[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6577154,"mediaKeyId","3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832","parentId",3169155,"title","Tulsa’s Destination Districts report private reinvestment, new projects and a 2026 National Main Street conference bid","audioSeconds",1087,"startMs",1851200,"endMs",2938930,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832&start=1851&end=2938","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832/thumbnail_1851200.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6577154/Tulsa/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/Tulsas-Destination-Districts-report-private-reinvestment-new-projects-and-a-2026-National-Main-Street-conference-bid","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577154-c216d488195546899f6d72085911cd0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775652538&Signature=LB~WIGSScUjO5SaMs32rJBJh4519J4hbXwFA9FmAEaDaD9SsmPFC1e-PWXTj8qWUIpb~0sKU8mb25OW6R-iZlcAS52SnOCeDsNW~MxPLE4ZzL4utl5s7mdM7aWCHEVeYZ5dMCV-sg~watLx9l6c2yEtK4axmtTiPiu93ILKnGPFpdS9YyZDfRUZOLAEGeNuU4Lj1TJZGNASdMnFz8INgKXjZLQ35238HlpmXl~wgRofWA9T~R1YD-gyC89c8DXL3zKNKy73f8vUxC9VPwb~C3Gqnft5reKf1XfReK~Hq0m7cVXVvyrjzYznf8O4Vu4dPr4MD3BgeorIluzcC6xQrvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tulsa","date","2025-04-30T10:31:00Z","article","City Destination Districts staff updated the Tulsa City Council on activity across four designated Main Street districts and on the city’s broader placemaking work, including private reinvestment, volunteer hours, building rehabilitations and program expansions.

Samantha Extantz, the city’s destination districts manager, said Route 66 Main Street, Kendall Whittier, Greenwood and the Global District each reported private reinvestment and project work over the last year. Extantz noted the city is supporting enrollment of four local nonprofits in Oklahoma Main Street’s 2025–26 program year and highlighted a major outcome: Tulsa will host the National Main Street Conference in April 2026.

Why it matters: The Main Street districts marshal public and private investments in commercial corridors and parks and coordinate events and small‑business assistance. Extantz said the 2026 national conference will bring an estimated 2,000–4,000 attendees and roughly $3 million in sales‑tax revenue to Tulsa.

Key details and examples from the briefing:
- Route 66 Main Street (Council District 2): reported just over $9 million in private reinvestment last year and about $456 million to date. The district logged roughly 2,000 volunteer hours this year (32,000 hours to date), completed 16 building rehabilitations in the year (135 total since designation) and saw five new businesses open. Extantz said the district won a $225,000 Oklahoma Route 66 revitalization grant to build a dinosaur roadside attraction planned for Howard Park.
- Kendall Whittier (Council Districts 13 & 4): reported approximately $790,000 in private reinvestment last year and $175 million to date; about 1,300 volunteer hours to date. The district received a $260,000 incentive award for placemaking, wayfinding and public art and is pairing that work with the Kendall Whittier Improvement District’s landscaping and lighting efforts.
- Greenwood (District 1): reported just over $9 million last year and $28 million to date, with three building rehabs in the past year and 14 since 2020. Extantz said Greenwood completed a mini master plan for Vias Roberts Park and is hiring an executive director.
- Global District (Districts 5 & 6): reported about $1 million in private reinvestment last year and about $10 million to date; the district has completed multiple rehabs and new businesses since 2020 and launched a retail vacancy study with a national contractor that produced an action plan. Extantz noted the Plaza Santa Cecilia (Plaza 21) improvement and a planned mural and gateway work; she said many businesses in the plaza are expected to count in next year’s totals once they are fully open.

Program products and resources: Extantz described a new Tulsa Lease and Design Guide developed with the Global District and a statewide partner. The guide, she said, walks entrepreneurs and new small businesses through common lease types, build‑out considerations and permitting advice. Extantz said the guide is available online and will be translated into Spanish and one additional language.

Other program items: destination districts staff launched a commercial corridor safety guide with tips (graffiti removal, medical emergency response, business‑watch ideas) and held the program’s second annual retreat for district leaders. Extantz said the city is supporting several emerging commercial district efforts and finalizing a Riverwood neighborhood improvement strategy for implementation.

