Tulsa councilor warns Partner Tulsa plan could sideline North Tulsa; commission asks policy committee to investigate

Vanessa Hall Harper, Tulsa city councilor for District 1, told the African American Affairs Commission that she is “compelled to warn my community concerning Partner Tulsa and their actions” related to plans for the Kirkpatrick Heights area and a proposed Greenwood Legacy Community Development Corporation.

Harper said the land at issue — about 56 acres that reverted to city control after a university center agreement expired — should not be transferred to the CDC now being formed. Instead, she urged the commission to press the Tulsa Development Authority to consider placing the land in a mayoral trust announced June 1. “They did it behind closed doors,” Harper said, arguing the CDC’s initial five board members were chosen without broad community selection and that the advisory group that helped craft the master plan was not reconvened.

Why it matters: The land Harper described sits in North Tulsa and includes portions of the Greenwood corridor. Harper and others said the Kirkpatrick Heights master plan was developed with community input, and she expressed concern that the CDC now being stood up could be used as a…