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planitulsa

tulsa's comprehensive plan

CITY OF Tulsa A New Kind of Energy.

TULSA PLANNING OFFICE

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This plan is dedicated to the memory of Katie Ulrey Wing.

Katie’s thoughtfulness, serenity, and creativity continue to inspire all who knew her to persevere through life’s challenges.

Adoption Information Adopted by Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission on May 3rd, 2023, and approved by Tulsa City Council on June 14th, 2023.

Tulsa Planning Office 175 E. 2nd St., Suite 480 Tulsa, OK 74103 918.596.7526

tulsaplanning.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ i-xxiv

Chapter 1: Development Review Guide................................................................................................ 1-58

Chapter 2: Future Land Use............................................................................................................ 59-108

Chapter 3: Transportation.............................................................................................................. 109-154

Chapter 4: Economic Development.............................................................................................. 155-200

Chapter 5: Housing & Neighborhoods......................................................................................... 201-242

Chapter 6: Communities................................................................................................................ 243-278

Chapter 7: History, Culture, & Creativity...................................................................................... 279-328

Chapter 8: Parks & Recreation ..................................................................................................... 329-370

Chapter 9: Environment & Natural Resources............................................................................. 371-418

Chapter 10: Public Services ......................................................................................................... 419-475

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Mayor & City Council

G.T. Bynum - Mayor Vanessa Hall-Harper - District 1 Jeannie Cue - District 2 Crista Patrick - District 3 Laura Bellis - District 4 Grant Miller - District 5 Christian Bengel - District 6 Lori Decter-Wright - District 7 Phil Lakin - District 8 Jayme Fowler - District 9

Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission

Michael Covey - Chairperson Joshua Walker - First Vice Chairperson Luisa Krug - Second Vice Chairperson John Shivel - Secretary Shane Hood - City of Tulsa Appointee Brian Humphrey - City of Tulsa Appointee Matthew Zalk - City of Tulsa Appointee Robert Whitlock - Tulsa County Appointee Stacey Bayles - Tulsa County Appointee Michael Craddock - Tulsa Commissioners’ Designee Cassia Carr - Mayor’s Designee

Contributing Tulsa Planning Office and INCOG Staff

Rich Brierre - INCOG Director Susan Miller - Tulsa Planning Office Director Dwayne Wilkerson - Principal Planner Paulina Baeza - Principal Planner¹ John Tankard - Senior Planner² Nathan Foster - Senior Planner¹ Daniel Jeffries - Senior Planner Dennis Whitaker - Senior Planner Felicity Good - Historic Preservation Officer Samantha Extance - Destination Districts Manager Daniel Te - Neighborhood Planner Samiul Haque - Urban Design Planner Austin Chapman - Planner Kendal Davis - Planner Dylan Siers - Planner Preslie Anderson - Assistant Planner Andrea Craig - Assistant Planner Roshita Taylor - Assistant Planner Ty Simmons - Principal GIS Analyst

Contributing Former Staff:

Travis Hulse - Principal Planner Luisa Krug - Destination Districts Manager¹ Jed Porter - Historic Preservation Officer Emma Oakes - Urban Design Planner Payton Wynes - Urban Design Planner Emily Scott - Neighborhood Planner¹ Amy Ulmer - Planner¹ J.T. Paganelli - Planner¹ Amber Wagoner - Planner Jani Wertin - Assistant Planner Jake Landry - Assistant Planner Alex O'Connell - Assistant Planner Katie Wing - Assistant Planner Adriane Jaynes - Clean Cities Coordinator Charlotte Adcock - Transportation Programs Planner Emily Smith - Alternative Fuels Planner Helen Foster - GIS Specialist

City of Tulsa Offices and Departments

Mayor’s Office Mayor’s Office of Resiliency and Equity City Council Office Office of Performance Strategy and Innovation Housing Policy Director Asset Management Communications Customer Care Center Development Services Engineering Services Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority Municipal Courts Park, Culture, & Recreation Streets & Stormwater Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity Tulsa Fire Department Tulsa Police Department Water & Sewer Working in Neighborhoods

Thank you to the following organizations for contributing to the plan through the community engagement process:

100 Black Men 1st Step 36 Degrees North ahha Tulsa Align Design American Indian Chamber of Commerce American Waste A Way Home for Tulsa Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Be Well Community Development Corporation Birth Through Eight Strategy Tulsa (BEST) Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce Black Wall Street Art Gallery Bob Dylan Archive CAP Tulsa Capital Homes Casa de la Cultura Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges Cherokee Nation Film Office Cherokee Nation City Lights Foundation of Oklahoma Civic Ninjas Coalition of Hispanic Organizations Code for Tulsa Crossover Community Impact CUBES Dennis R. Neill Equality Center Downtown Tulsa Partnership Dream Action Oklahoma Dress for Success EduRec Fab Lab Tulsa Family and Children’s Services Family Promise of Tulsa County Financial Empowerment Center Gathering Place George Kaiser Family Foundation Gilcrease Museum Goodwill Tulsa Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors Green Country Habitat for Humanity Green Country Sierra Club Greenwood Chamber of Commerce Greenwood-Unity-Heritage Citizen Advisory Committee Group M Investment Growing Together Hearts for Hearing Hemphill Create Hispanic Leadership Institute Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth Impact Tulsa INCOG Area Agency on Aging INCOG Community and Economic Development INCOG Energy and Environmental Sustainability INCOG Transportation Indian Healthcare Resource Center J Griffin Design John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation Jones Design Studio Key Plus Properties Kitchen 66 Leadership Tulsa League of Women Voters Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma LIFE Senior Services M Development McNellie’s Group Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa Mental Health Association of Oklahoma MET Cares Foundation Method Group Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma Nelson + Stowe Developers North Tulsa Community Coalition North Tulsa Minister’s Conference OK Vote Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance Oklahoma Arts Council Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oklahoma Department of Commerce Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Oklahoma Policy Institute Oklahoma Sustainability Network Oklahoma Water Resources Board Oklahoma Women’s Coalition Oklahoma Works Philbrook Museum of Art Price Family Properties Program Management Group Public Service Company of Oklahoma Resonance River Parks Authority Rose Rock Development Partners Rudisill Regional Library SCORE Tulsa Select Design Sikes Abernathie Architects Soul City Southwest Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Still She Rises Strong Neighborhoods Initiative The Church Studio The Forge The Links The M.e.t. The Muscogee Nation The Parent Child Center of Tulsa The Sustainability Alliance TCC McKeon Center for Creativity TSHA Tulsa Airports Investment Trust Tulsa Artist Fellowship Tulsa Arts Commission Tulsa Audubon Society Tulsa Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Tulsa CASA Tulsa Changemakers Tulsa Council of the Blind Tulsa County Election Board Tulsa County Parks Tulsa City-County Library Tulsa Development Authority Tulsa Economic Development Corporation Tulsa Health Department Tulsa Historical Society & Museum Tulsa Housing Authority Tulsa Innovation Labs Tulsa Latin American Chamber of Commerce Tulsa Ports Tulsa Public Schools Tulsa Regional Chamber Tulsa Route 66 Commission Tulsa Symphony Tulsa Theater TYPROS Business Development Crew TYPROS Leadership TYPROS Urbanist Crew Up With Trees Urban Land Institute US Army Corps of Engineers US Environmental Protection Agency US Fish and Wildlife Services Vernon A.M.E. Church Visiting Angels Tulsa Vive Investments W Design Women in Recovery Woody Guthrie Center Youth Services of Tulsa YMCA of Greater Tulsa YWCA Tulsa

PLAN CHAPTER DESCRIPTIONS

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Chapter 1: Development Review Guide

All components of the comprehensive plan that are relevant to the development review process (excluding actions from other plan chapters) are contained in this chapter in order to ensure all interested parties can easily use the plan.

