Tulsa council approves rezoning for 40-acre development near Reservoir Hill amid resident and tribal concerns

The Tulsa City Council on a unanimous vote approved items 5 b through d, forwarding a rezoning application and related permits for a proposed development on roughly 40 acres adjacent to Reservoir Hill in North Tulsa.

The vote followed public comment from several residents and stakeholders who urged caution. “There is a lack of infrastructure there. There is no sewer. There's no water, no gas,” said Dave Keener, a Reservoir Hill resident who said he has lived at 1946 North Elwood Avenue for 26 years. Keener and other speakers said the neighborhood’s narrow streets, historic character and existing utilities would be strained by the project.

The issue drew an additional technical concern from Paul Rivard, who identified himself as an Osage County oil and gas producer and a member of the Osage Minerals Council. Rivard told the council that commercial oil and gas wells and a tank battery exist on parts of the property and cautioned that federal rules govern those…