Consultants for Tulsa’s Arena District Master Plan have some big concepts, including a bold move to better connect the area.
Chris Hermann with planning and design firm MKSK said the BOK Center and Cox Business Center are good starts.
"And the thing between them is the federal building, the Page Belcher Building, and it’s just this huge block. And so, if you’re trying to get activity and energy to go between the two, it’s in the way," Hermann said. "And so, at a minimum, figuring out some way to create a kind of arcade or pedestrian space through it."
The firm is offering three concepts that would see the building demolished to make way for green space and mixed-use redevelopment, and one concept for adaptive reuse. There’s no rush, however, as the proposal is effectively a 20-year plan.
The Tulsa Regional Chamber has included redeveloping the federal building in past legislative agendas. Any change in its use would require working with the federal government to relocate judges and postal operations currently there.
The goals of the Arena District Master Plan are to better connect the 30-block area with the rest of downtown and to spur further growth. Decades ago, the community made the area a civic center, putting city hall and the courthouse in close proximity.
"We’re at this point now where we’re trying to energize it for visitors with the BOK and with the convention center. And so, now the two uses don’t quit mix as well as they should," Hermann said. "So, the idea of trying to move some of these civic uses to new homes and reimagine that area would, I think, help."
Hermann said the plan will need to involve more residential development, or other markets will sputter.
"It’s hard for retail — and we’ve seen this — to survive if you’re just relying on the BOK crowd or just relying on the convention center crowd because it comes certain nights at certain times or certain times of the day, and they can’t make it the rest of the time," Hermann said.
Tulsa’s proportion of downtown residents is small compared to peer cities. Hermann said changing that will take targeted investments in amenities, like green space.
Hermann presented MKSK's latest ideas to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission during its work session on Wednesday. The master plan is in the late stages, with a fifth steering committee meeting and another public meeting to come before it's finalized.