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Chapter 2: Future Land Use

The vision for future land use development in Tulsa is outlined in this chapter. This includes how new development occurs in relation to existing development, as well as how the development review process is conducted by the City.

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Chapter 3: Transportation

This chapter consolidates the transportation planning recommendations from a variety of plans adopted since 2010. All types of transportation are covered in the chapter as well as recommendations to prepare for transportation innovations.

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Chapter 4: Economic Development

This chapter contains recommendations to achieve the economic development vision of the City of Tulsa. Business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility are all covered in this chapter.

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Chapter 5: Housing & Neighborhoods

This chapter identifies approaches to ensure a variety of housing options in Tulsa with a diverse range of price points. Housing affordability, neighborhood characteristics, and addressing homelessness are addressed in this chapter.

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Chapter 6: Communities

This chapter outlines ways the City of Tulsa and local residents can engage with each other. Encouraging public participation, building strong community partnerships, and ensuring City communications are accessible are topics covered in this chapter.

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Chapter 7: History, Culture, & Creativity

Tulsa’s historical, cultural, and artistic environment differentiates it from other communities. This chapter identifies ways the City of Tulsa can support and promote these valuable community assets through programming, promotion, and funding.

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Chapter 8: Parks & Recreation

Tulsa’s parks and recreation facilities are valuable community assets. This chapter outlines the vision for a successful parks system, including how to connect residents with opportunities to exercise, strengthen community, and commune with nature.

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Chapter 9: Environment & Natural Resources

Tulsa’s place in Green Country comes with a wide array of environmental assets and risks. This chapter covers preparedness for flooding, pollution, energy resources, and the conservation of valuable habitat and tree canopy coverage.

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Chapter 10: Public Services

This chapter compiles the planning goals for several City departments that provide public services to the residents of Tulsa. It also considers the most efficient and effective ways to ensure consistent public service distribution.

PLAN CHAPTER COMPONENTS

All chapters of this plan except for the Development Review Guide follow the same structure. The sections include:

Introduction A summary of the chapter’s content scope and details of existing conditions in Tulsa related to a given chapter’s content.

Key Ideas Ideas generated through discussions with subject matter experts and community engagement efforts that serve as the basis for goals, strategies, and actions for the chapter.

Goals & Strategies High-level description of each of the chapter’s overarching goals, and each overarching goal’s strategies. These pages are meant to be used to quickly reference what the intent of the chapter is.

Action Table A detailed collection of overarching goals, general strategies, and specific actions for each chapter. These tables include the type of each action and what City departments or partner organizations would be involved in order to implement the recommendation.

Selected City Comparison Selected cities from across the United States compared to Tulsa using metrics related to the content of a given plan chapter.

Equity and Resilience Considerations Issues related to a chapter’s content that have implications for equity and resilience and recommendations for improvement.

Health and Wellness Considerations Issues related to a chapter’s content that have implications for public and individual health and wellness and recommendations for improvement.

Funding Considerations Key funding needs as identified through engagement with subject matter experts and the broader public.

Regional Considerations Issues related to how Tulsa fits into a regional context related to a given chapter’s content.

Each plan chapter’s Action Table contains recommendations structured into three tiers of specificity: Overarching Goals, General Strategies, and Specific Actions. The Action Tables also identify each Specific Action’s type in order to better organize plan recommendations for implementation. The items in each Action Table include the following:

Overarching Goal An aspirational and visionary statement that sets the intent for related strategies and actions.

General Strategy A general approach to achieving an Overarching Goal focused on outcomes.

Specific Action An actionable recommendation that helps achieve a general strategy. Actions are grouped into 12 categories that require different approaches to initiate:

<u>Advocacy</u> - Coordinated local support for an issue communicated to a higher authority.

<u>Analysis</u> - An action that necessitates data gathering and analysis.

<u>Capital</u> - An action related to capital funding needs.

<u>Code Changes</u> - An action that will require changes to City ordinances.

<u>Engagement</u> - An action related to interaction with community partners and the general public.

<u>Incentives</u> - Funding, fee waivers, or other mechanisms to stimulate greater outcomes or investments.

<u>Partnership</u> - An action that will result in a partnership between the City and another entity.

<u>Personnel</u> - An action related to staffing and training needs.

<u>Planning</u> - An action that includes direction for future planning efforts.

<u>Policy</u> - An action that leads to a change in the way the City of Tulsa or a specific department conducts their work.

<u>Program</u> - An action related to or leading to the creation of a City program.

<u>Technology</u> - An action related to technological innovations that would help achieve goals.

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introduction

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

Oklahoma State Statutes enables cities, towns, counties, and metropolitan areas to develop and adopt comprehensive plans in order to accomplish several things:

for the purpose of bringing about a coordinated physical development in accordance with the present and future needs of such area,

to conserve the natural resources of the area,

to ensure efficient expenditure of public funds, and

to promote the health, safety, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare of the people of the area and the state.

19 OK Stat § 19-863.7 (2014)

This statutory guidance further identifies topics such as economic conditions, regionalism, residential density, transportation networks, environmental concerns, and context-specific problems as being within the purview of the comprehensive plan. Each plan can incorporate approaches to these considerations in any number of ways, and the plan should be tailored to the respective community. This is accomplished through public engagement and input into the development of the comprehensive plan to establish a community vision for the future of land use decisions.

When is an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan needed?

The comprehensive plan Land Use Plan Map and text can be amended through a process that requires adoption by the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) and approval by City Council. When a property owner wants to change the future use of their property to something that is not consistent with the Land Use Plan Map, the property owner can apply to change the Land Use Plan Map designation to have the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) and City Council determine if the requested change is appropriate. Tulsa Planning Office staff can also propose maps amendments to better align with the comprehensive plan or those that are corrective in nature. The other type of amendment is a change to the text within the comprehensive plan, which can modify recommendations or other content to align with priorities.

What is planitulsa?

