Tulsa’s public transit authority gave the green light Thursday to sell its downtown bus station along Denver Avenue.
The Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority Board unanimously approved a motion to allow General Manager Scott Marr to begin negotiations with realtors to sell the decades-old transit hub and find locations to build a new one.
The move has been in the works for years. Tulsa’s 2018 Arena District Master Plan included the goal of either moving or revamping the downtown station.
“It’s an opportunity for us to evolve and give our customers a better station somewhere downtown,” Marr said.
Marr said there were a number of reasons for selling the station that were discussed during the board’s executive session, including the high number of unhoused people who frequent the area, oftentimes frustrating local business owners.
“Let’s not forget that people experiencing homelessness are part of our ridership,” he said.
Marr said there is no timeline for when the Denver Avenue station will be sold and a new one will be constructed.
“We still have to work through that process,” he said. “We have to work with some realtors, get that on the competitive market and see where that goes.”
Marr said he doesn’t anticipate any disruption to current routes. He also said MetroLink will be looking for feedback from the public about the new station as the process moves forward.
