GTAC approves chair’s letter urging trust plus CDC partnership for Greenwood land after heated debate

The Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission voted 6-4 to approve a letter from its chair recommending that Greenwood land be placed under a trust while an identified community development corporation (CDC) serve as a development and financial partner, commissioners said during their meeting in Tulsa.

The commission’s policy committee presented a monthlong review of a community-led process that produced mixed accounts about how a 35-member working group, a nine-member advisory body and a later selection committee chose founding members for the Greenwood CDC. John Paul Ray, vice chair of the policy committee, told commissioners the committee interviewed multiple participants and reviewed records before making its findings.

The policy report said the working group studied national governance models and local input over roughly 16 to 18 months and ultimately voted to favor a CDC. The report recorded that 41 applications were received for advisory and founding-board positions, that a nine-person advisory committee was formed and that five founding board members currently sit on the CDC’s board.

"A trust merely gives an additional layer of protection," the commission chair wrote in the letter circulated for approval, arguing that placing the Greenwood land under a trust would make it harder for future ownership or land-use changes to occur without community protections. The chair told the commission that she could not sign off on every individual request but could represent the commission with the narrower set of recommendations contained in her letter.

Speakers raised several concerns during the discussion. Some commissioners and community representatives said they worried about transparency in the selection and advisory processes that led to the CDC’s founding. Commissioner Vonck said she found parts of the committee findings "opaque" and urged clearer records about who made which decisions. Other commissioners cautioned against denigrating individuals engaged in the process and urged continued outreach.

Dr. Lana Turner, who addressed the commission as a participant in the planning process, described the Kirkpatrick Heights/Greenwood master plan and the community-led nature of the working group. She said the legally formed CDC (incorporated in October 2024, according to commissioners) was created to acquire and develop roughly 56 acres in Greenwood so that descendants and Black residents would benefit from development. "The trust nearly ensures from a legal perspective that the land retains, remains within Greenwood," Turner said during her remarks.

Councilor Vanessa Hall Harper had previously raised concerns and asked the commission to support specific actions in a letter. Commissioners said they had received multiple emails from stakeholders both urging rapid support and urging more research; the policy committee said it prioritized interviews and documentary review to reconcile conflicting accounts.

On the key motions: Commissioner Jamila Stuckey moved to approve the chair’s letter recommending that the city and Tulsa Development Authority place Greenwood land under a trust and that the CDC serve as a development and financial partner. The motion carried 6-4; the transcript records "Out of 10 commissioners present, 6 voted aye and 4 voted nay." The commission later discussed and moved to table a broader decision/action to the October meeting so the selection committee or a smaller working group could provide additional briefing; the motion to table was made and seconded, but a formal roll-call vote on tabling is not recorded in the available transcript.

Commissioners asked the policy committee to invite participants from the selection committee and other stakeholders to present clarifying information at the October meeting, and several commissioners requested documentation about the trust the mayor had indicated he planned to form. Several speakers emphasized that the commission’s role is advisory: it can communicate concerns to the mayor and Tulsa Development Authority but cannot itself place land into a trust.

The commission’s approved letter asks the city and Tulsa Development Authority to place Greenwood land under a trust; recommends the identified CDC act as a development and financial partner; and urges all parties to commit to open, respectful dialogue and public transparency during each step of the process.

The commission agreed to continue outreach and to invite participants from the selection committee and the CDC to provide more direct information at the next meeting so members can consider changes or additional recommendations.

The discussion included brief references to history and process but did not produce a legally binding change of ownership; any transfer or trust formation would require action by the mayor and relevant city agencies.

Ending: Commissioners said they will reconvene the topic in October after additional briefings and documentation are provided to the policy committee and the full commission.