In 2005, then Tulsa Mayor, Bill LaFortune, and the Tulsa City Council established a Comprehensive Planning Process Task Force. This group was formed in order to update the City's comprehensive plan, which had not substantively changed since 1976. The task force determined that in order to get the kind of comprehensive plan they wanted, there would need to be substantial investment by the community. By studying comprehensive planning efforts in other communities, the task force came up with a desired project timeline of two to five years, depending on the scope of services involved. With a coherent vision for the development of a plan, Fregonese Associates were hired in the late fall of 2007 to be the lead consultant. Fregonese Associates brought a team of seven sub-consultants, including TIP Strategies for economic analysis, Kimley-Horn for transportation planning, Collective Strength for values research, J-Quad for housing analysis, RExPR for public involvement, Sienna Architecture for urban design, and Urban Insight for online public involvement.

Upon completion of the contract, the planning process began in 2008 with a great deal of engagement work with organizations related to land development and real estate, economic development, and neighborhood organizations. This outreach expanded to include large-scale events where more than 4,000 residents of the Tulsa area were engaged to set the vision for the future of the city. Throughout the plan process, stakeholders were engaged for feedback on the final plan document, and by 2010 a draft plan was completed for final review for internal City departments, external organizations, and the general public. Once the review was complete, the final plan was adopted.

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The Tulsa Comprehensive Plan, commonly referred to as “planitulsa”, was adopted in 2010. In 2016 a progress report was produced to evaluate which recommendations of the plan were being implemented.

The final plan included an introduction chapter entitled “A Vision for Tulsa” which summarized the findings from the community into a narrative description of the Tulsa that residents aspire toward. Additionally, there were five chapters that contained Priorities, Goals, and Policies to achieve the vision established through the planning process. These chapters include:

1. Land Use
2. Transportation
3. Economic Development
4. Housing
5. Parks, Trails, & Open Space

Implementation of the plan began with the appointment of a new Planning director, tasked with carrying the vision of the plan forward and continuing to engage the community in ways that would refine plan recommendations for more specific locations around the city.

In 2016 a progress report was produced internally by the City of Tulsa Planning Department. This report found that at the time of the progress report 74% of the planitulsa implementation was underway, with 219 Action Items identified as In Process, Ongoing, or Complete.

Why are we doing an update?

As more than a decade has passed since the adoption of planitulsa, there has been a desire to update the plan to reflect modern conditions in Tulsa, as well as to incorporate ideas and topics that were not a part of the original plan. Data analysis and best practices have evolved since the original planning process, which means there are new approaches and insights that can help to ensure that progress on plan implementation is continuing in the most effective ways. Additionally, new ideas and new input from the community can complement the great deal of input received in the original planning process. Respecting the foundation of input and the vision established by the community in the development of the 2010 plan was a primary goal of the planning team during the update process.

Rather than hiring a consultant to do the plan update, the City elected to complete the process in-house in the newly formed Tulsa Planning Office. Founded in 2019, the Tulsa Planning Office is the newly-combined planning function for the City of Tulsa. While the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) at the Indian Nation Council of Governments (INCOG) has served as the development review function for the City of Tulsa since the 1970s, long-range planning activities have always been housed at the City itself. This changed during the formation of the Tulsa Planning Office, and for the first time in many years, Tulsa’s planning functions are all in one place, allowing for a more streamlined and coherent approach to the planning process, both short-term and long-range.

What was the process for the update?

The Tulsa Planning Office undertook the update of the plan with several goals in mind. Firstly, as the plan update was completed in-house without outside consultants, it was important that staff be trained on best practices in comprehensive planning. Training sessions, webinars, and internal meetings took place to ensure that planning team members were knowledgeable about techniques in comprehensive planning and policy development that have evolved since the adoption of the original plan in 2010. The planning team also reviewed more than 30 comprehensive plans from across the United States in order to glean ideas for plan structure, formatting, content topics, and specific recommendations. Findings from these plans were consolidated into reference guides that served as supplemental information for the development of planitulsa topic chapters. The planning team also reviewed plans that have been completed in Tulsa, particularly since 2010. Recommendations from these plans were identified for inclusion in the plan update to respect the processes and engagement that occurred during the development of those plans.

Once the planning team had completed the preliminary review steps, engagement activities began in order to identify what additional content was needed in the plan. Engagement for the plan included numerous public meetings, surveys, informational updates, and correspondence. Across all engagement processes prior to the review of the final plan, more than 5,000 Tulsa residents contributed their ideas, aspirations, and thoughts on where the City of Tulsa should focus efforts. The planning team put extra emphasis on reaching community members that were underrepresented in the development of the 2010 plan by working with community organizations to promote surveys and other engagement activities. The approach to engagement was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but all effort was taken to ensure multiple accessible ways to participate.

Engagement with subject matter experts was also highly important for the update of the plan. Community organizations, parallel government agencies, and internal City departments all contributed to the content of the plan by sharing their expertise and understanding of specific issues in Tulsa. More than 200 subject matter expert organizations were engaged by the planning team.

After the engagement activities were completed, staff organized all of the input to develop the plan recommendations. These recommendations were reviewed internally by Tulsa Planning Office leadership, City Legal Department staff, City of Tulsa department directors, the Mayor’s Office, and the City Council. Additionally, the draft plan was translated into Spanish, making it one of the first completely bilingual comprehensive plans in the country.

Once internal review was completed, the draft plan was made public for review, accompanied by a series of public meetings in each City Council district. Feedback from the public was incorporated into the final version of the plan prior to the initiation of the plan adoption process and approval by the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) and the Tulsa City Council.

What’s New?

The plan has been restructured to make it easier to use by focusing plan chapters on recommendations, with a layout that lends itself to use as a reference guide.

Plan Chapter Topics

The list of topic chapters of the plan has been expanded to include subject matter that was not considered in the original development of the plan. Modifications include:

• Renaming the Housing chapter to Housing & Neighborhoods and including greater consideration of how housing fits into a neighborhood context.
• Dividing the Parks, Trails, and Open Space chapter into Parks & Recreation and Environment & Natural Resources to clearly delineate between plan recommendations related to recreation and programmed outdoor places and recommendations related to environmental conditions and natural assets.
• Adding a chapter named Communities that considers how the City can best engage with the diverse populations in Tulsa to promote civic involvement.
• Adding a chapter named History, Culture, & Creativity, which provides recommendations for how the City can best support the preservation of history, both physical and social, be a welcoming community regardless of cultural background, and enhance the artistic and creative environment in the city.
• Adding a chapter named Public Services that includes planning recommendations for a broad spectrum of City departments that provide public services to residents.

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Additionally, each chapter has several contexts applied to them for a broader understanding of potential impacts on the Tulsa community. For each chapter the following concepts were evaluated (full descriptions can be found on page vii):

• Selected City Comparisons
• Equity and Resilience Considerations
• Health and Wellness Considerations
• Funding Priorities
• Regionalism Considerations

Development Review Guide

Since a primary function of a comprehensive plan is to provide guidance for new development, most components of the plan that are used in the development review process have been moved to a new section entitled the “Development Review Guide.” This section of the plan outlines the process of development review, contains the Land Use Plan Map and associated development guidance, and has an up-to-date online interface where anyone can see exactly what plan guidance there is for any property in the city. The use of technology to operationalize the plan will increase consistency and efficiency in the development review process, as well as making the process easier to understand and more broadly accessible.

