A revitalization plan for a Tulsa near-downtown neighborhood is a step closer to fruition.
The Tulsa Development Authority this week accepted a slate of recommendations on actions it can take — including financing projects — to implement a 2017 small area plan for Crosbie Heights. The community is immediately west of downtown Tulsa and south of U.S. 412. The community of more than 1,400 residents includes Newblock Park.
TDA Chairman Roy Peters said the area is on the radar.
"In Crosbie Heights, we’ve had some developer interest, and we really needed this study in order to be able to know what to do with that interest," Peters said.
The Crosbie Heights plan identifies three areas that could become neighborhood centers — areas offering retail, dining and services within walking distance. It also calls for improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and for better connections to downtown and nearby communities.
The TDA will see around $4 million in downtown housing loans paid back this year, which could go a long way.
"We would like to have the ability to make those funds available to incentivize housing development — and perhaps commercial development — in these outlying areas of the city," Peters said.
A poll of Crosbie Heights residents said 54 percent want to see vacant properties revitalized and 38 percent want more small parks mixed in with neighborhoods and retail spaces.
Residents also said it’s important those improvements don’t price them out of living there. City Chief of Economic Development Kian Kamas said a housing study will help address that.
"Particularly from an incentive standpoint, if there’s a lot of demand for stock that’s maybe a little bit more expensive to construct or to rehabilitate, then making sure that we’re targeting our incentives to those types of products," Kamas said.
The Crosbie Heights Neighborhood Sector Plan is still subject to public hearings and city council adoption.
