City staff brief council on easement closures, condemnation and surplus-lot requests as right‑of‑way work advances

City staff presented a series of property and right‑of‑way items to the Tulsa City Council, including requests to close utility easements tied to existing encroachments, an ordinance to vacate a portion of public way on North Cheyenne Avenue, a condemnation resolution for a sliver of land needed for a widening project, a change order tied to a contractor working in District 4, and a request to declare a small city lot surplus to support the Indian Health Center expansion. No final votes or formal outcomes were recorded on these items in the transcript.

Staff member Paul Zachary of the Public Works department said the easement‑closure requests respond to existing encroachments that were not cleared when earlier vacations were processed, creating title and surface conflicts. Zachary described one case as a “17½‑foot easement” where utilities expect to retain rights while the city closes surplus surface rights to resolve title issues. He said utilities were generally willing to allow closure while retaining an operational easement underneath.

Zachary also presented an ordinance request to close a portion of public way at 12 North Cheyenne Avenue, submitted by Jamie Skipper of Wallace Design Collective to legalize an existing overhang and former loading dock that extend into the right of way. Zachary said the structure had functioned as an overhang and loading dock for about five years and that staff anticipates private utilities will retain subterranean easement rights if the parcel is vacated.

On another item, staff described a resolution authorizing condemnation of property owned by AG Comstock RE Holdings LLC for the widening of 80 First Street and the Highway 75 interchange. Staff said negotiations with the owner have been ongoing since October 2024 and that the city needs temporary right of way and utility easements to keep the state‑timed project on schedule. The presentation noted the project is at risk of delayed state work in September if right of way is not certified by mid‑August; staff estimated one parcel’s easement cost at about $164,000 and the parcel across the street could require about $500,000 in relocations.

Council members asked staff to continue negotiations and, if necessary, pursue judicial condemnation with an appraisal and deposit to secure possession. Staff said it would pursue both tracks — continued negotiation and parallel judicial steps if the owner does not respond.

Staff also presented change order No. 1 for contract 136712 between the City of Tulsa and Darris Contractors LLC for project 2242P00030. The change order added 71 calendar days to the contract and recorded no additional contract dollars; staff said the extra days were needed because PSO required a heavier power cable for pumps, creating a need to switch to a buried line, set a new transformer and perform approximately 900 feet of boring. Staff said the contractor paused while those utility changes were completed and continued demolition and other work during the pause.

Finally, staff asked the council to declare a small city lot at 1201 East Fifth Street surplus so that asset management can proceed with disposition options that could dovetail with the Indian Health Center’s expansion immediately to the south. Staff provided aerial maps and said the lot sits adjacent to the center’s construction trailers; legal and asset management will determine whether to auction the lot or pursue a negotiated transfer.

None of the items in this series recorded a motion, second or vote in the meeting transcript. Council members asked for additional follow‑up on negotiations for the condemnation parcel and clarity about retained utility rights in the easement and vacation items.