Updated Land Use Plan Map

The Land Use Plan Map that was developed as a part of the 2010 plan has been updated to enhance usability and clarify distinctions between individual Land Use Designations. There are now eight Land Use Designations, reduced from the twelve designations previously established in the plan. The changes include:

• Combining Downtown Neighborhood, Existing Neighborhood, and New Neighborhood into one new designation, “Neighborhood”. Distinctions between neighborhoods in different parts of the city are now identified in the Development Era Map (see next page).
• Mixed-Use Corridor has been renamed “Multiple Use” as the characteristics of this designation are not necessarily limited to corridors, and the use of “Mixed-Use” created confusion between the Land Use Designations and mixed-use zoning districts.
• The previous version of the plan had three levels of Centers: Regional Center, Town Center, and Neighborhood Center. Confusion has arisen over the distinctions among these three Land Use Designations, particularly between Neighborhood Center and Town Center. In order to simplify this structure and remove confusion, these have been changed to “Regional Center” and “Local Center”, where Regional Centers are based around a use of regional significance (hospital, university, major shopping areas, etc.), and Local Centers are primarily intended to serve the needs of surrounding neighborhoods.

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• The Main Street Land Use Designation has been removed from the Land Use Plan Map, and all properties that were designated Main Street have been changed to Multiple Use. Main Street is now identified on the Major Street and Highway Plan Street Type map. This ensures that the historical context of Main Streets are preserved and modifications to that designation would include more stakeholders.

The simplification of this Land Use Designation system will ensure more consistent and predictable recommendations for development review cases where the comprehensive plan is referenced.

Development Era Map

One of the challenges of using planitulsa in development review has been a lack of clarity regarding distinctions between what type of development is appropriate in different parts of the city. What is appropriate for greenfield development near the city limits is not necessarily what’s most appropriate for infill development in a neighborhood near the downtown that developed in the 1920s. More and more development is occurring in older parts of the city as subdivisions have largely been built to the city limits in most areas.

The way the city develops has changed several times since Tulsa was established. In particular, innovations in transportation changed the way Tulsans were able to move around, and as an effect, changed the organization of urban form. When Tulsa was first established along the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, people got around primarily on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. Then in the early 20th century, streetcars expanded beyond what is thought of as downtown today into the city’s first streetcar suburbs. Eventually the automobile and buses overtook the streetcar, and the city’s footprint grew as individual mobility expanded. Finally, with the introduction of the interstate highway system and major annexation activities in the 1950s and 1960s, Tulsa expanded more rapidly than ever. Today, Tulsa still maintains each of these types of urban development, emanating from the downtown in a concentric pattern, having not existed long enough for any of these areas to fully redevelop like in older cities.

It was important that the update to planitulsa considers this trend and incorporate ways of distinguishing the appropriate type of development for a given place in the city.

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The introduction of the Development Era Map allows for the development review process to be sensitive to the different historical contexts in Tulsa. Land Use Designations are paired with the different Development Eras to identify common elements with regard to residential density, commercial format, mixed use orientation, urban form, land use diversity, parking orientation, screening, and signage. Areas identified as Future Growth are likely to benefit from land use planning to guide the patterns of development in these areas. See the Development Review Guide portion of this plan for a full explanation of the distinctions raised in the map.

Selected City Comparisons

In order to better understand Tulsa, it is useful to look at other cities across the United States and compare and contrast them. For each of the nine topic chapters, staff teams reviewed comprehensive plans from 30 selected cities across the country. Recommendations from these plans were gathered and consolidated into reference guides to help in the development of local policy recommendations. For each chapter, the planning teams identified six benchmark cities for comparisons of key performance indicators. These cities were selected for their similarity to Tulsa in terms of population, size, economy, and climate region, or were selected as cities that had desirable approaches to a chapter topic that Tulsa can model. Metrics for comparison were selected to align with the content of a given chapter and should be tracked over time to evaluate progress toward achieving plan goals and improving Tulsa's performance in comparison to cities across the country.

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Equity and Resilience Considerations

Comprehensive planning presents an opportunity to evaluate a city from a variety of different perspectives. Recommendations in this plan cover a broad array of topics, all of which have potential affects on residents of Tulsa. Two City of Tulsa reports in particular have laid the groundwork for identifying and addressing issues of social equity and resilience, the annual Equality Indicators report, and the 2018 Resilient Tulsa Strategy. In order to better understand the affect different chapter topics have on residents as it relates to equity and resilience, indicators were identified by each chapter team based on findings from research and engagement. Each indicator has a written description describing how it affects equity and resilience as well as current conditions in Tulsa. Each chapter also has a map in this section that identifies which areas of the city are performing better or worse based on metrics associated with the chapter content. These maps identify areas of the city that should receive priority focus when plan implementation occurs. Additionally, each chapter has a section that identifies which Equality Indicators and Resilient Tulsa Strategy actions are relevant to the chapter topic.

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Health and Wellness Considerations

The topics addressed in the comprehensive plan all have implications for individual and public health outcomes. This is in alignment with the concept of the Social Determinants of Health as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services. That is, that health is influenced by social and environmental factors in addition to behavioral and genetic factors. With the focus on reducing the life expectancy gap between wealthy and impoverished parts of Tulsa, informed by planning work that has gone into the development of the Tulsa Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and the City’s Equality Indicators reports, it is important for health and wellness considerations to be identified for each comprehensive plan chapter. 38 health and wellness indicators were identified across the 9 topic chapters of the plan in collaboration with public health professionals and informed by community engagement. Potential health outcomes, the local Tulsa context, and policy recommendations were developed for each of the health and wellness indicators.

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The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion organizes Social Determinants of Health into five overarching categories.

TULSA HISTORICAL TIMELINE

City Limit Expansion

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1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950

Passenger Train Service (1882- 1967) Streetcar Service (1906- 1936) Private-run bus service (1927- 1968)

Major Events & Population Growth

Early Settlement (1836) Creek Nation chief picks a site under a large oak tree near the banks of the Arkansas River for councils

First Post Office (1879) A post office is established on the pony mail route through Indian Territory

Oil discovery at Red Fork (1901)

Tulsa's first park, Owen Park, created (≈1904)

Tulsa Police Department officially established (1907)

Parks Department established (1909)

PSO established (1913)

City incorporation (1898)

University of Tulsa opens (1920)

Tulsa race massacre (1921)

First zoning code adopted (1922)

Mohawk Park established (1924)

Spavinaw Lake Water Source established (1924)

Route 66 established (1926)

Federal Housing Act (FHA) passed (1934)

Tulsa Opera and Tulsa Philharmonic founded (1948)

Water supply expanded from Lake Eucha and Lake Spavinaw (1952)

Utica Square shopping center opened (1952)

TMAPC established (1953)

Golden Driller Statue built (1953)

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Tulsa Transit bus service (1968- Present)

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Public Services City Limit Population Growth

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE AND TRENDS

Tulsa’s population has changed in several ways since the original adoption of planitulsa in 2010. While many of the changes are aligned with changes at the national level, a few key changes are distinct to Tulsa.

