Turkey Hills?

[sgrizzle]

New mixed-use development possible for Turkey Mountain:
http://www.tmapc.org/Agenda/Z-7089.pdf

Opposition already in place:
http://keepturkeymtgreen.blogspot.com/


I'm having trouble seeing where this effects the public park space on Turkey Mountain. Someone explain it to me.

[AngieB]

I'm with you grizz. Just because those that use Turkey Mountain feel like this area is "part" of Turkey Mountain doesn't make it so.

Directly West of the area in question are those low-rent subsidized apartments...perhaps if development begins to the East, someone will buy up that eyesore and develop it too. I don't have a problem with it.

[cannon_fodder]

Here is the location in question on Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tulsa,+OK,+USA&ie=UTF8&ll=36.077641,-96.002966&spn=0.00581,0.010042&t=h&z=17&iwloc=addr

North of 61st and just to the East of Highway 75.  On the map you can see the fence line that divides the property from the adjoining property further to the East.  The actual "park" land stops about half a mile from this tract of land - as if Elwood never curved and continued North on the map.

The land is privately held.  The developer wants it zoned so he can utilize his land.  If citizens want to use this land as part of the park the city , county, of a non-profit should purchase the land for that use.  Not screw some landowner out of his property by mis-using zoning laws, frankly, the notion of fighting this in order to continue trespassing seems a little misplaced.

I might support expansion of the park by any of the above listed groups and development AROUND it.  But then make that your cause, not stopping the development to continue illegally using the land.

[cannon_fodder]

In support of the opposition group's contention that it is considered part of the park, riverparks.org has a map showing trails in the proposed area:

http://www.riverparks.org/Maps/tm_map.htm

[AngieB]

Maybe I'm looking at that map wrong, but I don't see the area in the parks department map. It doesn't look to me that the trails go that far west. Do they?

[cannon_fodder]

The official color coded trails do not, but the gray trails do.  The parks official boundary ends if you were to draw a line from the Upper Parking Lot to the Spider.

Just sayin' that there are trails in that area that are apperently used.  I'll give them that much.

[YoungTulsan]

I think West Tulsa (and the area around Turkey mountain in particular) is prime for new development and getting more tax base in the City of Tulsa...  But I think this development looks pretty generic, so it doesn't excite me that much.  What is this going to be, a bunch of medical offices?

[sgrizzle]

Looks like medical offices and maybe a small apartment complex. Kinda interesting that it looks like the YMCA owns the land directly north of this.

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

Looks like medical offices and maybe a small apartment complex. Kinda interesting that it looks like the YMCA owns the land directly north of this.

Well there is a little YMCA center there, off of West Skelly - I guess they just own a large chunk of property all the way to (the theoretical) 56th street.

[RecycleMichael]

I am very concerned about the impact of this development on the YMCA.

The YMCA is such a great natural experience for urban kids. Those trails, the pond, the entire mountain is used by the children all summer long. My father used to be the Chairman of the Board there, I helped raise a little money for them a few years ago and my son attended summer camp there last year.

I know development is inevitable, but this is one of those special places where hundreds of children actually experience nature.

I sure hate to lose all that for a couple of medical offices.

[inteller]

ah yes, Beeline Sixty One Properties....and the cohorts have a piece just to the south of 61st they can take advantage of too.

Most of turkey mountain is held by the ferris trust.

I would suggest to the TMAPC that a greenspace buffer of 100ft or so be placed on the eastern edge of the parcel, with additional setbacks from that.  

Most of Turkey mountain is held in the Ferris Trust.  Some snowbird named Dyer has the rest.

[danno]

I was always told to stay away from turkey mountain.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by danno

I was always told to stay away from turkey mountain.

yeah, that is generally a good idea.  things like naked dudes standing on trails will tend to do that.

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

I am very concerned about the impact of this development on the YMCA.

The YMCA is such a great natural experience for urban kids. Those trails, the pond, the entire mountain is used by the children all summer long. My father used to be the Chairman of the Board there, I helped raise a little money for them a few years ago and my son attended summer camp there last year.

I know development is inevitable, but this is one of those special places where hundreds of children actually experience nature.

I sure hate to lose all that for a couple of medical offices.

Yeah, I'm of the opinion that if we develop that area, it needs to be substantial, not run-of-the-mill office space that will stand in the way of "what could have been".