 4,000 in 2011. Over 335 residential units have recently been constructed or are under construction. Another 390 units are in the pipeline. All but two existing residential developments are at full occupancy with waiting lists. The remaining two boast 96% and 98% occupancy.
• Brady Fairfield Inn & Suites, $11.4 million new construction by Brady 41 and Hospitality to have 104 rooms on floors 2-4 and 11,500 square feet of ground floor retail; located on the east side of Main Street between Archer and Brady Streets.
• Hardesty Arts Center, $18.3 million new construction for the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa includes multi-use exhibition spaces, artist studios, classrooms, offices and a catering kitchen; located on the NE corner of Boston and Archer.
• /Channel 6, $11.8 million new communications center for Griffin Communications to include a TV tower and helipad; located at 106 East Cameron.
• Boulder Avenue Bridge, $8 million City of Tulsa reconstruction of the bridge connecting Historic Brady Arts District to the Event Center, Tulsa Convention Center and new One Place development.
• First Presbyterian Church, $33 million major expansion includes a 500-seat worship center, classrooms and offices; located at 7th and Cincinnati.
• One Place, $100 million new construction by One Place of a single-tenant, 18-story office building and 5-story office/mixed use building; located between 2nd and 3rd Streets and Denver and Cheyenne.
Updated 08-13-2012
READER COMMENTS