Aging Population

Since 2010, the median age in Tulsa has increased from 34.8 years to 35.3 years. While 0.5 years may seem rather insignificant, the proportion of Tulsans that are 65 years or older has increased by 18% since 2010. This trend aligns with global trends of the Baby Boomer generation aging out of the workforce and entering into retirement years. The city’s labor force participation rate has also declined, mirroring the shift in median age.

Increasing Diversity

According to the results of the 2020 Decennial Census, Tulsa has become a majority-minority city for the first time in its history. This means that minority racial groups make up a majority of the city’s population, whereas the city has been majority White in every previous Census. Tulsa’s Hispanic or Latin American population has increased to more than 19%, or roughly one in every five households. The percentage of the population that identifies as Asian or Pacific Islander increased by 54% between 2010 and 2021, to roughly one in every 20 households.

Tulsa’s Black and American Indian populations had slight decreases in the past decade; however, Tulsa’s White population had by far the largest decrease. Additionally, the percentage of the population identifying as Two or More races nearly tripled since 2010. In fact, Oklahoma had the highest increase in individuals that identify as Two or More Races of any state in the country. The Census Bureau and demographers across the country have identified several reasons why this is the case. Firstly, the questions regarding racial identity were different in the 2020 and 2010 censuses, with the 2020 format facilitating a deeper description of an individual’s racial make-up. Other contributing factors include an actual increase in multi-racial births, and shifts in the way individuals identify themselves for a variety of personal reasons.

The Census Bureau anticipates additional shifts in the terminology used to classify racial group affiliation as time continues. It will be important to be cognizant of these classification changes in order to effectively use racial data for informed decision making.

Greater Educational Attainment

One of the most promising statistical trends for Tulsa is the increase in the percentage of the population who have completed a college degree. In 2010 35.9% of Tulsans had completed an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Graduate degree, and that has increased to 39.3% according to the latest Census data. An educated population can be an attractor for businesses, particularly those that pay higher wages and offer more benefits for their employees.

Industry Sector Shifts

Since 2010 Tulsa has seen some notable shifts in the distribution of employment by the various economic sectors. Tulsa saw modest growth in manufacturing and healthcare and social assistance jobs, but saw more volatile shifts in other sectors. The retail trade sector declined, consistent with national trends, and was heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The administration and support sector saw the steepest decline, dropping by nearly 12%, while the accommodation and food service sector saw a large increase of 11%.

As Tulsa’s population continues to increase its educational attainment, additional shifts in the predominant industry sectors are likely as well. Efforts by Tulsa agencies and organizations to stimulate economic development will need to foster these changes.

Housing Trends

Since 2010 Tulsa has trended steadily toward a 50/50 split between owner-occupied housing units and renter-occupied housing units. The rate of vacancy has declined substantially, as the increase in available housing units has not fully kept up with the increase in population. The total number of housing units increased 2.8% and the total population increased 5.4% during the same time period. This, coupled with supply chain constraints leading to severe inflation, has led to a steep increase in housing costs in Tulsa since 2021. New housing development in Tulsa should respond to these trends.

planitulsa VISION (2010)

Guiding Principles

These principles were identified in the development of the 2010 plan and served as the basis for the chapter content of the plan.

Economy

• Downtown Tulsa should act as a thriving economic engine and cultural center for the entire region.
• Entrepreneurs, small businesses and large employers should find Tulsa an easy place to do business.
• Business owners are able to easily find adequate and attractive space for expanding businesses into downtown, along main streets, or in employment centers.
• The city invests in the critical infrastructure necessary to develop a robust and diversified economy.

Transportation

• A variety of transportation options serve the city, so that all Tulsans can go where we need to go by driving if we want, but also by walking, biking or using public transit.
• The transit system is designed as a consumer good and attracts people without a vehicle, as well as people who have a vehicle and choose to use an alternative.
• Employment areas are accessible to services such as child care, grocery stores, restaurants, and other amenities.

Community and Housing

• Newcomers feel welcome to move to Tulsa, find a home and join the community.
• Future development protects historic buildings, neighborhoods and resources while enhancing urban areas and creating new mixed-use centers.
• Tulsa has pockets of density to provide for a more livable, pedestrian-friendly and cost-efficient community.
• Tulsa permits opportunities for a full range of housing types to fit every income, household and preference.
• The arts as well as cultural and historic resources are celebrated.

Equity and Opportunity

• The disparity in life expectancy between areas of the city is eliminated by addressing access to services and public health issues.
• Tulsa is a cohesive city where we have the ability to create safe, healthy lives for ourselves and our families.
• Tulsa’s civic, business and government institutions ensure that everyone has equal opportunity and access to housing, employment, transportation, education and health care, regardless of background, ethnicity, or neighborhood.
• Schools are safe, easy to walk to, and part of a world-class education system.

Environment

• Tulsa becomes a leader in sustainability and efficiency.
• Residents have easy access to parks and natural areas.
• City parks provide open space, available to each neighborhood, with access to fields, natural areas and greenways for outdoor relaxation and recreation.
• New buildings meet high standards for energy and water efficiency and deliver high quality spaces and architectural design.

Planning Process

• City planning and decision-making is an inclusive and transparent process.
• Once adopted, city-wide and neighborhood plans are funded, implemented and monitored for performance.
• Development and zoning policies are easily understood, workable and result in predictable development.
• Residents have a voice in solving their community’s problems today and are a part of planning for tomorrow.

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Vision Map

The planitulsa Vision Map was developed during public engagement workshops and laid the foundation for the Land Use Plan Map. Centers for development and transportation vision elements are included in the map and are reflected in the Land Use Plan Map. This map is not used in the development review process and is only meant to capture the feedback from the planning process and illustrate broad conceptual ideas related to the future of land use and transportation in Tulsa.

