By KWGS News
Tulsa, OK – Tulsa's Downtown Area Master Plan
Tulsa's Downtown Area Master Plan is now available on the City of Tulsa website. See the plan at http://www.cityoftulsa.org/community-programs/planning/downtown-master-plan.aspx.
The Downtown Area Master Plan is a small area plan for the downtown area of Tulsa. Work on this master plan began after the approval of Vision 2025 projects which placed emphasis on revitalizing the downtown area. The plan is based on previous master plans, district plans and other studies, as well as emerging private and public development and redevelopment in the Central Business District area and nearby neighborhoods.
"The Plan will connect Vision 2025 initiatives to existing and planned development," said Stephen D. Carr, Senior Planner and Project Coordinator for the City of Tulsa. "It will do this by recommending infill projects that will leverage new public-private and private investments to the best possible advantage."
Jack Crowley, Special Adviser to Mayor Kathy Taylor on Urban Planning, served as principal author for the project. He was assisted by Carr and Susan Neal, Director of the Community Development and Education Division.
According to Carr, the three major targets of the plan are to:
Revitalize the downtown area;
Connect downtown to the Tulsa River Parks system;
Initiate Rail Transit extending outward from downtown to the beginnings of future corridors serving the city and the region.
A major focus of the Plan is to create initiatives that will attract a population that will inhabit downtown between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. as well as weekends. Principal foci include the development of residences, entertainment venues and opportunities for visitors in the Central Business District and adjacent areas.
The Plan exists in three volumes. Volume I of the Plan directly links land use, development and transportation. Volumes 2 and 3 are appendices that provide information about specific sites and areas contained in two documents. These two volumes make up the "Cookbook" and include implementation details for the plan, including suggestions for infill and development projects.
The Downtown Area Master Plan was created in conjunction with the on-going PLANiTULSA process. More than 2,500 people have participated in and/or reviewed plan recommendations, and more than 100 groups and organizations have witnessed programs or presentations about the plan.