A plan intended to serve as a guide for an ambitious effort to address Tulsa’s housing shortage, including the needs of homeless people and low-income residents, was released on Monday in its final form.
The Tulsa Housing Strategy, which has been almost a year in the making, details ways the city can continue to spur and support development toward the goal of adding nearly 13,000 housing units, both rental and for sale, over the next decade.
That’s how many Tulsa will need, at an estimated annual cost of $245 million, to meet demand and support equitable growth, as determined in a citywide housing assessment last year.
“When we talked about this 13,000 housing unit problem, you have this universe of potential actions that you can take as a community,” said Partner Tulsa Executive Director Kian Kamas. “So for us, this strategy is really our way of winnowing down that universe of viable options and helping us understand where we really need to be directing our time, energy and resources.
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“When you have a problem this big, you have to be really focused to have an impact.”
The strategy, which along with the previous housing assessment was funded by The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, was developed with input from developers, philanthropists, neighborhood stakeholders and social service providers and will be implemented through public-private partnerships, officials said. It was presented to the City Council in draft form in January.
Mayor G.T. Bynum said: “As we work to create a path to home for those who need it, it’s important that we understand how we got here and what key pieces we need to have in place to meet our housing needs over the next decade. I am thankful for PartnerTulsa, The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, and so many others who put the time and effort into creating the plan we need to meet our community’s growing needs.”
While the strategy can serve as a guide and a framework, officials stress that it does not provide for all planning and implementation. More deliberate planning and action must follow from here, with key partners each playing a role, they said.
Officials said some of the recommended actions are already underway, including analyzing office buildings to determine which are best-suited for conversion to housing; identifying funding for additional city staff to support and expedite housing development; and development of preapproved housing plans to expedite the process and reduce costs associated with building housing.
Additionally this year, $20 million in previously allocated public funds are already supporting housing development across the city.
Bill Major, president of The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, said the foundation “was pleased to support the housing assessment and now this important strategy to accomplish the goal. Going forward, it will be important to work with the plan, and we are glad to be a continuing part of this effort.”
Released in March 2023, the housing assessment found that 12,900 units of different levels of housing will be needed in the next decade.
Current pent-up demand accounts for around 4,000 of those units.
The new strategy is a key component of the Housing, Homelessness, and Mental Health Task Force recommendations.
PartnerTulsa is partnering with private developers to support housing development on publicly-owned sites. For more information on available sites, go to partnertulsa.org/current-opportunities/available-properties/.