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planitulsa

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development review guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 INTRODUCTION

4-11 THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS

4-5 Development Review Process Overview
6 Role of Council, Boards, and Commissions
7-9 Overview of Application Types
10-11 Relevant Codes and Planning Documents
12-13 Engagement Expectations

14-19 THE LAND USE PLAN

20-33 DEVELOPMENT ERAS

34-35 MAJOR STREET & HIGHWAY PLAN

36-57 CONTEXT MAPS

36-37 Arterial Traffic
38-39 Transit-Oriented Development Areas
40-41 Commercial Revitalization Areas
42-43 Economic Incentive Areas
44-45 Industrial Employment Suitability
46-47 Neighborhood Statistical Areas
48-49 Parks and Open Space Areas
50-51 Tree Canopy
52-53 Flood Areas
54-55 Small Area Plans
56-57 Zoning Overlay Districts

chapter 1 development review guide

INTRODUCTION

Purpose of this Guide

This guide is a collection of the information for the implementation of the comprehensive plan through the development review process. The different sections of the guide cover procedural components of the process, as well as maps and land use guidance to determine the appropriateness of new development across the city. This information is intended to help clarify the development review process for residents, applicants, government staff, and decision makers to arrive at a more consistent, predictable, and efficient process.

Relationship to Other Chapters of the Plan

In addition to the content of this guide, planitulsa’s nine topic chapters have recommendations that can be relevant to the development review process. These recommendations are found in each chapter’s “Action Table” and describe how staff should conduct business and what considerations are important to ensure development is consistent with the vision established by the community in the comprehensive plan. All of the goals, strategies, and actions of the plan are derived from engagement with the Tulsa community and subject matter experts, past planning efforts conducted by the City of Tulsa and partner agencies, best practices from cities across the United States, and research and data analysis conducted by Tulsa Planning Office staff.

Online Interface

All of the information contained within the maps of this guide are available through an online interface accessible through the Tulsa Planning Office website. This interface facilitates searching properties by their address and returning the relevant information regarding Land Use Designation, Development Era, Major Street & Highway Plan Designation, and all Context Maps, as applicable. This interface will be updated regularly, and it should serve as the primary source for up-to-date maps that are used in the process of development review.

Sections of this Guide

Development Review Process Overview

The Development Review Process Overview outlines the development review process. It includes descriptions of relevant authorities, legal frameworks, planning guidance, and the expectations for public engagement during the development review process.

The Land Use Plan Map

The Land Use Plan Map reflects the community vision for future growth. The Land Use Plan Map identifies eight Land Use Plan Designations, and each property in the city is assigned a Land Use Plan Designation. The Land Use Plan Designation of a property provides guidance on the type of development that is appropriate for the property, based on existing conditions and planned future growth. Decision makers considering development applications review the Land Use Plan Designation of a property together with the Development Era Classification of the property with the objective that new development is compatible in use, form, and orientation with existing conditions.

Development Era Map

The Development Era Map divides the city into five areas according to when the areas were originally developed and assigns a Development Era Classification to each of the five areas. This distinction is intended to provide guidance that allows for new development to be consistent with and sensitive to existing development in the area. Guidance is also provided for undeveloped areas of the city.

Context Maps

A series of Context Maps is included for additional consideration by decision makers when reviewing development applications. These maps include data gathered to prepare other chapters of this comprehensive plan and provide information on topics such as transportation, economic development, neighborhoods, parks & recreation, environment & natural resources, public services, and history, culture, & creativity.

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS OVERVIEW

Development Review Introduction

The City’s development review process is in place to ensure that the regulations of the zoning code and other applicable regulations are followed and that the goals of the comprehensive plan and other adopted guiding documents are realized. Over the next several pages, this section of the Development Review Guide will provide useful information for understanding the City’s development review process.

Does The Current Zoning Permit The Proposed Use?

When a property owner proposes a new use of existing construction or new construction on or development of a property, the first question to ask is “Does the current zoning permit the proposed use?” The answer to this question will determine what steps are needed to gain approval for a development application. Members of the public can check a property’s zoning classification by consulting the Zoning Map on the INCOG website. Permitted uses within the zoning classification are shown in the applicable Use Regulation table in the City of Tulsa Zoning Code.

Zoning Clearance Review

If after preliminarily assessing the existing zoning the proposed use appears to be permitted, then the next step is to submit the appropriate application to the Development Services Department’s Permit Center. There, staff will initiate a series of reviews. Normally, the first review conducted is a Zoning Clearance Review to determine whether the existing zoning of a project site permits the proposed use. If the existing zoning classification permits the proposed use, other reviews will be conducted before a Building Permit or a Certificate of Occupancy can be issued. If the Zoning Clearance Review concludes that the proposed use is not permitted by the existing zoning classification, an application to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) for rezoning or to the City Board of Adjustment (BOA) for a special exception or variance, as appropriate, should be filed in the Tulsa Planning Office before permitting reviews can be continued.

Working with the Tulsa Planning Office

If the existing zoning classification of a property does not permit the proposed use, the Tulsa Planning Office can help to determine the best course of action to obtain zoning approvals. Before an application is made to the TMAPC or the BOA potential applicants will have the opportunity to meet with Tulsa Planning Office staff to determine the most appropriate path forward.

Commission and Board Hearing Process

Detailed descriptions of TMAPC and BOA, as well as the types of applications they hear, can be found on pages 6-9 in this guide.

Many of the TMAPC or BOA application types can be administratively approved or can receive a final determination with that respective body after one public hearing. Rezoning applications are sent with a TMAPC recommendation for final approval by the Tulsa City Council.

When an applicant files an application to TMAPC, Tulsa Planning Office staff will prepare a staff report with a recommendation for approval or denial. When an application is made to the BOA, Tulsa Planning Office staff prepares a case report, outlining the facts of the case and all relevant information, but does not include a recommendation.

Notice must be given of the hearing on an application to the TMAPC or BOA. For more information about noticing requirements, refer to pages 12-13 of this guide.

Once a rezoning application has been filed, it will then be on the agenda of a TMAPC meeting, which will include a public hearing and discussion from the Commissioners. This results in a vote on whether to recommend approval of the case or not. If TMAPC recommends approval, the case is sent to the City Council for final approval.

The rezoning application appears on Council agendas three times. First, at a Council committee meeting, where Tulsa Planning Office staff gives and explains the TMAPC recommendation and consistency with policy and intent of the comprehensive plan. This appearance is only discussion between Councilors and staff with no vote or public comment. The next appearance is at the City Council meeting, where public input is heard. City Council votes either to approve the application, approve with modifications, or deny. In most cases the application needs a simple majority to pass. At the following City Council meeting the application appears again for Council adoption of an ordinance rezoning the property.

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*Rezonings and certain Special Exceptions require platting or a Subdivision Compliance Review. See 70.080-B in Title 42 (Tulsa Zoning Code) for a list of applicable Special Exceptions

Further Review and Certificate of Occupancy

After any necessary approval by the City Council, TMAPC, the BOA, or the Tulsa Preservation Commission, the Development Services Permitting staff can resume other development reviews. Staff will evaluate the details of engineering and architectural components of the application and issue a Letter of Deficiency (LOD) if revisions are needed for compliance with adopted codes.

Once all necessary stages of the permitting and development review process have been satisfactorily completed, including building permit issuance and a final inspection, a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued to approved applications. This certificate indicates that the use is allowed, and that the structure is fit for occupancy and verifies compliance with all relevant codes.