Councilors asked about timing and counts for new businesses in the Global District; Extantz said businesses in Plaza Santa Cecilia that opened earlier in the year will appear in next year’s statistics and that the state Main Street infographics follow an annual calendar used by the program.

Ending: Extantz invited councilors to participate in the 2026 National Main Street Conference and said more details will be provided as planning continues.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Tulsa - Council Urban & Economic Development Committee - Apr 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City Destination Districts staff updated the Tulsa City Council on activity across four designated Main Street districts and on the city’s broader placemaking work, including private reinvestment, volunteer hours, building rehabilitations and program expansions.","taxTitle","Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma","taxId",2682,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577159,"Tulsa councilors discuss limits on dense housing in proposed office-light rezoning at 101st South and Florence",731,327555,1058834,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832&start=327&end=1058","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832/thumbnail_327555.jpg","/articles/6577159/Tulsa/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/Tulsa-councilors-discuss-limits-on-dense-housing-in-proposed-office-light-rezoning-at-101st-South-and-Florence","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577159-6750bd2510fc225368df4ed641db803c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775652538&Signature=aP3NLCjhpn7~lNFjfSqQnIl56rvEyEuUEWreT1-HD1m3bvIULCiYmzevZ8t3SkTx01sDyJ4Tf~t46ouPsZSiv7i~0Lv9w7zWeFrlamI2fDZMYR9rjU80ZcY~KGVk142N82-jhRJhV~KpZKH2nrv9kfaI5o6MRp1x5zSCjA0hv7FQmRH8dmDHSlwlADJdIBSrwCfijys2RXobtOgMB0bQ5V-PaWEuDmjh7IN62gwhsmvLdKWB6vt4xINHg63IrtBGR-~NJDetH1cfXTnOuWpXC-qpmY1hErUlNz7Jwk0wSpp7I1TTrG16h2BcvbInmbPGhxsH919HLQ802MBbvyl4TQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tulsa planning staff and councilors spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing Z7799, a rezoning request with an optional development plan for property at the southeast corner of 101st Street South in the South Florence area that would change existing AG and RS-3 zoning to office-light (OL) with supplemental use and design restrictions.

Nathan Foster of the Planning Office described the file as Z7799 and said the ODP was added after neighborhood meetings and additional council-facilitated discussions: “The optional development plan included a range of things. Some of those being restrictions on uses, some additional setback requirements, and then some screening and landscaping buffering, signage restrictions, and then some lighting restrictions as well.”

The nut graf: The version of the ODP before councilors removes the highest-density residential category — uses constituting three or more households on a single lot, including typical apartment/mixed‑use buildings — after outreach with neighbors and the developer. Supporters of the revised plan said it represents compromise; other councilors warned the repeated use of site‑specific ODPs can produce a patchwork of zoning that limits housing choice across the city.

Most important facts first: Planning staff said the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) recommended approval with straight OL zoning; subsequent neighborhood negotiations and councilor‑facilitated meetings led to an ODP that both developer representatives and neighbors accepted. The central change in the latest draft is removal of the residential use category allowing three or more households on a single lot. Foster said the neighbors remained open to duplexes, townhomes and some lower‑density residential building types, but the “three or more” category was removed.

Councilors raised two recurring concerns during the discussion. Councilor Bellas said she remains concerned about the city repeatedly negotiating away multifamily options parcel by parcel and about creating restrictive, inconsistent ODPs that could harm long‑term housing supply and property values. Another councilor described the practice as effectively limiting where people of different incomes can live and likened it to a form of segregation; that speaker urged broader citywide conversation about housing strategy and community education about permitting, floodplain constraints and realistic development expectations.

Planning staff explained technical constraints that would affect future conversions: if the ODP is adopted as written, significant changes (for example converting an office building to a higher‑density apartment building) would require returning to the planning commission and council for an amendment, because the ODP standards would be codified in the ordinance. Foster noted floodplain and floodway across a portion of the site would likely preclude development on that land and that previous developer concept plans had shown roughly 13–14 townhome units along the eastern boundary in an earlier layout, though no final residential plat has been submitted.

