Tulsa city councilors start looking for smart ways to increase the city’s sales tax base using Vision renewal funds.
Councilors are well aware suburbs and online shopping are taking away sales tax revenue. But they think continuing to go after developments that are more parking lot than business isn’t the answer.
Planning Director Dawn Warrick said Tulsa’s future retail scene could look much different.
"We may not need as large retail spaces as we've needed in the past, because people are going to smaller showrooms and online presence as well as built presence," Warrick said.
Zoning code changes will likely play a role in Tulsa’s retail future. Crystal Keller in Development Services said the trend right now is destination retail.
"Customers are not just looking at going and buying an item," Keller said. "They're looking at going to an area of retail and doing multiple things. It's the experience."
Keller said downtown Tulsa is probably the city’s best example of a destination retail area. Vision Task Force Chair Blake Ewing is interested in revitalizing walkable main street areas throughout the city.
Councilors also expressed interest in retail market analyses. Oklahoma City and Louisville have done similar analyses, both city-wide and for specific areas.
Warrick said the targeted studies cost about twice as much, but she thinks north Tulsa is a good candidate.
"We know that the economy in north Tulsa is different, and it may be that there are ways that we can market that area differently when we better understand how money is spent," Warrick said.
Louisville’s analysis of the western part of town went past electronic payment records because people there generally use cash.
