Park board approves use of west Tulsa land for apartments

[Townsend]

Park board approves use of west Tulsa land for apartments

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20130206_16_A9_TheTul207090

The Tulsa Park and Recreation Board recommended Tuesday that the city allow 10 acres of parkland to be used for the construction of a mixed-income residential development in the Eugene Field neighborhood.

According to the recommendation, the city would abandon the property as a park but still retain ownership. The City Council must approve the recommendation.

The residential development project, which would include 360 units and could be partially funded with tens of millions of federal dollars, is part of the Eugene Field Neighborhood Revitalization program spearheaded by the Community Action Project of Tulsa County. The development is the first phase of the city's proposed small-area plan for the neighborhood, which the Community Action Project is helping to fund.

Park and Recreation Department Director Lucy Dolman said after the board meeting that West Tulsa Park, which is across the street from River West Festival Park, has been underused and is best known as a parking area for River Parks events.

"What we want to do is repurpose the park to provide a safe and quality space that the neighborhood will use," she said.

West Tulsa Park encompasses 14 acres bound by Olympia and Jackson avenues and 21st and 22nd streets.

Most of the park is open space, but it includes a pool that has been closed for more than a decade.

The city leases 1.2 acres of the park to The Salvation Army for its West Mabee Boys & Girls Club.

Under the proposal, residential units would be built on the east and west sides of the park property, with a new 3-acre park in between. The park area would include a splash pad, a picnic pavilion, a playground and a multiuse trail connecting to River Parks.

As part of the plan, the Brightwater Apartments, a 200-unit subsidized housing facility at 2202 S. Phoenix Ave., would be replaced with 200 more units of subsidized housing and 160 market-rate units.

Current Brightwater residents would not be displaced by the new construction, city officials said.

Mary Kellers, vice president of McCormack Baron Salazar, the development company for the project, said she hopes it will spark other redevelopment efforts in the neighborhood.

"I think that is something my company has been successful in doing in other distressed neighborhoods," she said after the meeting.

The Community Action Project was awarded a federal Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant to fund planning for the development and plans to apply for another grant later this year to help pay for the construction. Other possible funding sources include bank mortgages, tax credits and donations from private foundations, Kellers said.

She said she did not have an overall cost estimate for the project but that the Choice Neighborhoods construction grant could be for as much as $30 million and would come with a requirement that the project be completed in five years.

City Planner Dawn Warrick said the decision to use part of the park for the development project was made in consultation with neighborhood residents during the creation of the small-area plan.

"I guess if you look at it now, you've got 10 acres of nothing," she said. "And, yes, the project, it reduces the space of the park, but you're looking at an active, usable space that enhances the neighborhood rather than detract from it."

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20130206_16_A9_TheTul207090

[Conan71]

I had no idea this was even considered a park.  It's been an empty field and parking lot for as long as I can remember.  Curious how much or if this would impact the development potential for the concrete plant at some point in the future.

[Hoss]

I had no idea this was even considered a park.  It's been an empty field and parking lot for as long as I can remember.  Curious how much or if this would impact the development potential for the concrete plant at some point in the future.

When I worked at Bender Mail (just down the street and no longer; it was the building just north of the Rodgers Litho building) this was indeed a park.  Not a very good one, but it was a park.  With a parking lot.  And once again, not a very good one.

[DTowner]

With Community Action Project's involvment and federal subsidies, I assume the housing component will be subsidized or low income.  Has this project been flying under the radar for a while?

Is any thought being given to how this would/could effect so-called river development of the west bank of the river?

[cannon_fodder]

I had no idea this was even considered a park.  It's been an empty field and parking lot for as long as I can remember.  Curious how much or if this would impact the development potential for the concrete plant at some point in the future.

Conan - this is the section across the street from River Parks West.  It is used for parking/shuttle service to Oktoberfest.  Local cyclists also use it for parking/a rallying point for the weekly Wednesday rides.  The proposal uses the entire space - grass parking and paved parking - for private development.  The next step is "there is no where to park" and selilng off River Parks West since the major events held there (Oktoberfest, Scottishfest, Wednesday rides) will be encouraged to move (no parking int he neighborhoods and nos treet parking there). 

It is underused land, but I hope they ahve taken those concerns into consisderation.

[TheTed]

Conan - this is the section across the street from River Parks West.  It is used for parking/shuttle service to Oktoberfest.  Local cyclists also use it for parking/a rallying point for the weekly Wednesday rides.  The proposal uses the entire space - grass parking and paved parking - for private development.  The next step is "there is no where to park" and selilng off River Parks West since the major events held there (Oktoberfest, Scottishfest, Wednesday rides) will be encouraged to move (no parking int he neighborhoods and nos treet parking there). 

It is underused land, but I hope they ahve taken those concerns into consisderation.

I've never understood the no parking in neighborhoods there. Everyone has driveways/garages, no? It's not like Wrigleyville in Chicago where the residents need to park on the streets.

The people who live there don't own the street any more than people who live in other parts of Tulsa, do they?

[Conan71]

Conan - this is the section across the street from River Parks West.  It is used for parking/shuttle service to Oktoberfest.  Local cyclists also use it for parking/a rallying point for the weekly Wednesday rides.  The proposal uses the entire space - grass parking and paved parking - for private development.  The next step is "there is no where to park" and selilng off River Parks West since the major events held there (Oktoberfest, Scottishfest, Wednesday rides) will be encouraged to move (no parking int he neighborhoods and nos treet parking there). 

It is underused land, but I hope they ahve taken those concerns into consisderation.

What is this Wednesday Night Ride thing you speak of?

[nathanm]

I've never understood the no parking in neighborhoods there.

Is it really no parking in the neighborhood period or is street parking just restricted to one side during events?

[Conan71]

I've never understood the no parking in neighborhoods there. Everyone has driveways/garages, no? It's not like Wrigleyville in Chicago where the residents need to park on the streets.

The people who live there don't own the street any more than people who live in other parts of Tulsa, do they?

Probably because it becomes a total clusterf#ck to get in and out of the neighborhood otherwise.  

[nathanm]

Probably because it becomes a total clusterf#ck to get in and out of the neighborhood otherwise.  

Welcome to my world, I'm sure you remember how it is.

[Conan71]

Welcome to my world, I'm sure you remember how it is.

Yep, and that's with parking only on one side of the street.

[sgrizzle]

With Community Action Project's involvment and federal subsidies, I assume the housing component will be subsidized or low income.  Has this project been flying under the radar for a while?

Is any thought being given to how this would/could effect so-called river development of the west bank of the river?

Nope. This is replacing the run down housing that is in that area with a mix of income-based and market rate housing. Keep in mind a good portion of those working downtown qualify as "low-income" and this is a mixed use development as well. Given that this is nicer than what is there, and larger, it can only improve the river development opportunities.