ROLE OF COUNCIL, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS

Tulsa City Council

The Tulsa City Council is the final decision-maker on zoning map amendments (rezoning) and Zoning Code text amendments.

Applications reviewed by Tulsa City Council:

• Zoning Code Text Amendments
• Zoning Map Amendments (rezoning), including Major Amendments of PUDs and of other Development Plans
• Comprehensive Plan and Amendments
• Subdivision Plats

Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC)

TMAPC’s mission is to provide unbiased advice to the Tulsa City Council and the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners on development and zoning matters; to provide a public forum that fosters public participation and transparency in land development and planning; to adopt and maintain a comprehensive plan for the metropolitan area; and to provide other planning, zoning, and land division services that promote the harmonious development of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and enhance and preserve the quality of life for the region’s current and future residents. TMAPC is composed of 11 members. 7 members are appointed by the City of Tulsa, and 4 members are appointed by Tulsa County.

Applications reviewed by TMAPC:

• Zoning Map Amendments (rezoning), including Major Amendments of PUDs and of other Development Plans
• Minor Amendments of PUDs and of other Development Plans
• Zoning Code Text Amendments
• Preliminary and Minor Subdivision Plats
• Type 2 Lot Splits and Lot Line Adjustments
• Accelerated Release of Building Permits
• Modifications to Subdivision and Development Regulations
• Change of Access on recorded subdivision plats
• Comprehensive Plan Amendments
  • Text Amendments
  • Map Amendments

Applications reviewed by staff on behalf of TMAPC:

• Type 1 Lot Splits and Lot Line Adjustments
• Exempt Land Divisions
• Final Subdivision Plats
• Subdivision & Development Regulations – Compliance Reviews

City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment (BOA)

The City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment is authorized to grant variances and special exceptions in accordance with the provisions of the Tulsa Zoning Code. The City BOA is composed of five members appointed by the Mayor.

Applications reviewed by BOA:

• Variances of zoning code requirements
• Special Exceptions authorized in the zoning code

Applications reviewed by staff on behalf of BOA:

• Administrative Adjustments as authorized by the zoning code

Tulsa Preservation Commission

The Tulsa Preservation Commission promotes Tulsa’s welfare through the preservation and protection of historic resources. The commission is composed of eleven members who have demonstrated an interest in historic preservation. The Preservation Commission reviews and approves applications for Historic Preservation Permits, as required by the Tulsa Zoning Code for properties located in Historic Preservation Overlay Districts. Projects requiring review include, exterior alterations, additions, new construction, and demolition of buildings. The Preservation Commission also reviews zoning map amendments that establish or change the boundaries of HP Overlay Districts. This process includes a public hearing, and recommendations are sent to TMAPC for review and then to the Tulsa City Council for a final decision.

Applications reviewed by Tulsa Preservation Commission:

• Historic Preservation Permit
• Zoning Map Amendments that establish or change the boundaries of HP Overlay Districts

OVERVIEW OF APPLICATION TYPES

Applications reviewed by the TMAPC:

Rezonings, also known as Zoning Map Amendments, change the zoning classification of a property and are adopted by ordinance. Staff reviews and makes recommendations on rezoning requests to the TMAPC who will then make a final recommendation to the Tulsa City Council. If approved, a new ordinance will be published that changes the official zoning map. The rezoning process typically takes ~120 days. Applicants should expect to pay fees to initiate the application, and those costs can be found at tulsaplanning.org. Owner-initiated rezoning may include adoption of a development plan, which is mandatory in some instances and voluntary in others (Optional Development Plan).

Preliminary Subdivision Plats A subdivision plat is required by statute when a tract is divided into 5 or more lots. New right of way and easements are dedicated to the public by means of the plat, and access management is addressed. A preliminary plat must be reviewed and approved by the TMAPC for compliance with the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Subdivision and Development Regulations. Preliminary plats are first reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee, which include representatives of the following:

• Tulsa Planning Office
• City of Tulsa Development Services Department
• City of Tulsa Public Works Department
• Private utility companies
• Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust
• Neighboring Communities

Following review by the Technical Advisory Committee, a set of conditions and required revisions is provided to the TMAPC to be incorporated in its approval of the preliminary plat.

Authorizations for Accelerated Release of Building Permits in conjunction with property required to be platted. When a property is required to be platted certain permits may not be issued until the plat is complete. Applicants may request an accelerated release of building permits while the plat is being processed if components of the plat are not required to meet other code requirements and development needs. Applications for accelerated release of building permits are reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee and may only be submitted in conjunction with, or following approval of, a preliminary subdivision plat.

Modifications to Subdivision and Development Regulations If a project faces a unique circumstance or demonstrates an inability to meet certain criteria of the Subdivision & Development Regulations, a modification to the regulations may be applied for. Applications for modification are reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee before a hearing by the TMAPC.

Change of Access on recorded subdivision plats. Access restrictions are frequently imposed by plats. If a previously platted site is being redeveloped and revisions to the existing access are needed, applicants must request a change to platted limits of access. Change of Access applications must be reviewed and approved by the City Traffic Engineer before being submitted to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission for final approval.

Comprehensive Plan Amendments Text Amendments Text amendments are necessary on occasion if there is a need to change a goal, strategy, or action in the comprehensive plan. Text amendments are initiated by either the TMAPC or the City Council. The process to amend comprehensive plan text includes a hearing by the TMAPC to consider adoption of the amendment, followed by a Council Committee meeting for discussion, then a Council meeting to determine if the adopted amendment should be approved.

Land Use Map Amendments Land Use Map amendments are necessary if a development proposal is inconsistent with the map designation. Land Use Map amendments can be initiated by either the affected property owner, TMAPC, or City Council. The process to amend a map designation includes a hearing by the TMAPC to consider adoption of the amendment, followed by a Council Committee meeting for discussion, then a Council meeting to determine if the adopted amendment should be approved.

OVERVIEW OF APPLICATION TYPES (cont.)

Lot Line Adjustments

Lot line adjustments are used to combine multiple, existing abutting lots into a single lot. They can also be used to alter a single boundary between or reconfigure the shapes of existing abutting lots given that more lots are not created than the number of lots that existed before the adjustment. New lots created as the result of a lot line adjustment must conform to all zoning requirements and requirements of the Subdivision and Development Regulations. Lot line adjustments requiring no modification of the Subdivision and Development Regulations or action of the BOA are reviewed and can be administratively approved by the Tulsa Planning Office. Lot line adjustments requiring modification of the Subdivision and Development Regulations or action of the BOA are reviewed and approved by the TMAPC. Applications are also reviewed by applicable City departments.