Councilors also discussed enforcement and broader city policy: several councilors urged stronger and scaled proactive multifamily inspections and code enforcement to address poor conditions at some rental properties, arguing that better enforcement of existing standards would reduce neighborhood resistance to new multifamily development.

Procedural context and next steps: Planning staff confirmed the ODP version dated 04/11 (in the meeting backup) is the draft to reference in any motion; the council was briefed and discussed the proposal but no final vote on Z7799 is recorded in the transcript. Council staff indicated the item will proceed through the council meeting process per the council’s agenda rules.

Ending: Councilors said they were open to future agenda items to discuss citywide housing and zoning precedents and to provide more public education about the steps that follow rezoning, including permitting, floodplain review and site‑level constraints.","Tulsa planning staff and councilors spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing Z7799, a rezoning request with an optional development plan for property at the southeast corner of 101st Street South in the South Florence area that would change existing AG and RS-3 zoning to office-light (OL) with supplemental use and design restrictions.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577149,"Finance projects modest tax growth for FY26; council hears transfer of stormwater bond proceeds",1395,1775315,3170910,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832&start=1775&end=3170","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832/thumbnail_1775315.jpg","/articles/6577149/Tulsa/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/Finance-projects-modest-tax-growth-for-FY26-council-hears-transfer-of-stormwater-bond-proceeds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577149-11c4fb93dd208802f4cf2fdb3e27d972/orig.mp4?Expires=1775652538&Signature=WSG4XFH1skazhoGKn~X2pw9lOvMpHLShpCx3IHn6kDZ1vN5fzkEqYR~6-addSghG3fk2FFsvt6wQRp0TDm-BMD22lcMuVBKZxEIfRr9~6rg0l0QhVpJSZqia6gPcGZ7F7PpTI8qld7ZJjif1ghPKom5btz5P2oq~C-9bYsG~pGXgyS~0zrkKbN5DKrU1nr-ZhLleeFGsCXt~5FjeAHdHKdiqAxlI8d9gTZJdZeed46QQzHyx-KdBo65FubySP2IjBOc2b-UVDjcgrbMZHexjmJsRp6UNZ3XtY8akmUHTmqpKapBEWE20ONQkPmPhOFqjveX6rDoAk~VfPjJQMAclNQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City finance staff briefed council on revenue forecasts for fiscal year 2025–26 and explained a proposed intradepartmental transfer of stormwater bond proceeds within the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority (TPFA) funds.

Jared Morton in the budget office explained the ordinance on the council agenda to transfer available appropriations in the TPFA 2023 stormwater fund from the Comanche project to a stormwater facilities project. Morton emphasized a legal constraint on the funds: because the revenue originated from stormwater bonds, bond proceeds are restricted to stormwater purposes and cannot be used to cover non‑stormwater project gaps. He said the Comanche stormwater components are nearing completion and the remaining stormwater bond proceeds will be reassigned to the stormwater facilities project where they are needed.

On revenue forecasting, the finance team described methodology and assumptions: they use Forecast Pro with long series data and inputs from national (Federal Reserve FOMC) and local (Moody’s, Visit Tulsa) sources. The team reported conservative assumptions for GDP and applied a middle‑case growth rate to sales and use taxes. Staff projected roughly 1.6% growth in all taxes for FY26 in the model they presented, noting use tax has continued to outpace sales tax because of changing shopping patterns.

Finance also highlighted a major swing factor: interest income. After unusually strong interest returns in the current fiscal year, staff forecast a substantial drop in interest earnings for FY26 driven by expected Federal Reserve rate easing; the model reduced the interest income estimate substantially relative to FY25 actual receipts and the presenter described that line item as the most volatile and difficult to forecast.

Other points raised: franchise taxes tied to utilities (PSO, ONG) were below original budget in the current year due to milder weather and lower consumption, with staff projecting recovery toward budget levels next year. Visit Tulsa hotel‑motel tax projections were modestly positive (roughly half‑percent growth in the model), but staff cautioned that some large events that supported recent hotel performance will not return in the next year and that performing‑arts run lengths and national tours also affect hotel demand.

