Council endorses city participation in four Main Street districts and reviews district progress

City staff presented an annual update on the Destination Districts program and asked the council to support participation in four Main Street districts for the 2025–26 cycle: Route 66 Main Street, Kendall Whittier Main Street, Greenwood District Main Street and the Global District (East Tulsa). The presentations summarized recent private investment, volunteer hours, building rehabilitations and program highlights for each district.

Samantha Extantz, destination districts manager for the City of Tulsa, told the council Route 66 recorded about $9 million in private reinvestment in the last year and a multi‑year total of roughly $456 million to date, and has projects including a $225,000 Oklahoma Route 66 revitalization grant for a roadside attraction and wayfinding work. Kendall Whittier reported about $790,000 in private reinvestment for the last year (about $1.75 million to date in another figure referenced) and a $260,000 incentive award for placemaking and wayfinding; the Improvement District uses a fixed assessment so business owners pay the same amount year‑to‑year. Greenwood reported roughly $9 million in private reinvestment last year (about $28 million to date) and ongoing work including a mini‑master plan for Vias Roberts Park and hiring a new executive director. The Global District reported more than $1 million in private reinvestment last year (about $10 million to date), completion of a retail vacancy study and plans for a permanent plaza and a gateway mural.

Extantz also reviewed program tools the city has developed with districts, including a Tulsa lease and design guide to help small businesses understand leasing and build‑out, a commercial corridor safety guide, and district leadership training and emerging district support. The council was informed that the National Main Street Conference will be in Tulsa in April 2026, an event staff said will bring national attention and a substantial economic boost.

Separately, staff presented a resolution directing filing of the annual assessment roll for the Kendall Whittier Improvement District and scheduled a public hearing on the assessment roll for June 11, 2025. Samantha Extantz said the assessment is unchanged from last year and the improvement district continues to support landscaping, trash removal and beautification projects, including coordination with Kettlewood on Main Street for public art and wayfinding funded by a $260,000 incentive award.

Councilors asked clarifying questions about counts and calendar alignment for district data, the translation and distribution of the lease and design guide (Extantz said it is on the Global District website and that a Spanish translation exists and further translations were planned), and the prospective benefits of the coming national conference. No formal council votes on the resolutions were recorded in the provided transcript.