Businesses Coming to Tulsa Hills

[cynical]

 Before Tulsa Hills and the stores and restaurants you scorn, there was nothing over here on the west side. Someone came along and put money on the table, cut a deal for a TID to help with public infrastructure, and talked a bunch of merchants into taking a chance on an area that had been previously overlooked. Jacobi, that could have been you, and you could have guided it to your liking, but it wasn't you or any of the "aginners" like you.

You want to do local-only development and put Tulsa Hills out of business?  Go for it. Raise the capital, buy the land, get the zoning approval, do the site design and construction, line up the merchants, the whole thing. Good luck.

Talk is cheap.

No, no it isn't.  I realize that cities can't exist without buffers btween urban and agrarian. However, suburban development, [read: racially motivated, energy inefficent, social death-hole] is not progress.  it is the same development that was being built in 1965.  and 1985.  and 2005. They are all the same.  wether it was Utica square or tulsa hills they all helped to destroy our urban core.  You are excited about a Dick's sporting goods? I heard of a new food service place you might like called McDonalds.  I hear they have hamburgers or something.

I know that this really is something that bosts our local numbers.  I know.  I just HATE that we rely on people to come in from outside of tulsa to validate our city as a city.  "oh we have another dick's? I think slightly better of tulsa today."  But I really wish we could do something for ouselves, rather than build giant HVAC pits and rent them out to people that don't give a smile about our civic character.  I know we can.  I know we can.  I know we can.

[SXSW]

Tulsa Hills was destined to be filled with crappy chains.  I just wish the site design was better.  I rarely go over there; I went to the Lowe's a couple times when I was renovating my house and may go to the Dick's once or twice a year....midtown has mostly everything I need and most of it is locally-owned.

[sgrizzle]

Tulsa Hills was destined to be filled with crappy chains.  I just wish the site design was better.  I rarely go over there; I went to the Lowe's a couple times when I was renovating my house and may go to the Dick's once or twice a year....midtown has mostly everything I need and most of it is locally-owned.

I've said this a dozen or so times, but you're prompting me to say it again...
TULSA HILLS IS NOT FOR YOU!!!

Tulsa Hills is about capturing tax dollars from people in West Tulsa, Sapulpa, Glenpool and Jenks who want to have access to big box retailers. Glenpool was on the verge of opening up their own big box center which would have meant millions of Tax dollars being collected just a couple of miles from the city property line (see also: owasso)

If they built the little local urban dense thing that yourself, jacocbi and I prefer, they wouldn't have gone. Glenpool would've put in a supertarget and a best buy, and Tulsa would lose out on millions annually.

Tulsa Hills is likely the densest built strip mall in Tulsa. All of phase 1 has sidewalks, dedicated bus stops and many of it is stores-facing-stores instead of stores-facing-street.

[bacjz00]

"I just wish the site design was better. "

-----

Tulsa Hills isn't the Plaza in KC or even Utica Square for that matter.   But 71st & Mingo can't even hold Tulsa Hills' jock in terms of "site design".   Can we do better in Tulsa?  Sure.  But have we done MUCH MUCH worse?? lol, absolutely, look at anything east of Mingo and south of 51st Street.

[sgrizzle]

"I just wish the site design was better. "

-----

Tulsa Hills isn't the Plaza in KC or even Utica Square for that matter.   But 71st & Mingo can't even hold Tulsa Hills' jock in terms of "site design".   Can we do better in Tulsa?  Sure.  But have we done MUCH MUCH worse?? lol, absolutely, look at anything east of Mingo and south of 51st Street.

Yup

[hello]

Tulsa Hills saves me from having to go the 71st & Mingo/Memorial hell. So I hope they get as many box stores as they can so I never have to go to that area again. As someone who lives downtown it is nice to jump on 75, shop, then jump right back on.

[Hoss]

Tulsa Hills saves me from having to go the 71st & Mingo/Memorial hell. So I hope they get as many box stores as they can so I never have to go to that area again. As someone who lives downtown it is nice to jump on 75, shop, then jump right back on.

The problem though is this:  how do you think the 71st/Mingo area got started?  They were a place to replace another crowded place.  Could be anywhere.  Point being, the Hills could suffer from their own success.  You never know, in two years we may be saying the same thing about 71st and Olympia as we do now about 71st and Mingo...

[sgrizzle]

The problem though is this:  how do you think the 71st/Mingo area got started?  They were a place to replace another crowded place.  Could be anywhere.  Point being, the Hills could suffer from their own success.  You never know, in two years we may be saying the same thing about 71st and Olympia as we do now about 71st and Mingo...

It's nearly 100% occupied and successful?

[Hoss]

It's nearly 100% occupied and successful?

No, snarky, that it's traffic hell!

[Teatownclown]

The problem though is this:  how do you think the 71st/Mingo area got started?  They were a place to replace another crowded place.  Could be anywhere.  Point being, the Hills could suffer from their own success.  You never know, in two years we may be saying the same thing about 71st and Olympia as we do now about 71st and Mingo...

1)Woodland Hills Mall....one of the most successful malls in the region

2) The extension of 169....


You will not be saying the same thing about 71st and Olympia. The consumer is on sabbatical which will last at least until 2018.

[Hoss]

1)Woodland Hills Mall....one of the most successful malls in the region

2) The extension of 169....


You will not be saying the same thing about 71st and Olympia. The consumer is on sabbatical which will last at least until 2018.

If by successful you mean put up as many stores as possible without the slightest forethought of the infrastructure implications, then yes....

[sgrizzle]

No, snarky, that it's traffic hell!

No, because Tulsa hills moved all the local (store-to-store) traffic onto a set of internal roadways. Only two stoplights intersect a major roadway and that is a 6 lane road plus turn lanes. 71st & Hell involves 2 miles and a dozen stoplights just to get from Fuddruckers to Krispy Kreme to Burlington.

I think Batesline had a post on this once, but if an access road was built running behind the 71st & hell strip (about 68th street or so) then 71st traffic would be greatly improved.

[Teatownclown]

As far as lousy infrastructure, the Broken Arrow side east of 169 developed later and uncoordinated with Tulsa on the west side of 169. The exit onto 71st from 169 was undersized as was 71st. The COT never expected the demand and whored themselves out for sales tax receipts. Traffic signals were only a concern after economic development priorities created additional retail expansion south on 71st. Additionally, the PUD guidelines and development standards at that time dictated layout without flexibility. Only the fire code made for necessary access from one property to another. There were several developers along 71st. At Tulsa Hills there was one developer.

With new centers of retail opening up, the numbers on 71st have leveled out. Now it's south Memorial that's a nightmare...

[Red Arrow]

Now it's south Memorial that's a nightmare...

Tell me about it.

[ZYX]

Yes, it sucks. Every day and at all hours, it sucks.