Councilors asked follow‑up questions about the hotel tax assumptions, the role of major events (for example, conventions or touring shows) and whether the forecasts incorporate known lost events; staff said they would follow up with Visit Tulsa to refine assumptions where appropriate. Council members also used the revenue briefing to discuss travel and training budgets: staff said the council travel line item was $40,000 and that the training account contains $4,000; current year spending and timing of elected officials affected available balances and staff warned that anticipated software purchases next year will reduce flexibility in those accounts.

Ending: City finance staff said the forecasts have generally been within a 2.5% variance historically and offered to provide the presentation slides and follow‑up detail to councilors.","City finance staff briefed council on revenue forecasts for fiscal year 2025–26 and explained a proposed intradepartmental transfer of stormwater bond proceeds within the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority funds.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577145,"Council accepts two appointments for Arts Commission and Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission; confirmations set for May 7",140,51110,191230,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832&start=51&end=191","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3169155-e8939c23909267742dd3326ef8ed8832/thumbnail_51110.jpg","/articles/6577145/Tulsa/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/Council-accepts-two-appointments-for-Arts-Commission-and-Greater-Tulsa-African-American-Affairs-Commission-confirmations-set-for-May-7","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577145-23dff97a72d19f975c1448e2d433f882/orig.mp4?Expires=1775652538&Signature=j8Kw1VN0twQnhgQJDj6nVS7abAUW6OFWShpZcQPZUoilfj0tDZthkLP~5OmD8WAGTisV4u5ZIFKYG-x-D6gnBmEmcPgxUbGM~VAmyd5Z94SNq0sNUC-w6E85TJx-uKspe7U9EOCyv0B7f~Xnz3-Cbth0og5v7RocguQKU1a8Xx9PuTNVhnP-yBw1Dm3ZE-vLoz9f4S1KBZPX-cqTSFgiAp9dmlA9lI~WzoM8MkyASVCl3xA6hJEXmdT69ncnwO7-SCU6BIFBmmDBExMrI9sZkB3pvluQx9j2EG9ZaQNMTd6jPFLEQYaM~7l6sztfPOUeaHl5Q78GNWlnadL9vSME3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Two nominees appeared before the Tulsa City Council to introduce themselves for advisory commission appointments and to describe their backgrounds.

Nick Annette Miller introduced herself as a practicing artist and co‑founder of a nonprofit to elevate American Sign Language programming at cultural institutions; the council packet lists her as an appointee to the City of Tulsa Arts Commission to replace Brandon Ruehl with a term expiring Dec. 14, 2026 and as a resident of Council District 9. Council staff told Miller her confirmation will be on the council’s May 7 agenda and that she is welcome to make remarks then.

Donald Rose Jr. appeared for appointment to the Greater Tulsa Area African American Affairs Commission (GTAC) to fill a new seat representing the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce, with a term expiring May 1, 2028 (appointment listed from Council District 3). Rose told councilors he is a native Tulsan, a tenured U.S. Army veteran, serves on the Oklahoma HIV and Hepatitis Planning Council and had recently been appointed director of operations for the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce as that organization undergoes a strategic planning process.

The council received both introductions; staff noted confirmation of the two appointments will appear on the May 7 council agenda. No formal confirmation votes are recorded in the provided transcript.","Two nominees — Annette Miller for the City of Tulsa Arts Commission and Donald Rose Jr. for the Greater Tulsa Area African American Affairs Commission (GTAC) — appeared for introductory remarks; both will appear on the May 7 council confirmation agenda.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Tulsa’s Destination Districts report private reinvestment, new projects and a 2026 National Main Street conference bid

Tulsa councilors discuss limits on dense housing in proposed office-light rezoning at 101st South and Florence

Finance projects modest tax growth for FY26; council hears transfer of stormwater bond proceeds

Council accepts two appointments for Arts Commission and Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission; confirmations set for May 7