Tulsa council approves Robson Group rezoning for more than 600 new homes; developer outlines timeline and housing mix

The Tulsa City Council on Tuesday approved rezoning items 5 a through g to allow a multi-phased residential development led by the Robson Group on a site north of Rosa Parks Elementary School.

Kevin Mevers, director of development services for the Robson Group, told the council the project is divided into four neighborhoods and “we’re bringing to the City of Tulsa something a little bit different for a project of this size,” emphasizing a mix of housing types, open space and traffic mitigation measures.

Mevers said the plan reserves nearly 25% of the site as open space, includes neighborhood parks and retention basins to address known flooding near 40th Street, and creates a collector street designed to funnel traffic away from existing neighborhood streets. “That is a major collector. There are no homes fronting on that street,” Mevers said, describing the design intended to keep cut-through traffic out of adjacent neighborhoods.

Councilor Dector Wright, whose district includes the area, said the site is “ready for growth” and noted existing community assets nearby, including Rosa Parks Elementary School and a community health connection clinic. Wright also cited design dollars included in a recent infrastructure package to widen and improve the corridor as rooftops arrive.

Developer representatives gave a preliminary construction timeline: Mevers said the applicant expected to file a preliminary plat before the end of the year, complete engineering in roughly three months, begin site work on phase 1 in 2026, and see homes start “going vertical early 2027.” He described the planned product range as cottage homes from about 1,200–1,300 square feet up to larger homes roughly 2,500 square feet. Price guidance presented by the applicant put many homes starting in the low $300,000s, rising into the mid-to-high $300,000s depending on options.

Mevers also described a build-to-rent neighborhood within the plan: those lots will be managed and maintained like other single-family lots, but initially occupied by renters, with a portion of rent intended to help occupants build credit and equity toward eventual ownership.

Council members asked about unit counts and timing. A councilor said the project “having over 600 units coming in ... really helps us and gets us a long way towards our housing goal.” Mevers confirmed the project contains multiple phases and model types; he said each neighborhood would include at least four model types with multiple facades to avoid a monolithic appearance.

After public notice and outreach meetings, the council voted to approve items 5 a through g. The roll call vote recorded yes from Councilors Archie, Dutton, Bellis, Gilbert, Doctor Wright, Lakin and Hal Harper. No amendments were recorded in the meeting minutes.

The developer said it will hold a second public outreach meeting the following Monday to continue community engagement and share traffic impact analysis findings with staff and the public.

The council approval moves rezoning forward; subsequent steps will include plat review, engineering approvals and permitting before construction begins under the schedule described by the applicant.