Lot Splits

Lot splits are land divisions of platted or unplatted property that result in the creation of no more than 4 lots, including the parent tract and any remainder tracts. New lots created as the result of a lot split must conform to all zoning requirements and requirements of the Subdivision & Development Regulations. Lot splits requiring no modification of the Subdivision and Development Regulations or action by the BOA are reviewed and can be administratively approved by the Tulsa Planning Office. Lot splits requiring modification of the Subdivision and Development Regulations or action of the BOA are reviewed and approved by the TMAPC. Applications are also reviewed by applicable City Departments.

Exempt Land Divisions

Pursuant to state statutes, certain land divisions do not require a subdivision plat or lot split approval and are exempt from the subdivision and lot split procedures found in the Subdivision & Development Regulations. Exempt Land Divisions are those land divisions in which all lots to be created are more than 5 acres in area and no more than 4 lots are being created, including the parent tract and any remainder tracts. Exempt Land Divisions are reviewed and administratively approved by the Tulsa Planning Office.

Final Subdivision Plats

Final plats are submitted following the approval of a preliminary plat. Final plats must reflect any requirements determined at the time of preliminary plat review and must receive final approval from all relevant parties prior to administrative approval by TMAPC staff and forwarding to the City Council for approval.

Subdivision & Development Regulations – Compliance Reviews

The Tulsa Zoning Code requires compliance with the Subdivision and Development Regulations for properties that have been rezoned by the property owner and for specific uses identified in Section 70.080 of the Code. For properties already in compliance either by previous platting or other instruments, a compliance review can be requested as an alternative to the plat process. Compliance Reviews are reviewed and administratively approved by the Tulsa Planning Office.

Applications reviewed by BOA:

Variances of zoning code requirements

A Variance is a grant of relief from strict compliance with the regulations of the Tulsa Zoning Code. The intent of a variance is to alleviate unnecessary hardships or practical difficulties caused by strict enforcement of the code. Variances are not intended to provide relief for inconveniences or financial burdens.

Special Exceptions authorized in the zoning code

A Special Exception is a grant of permission for a particular use or development feature authorized by regulations of the Tulsa Zoning Code if approved by the Board of Adjustment. The Board of Adjustment must find that the requested Special Exception would be in harmony with the spirit and intent of the zoning code, and it will not be injurious to the neighborhood or otherwise detrimental to the public welfare.

Appeals of decisions of administrative officials or the Tulsa Preservation Commission

Appeals to the Board of Adjustment of administrative decisions may be filed by any person who alleges errors in determinations made by staff in the administration, interpretation, or enforcement of the zoning code. Appeals from decisions of the Tulsa Preservation Commission may also be made to the Board of Adjustment.

Administrative Adjustments as authorized by the zoning code Administrative Adjustments provide a streamlined approval procedure for minor modifications to specific zoning code regulations and are reviewed and approved by the Tulsa Planning Office. Authorized administrative adjustments are defined by the Tulsa Zoning Code.

Applications reviewed by Tulsa Preservation Commission: Historic Preservation Permit An Historic Preservation Permit (HP Permit) is the document issued by the Tulsa Preservation Commission to approve proposed work within Historic Preservation Overlay Districts. An HP permit is required for demolition, new construction, or changes to existing buildings, structures, or lots within HP Overlay Districts. Some changes, such as interior alterations, the planting of vegetation, or ordinary maintenance, are exempt from the requirement for an HP Permit. Complex projects, such as proposals for new construction, are reviewed by the Historic Preservation Permit Subcommittee in a workshop format before being forwarded to the Tulsa Preservation Commission for review and approval.

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RELEVANT CODES AND PLANNING DOCUMENTS

Several documents regulate and guide development in Tulsa. These include codes, regulations, policies, and plan recommendations, all of which work together to realize the community’s vision for land use development. City of Tulsa and Tulsa Planning Office staff will refer to all of these documents during different stages of the development review process.

Statute State-level laws passed by the legislature.

Ordinance/Codes City-level laws passed by the City Council.

Regulation/Standard Rules adopted by appointed authorities and City departments, including design standards.

Policy/Procedure An established way of conducting business within City departments.

Plan Recommendation A recommended action adopted by TMAPC and affirmed by City Council in order to change ordinances, regulations, or policies.

Guideline Voluntary supplemental guidance for regulations, policies, and procedures.

ENGAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS

Recommended Neighbor Engagement

The Tulsa Zoning Code requires that notice be given of the hearing on certain applications, and the type of notice required varies according to the application to be considered. Communication between the applicant and surrounding property owners and residents is not required but is highly recommended.

The Tulsa Zoning Code encourages applicants to engage the neighboring property owners and residents and provides:

1. Neighbor communications are encouraged by the board of adjustment, planning commission and city council to help:
   • educate applicants and neighbors about one another's interests;
   • resolve issues in a manner that respects those interests; and
   • identify unresolved issues before initiation of formal public hearings.
2. Applicants are encouraged to submit a summary of their neighbor communication activities at or before the first required public hearing. The recommended content of such summaries is as follows:
   • Efforts to notify neighbors about the proposal (how and when notification occurred, and who was notified);
   • How information about the proposal was shared with neighbors (mailings, workshops, meetings, open houses, fliers, door-to-door handouts, etc.);
   • Who was involved in the discussions;
   • Suggestions and concerns raised by neighbors; and
   • What specific changes (if any) were considered and/or made as a result of the neighbor communications.

Although communication with neighbors is not required, many cases have been delayed late in the approval process to permit the neighbors to meet with the applicant to learn about the proposed project and to provide feedback to the applicant on the possible impact to the community. Applicants should use their best judgment to determine how much engagement is needed to adequately communicate intent, and to generate local buy-in on the proposed project.

Engagement is recommended to occur prior to entering the development review process, as well as after discussions with the Tulsa Planning Office staff. See the diagram on page 5 for more information.

Required Notice

Tulsa Planning Office staff are required by ordinance to provide notice of pending cases. The requirements differ by the type of case. Details of notice requirements are outlined in the table on page 13.

Newspaper Notice

A notice of public hearing for a TMAPC or BOA agenda item is published in the Tulsa World. This notice includes the case number, applicant name and contact information, action requested, location of the subject property, legal description, current and proposed zoning, links to the application and associated zoning categories, and information about how and when to attend the public hearing or to leave comments in lieu of in-person participation.

Mailed Notice

A notice of public hearing for a TMAPC or BOA agenda is mailed to property owners surrounding the location of a development application. The notice radius depends on the type of application, and will either be only to adjacent neighbors or to neighbors within a 300' radius of the property line. This notice includes all of the details that are included in the Newspaper Notice with the addition of a site map.

Posted Notice

All meeting agendas for TMAPC are physically posted at City Hall in a visible location on the exterior of the building on 2nd St. It is also required that information regarding the pending case is posted on a sign on the property.

In addition to these three notices, Tulsa Planning Office notifies neighborhood associations adjacent to a proposed development, and all agendas are shared on the Tulsa Planning Office website and social media accounts.

NOTICE REQUIREMENTS

*If concurrent with a rezoning application

**Only Special Exceptions involving a use require a posted notice.

LAND USE PLAN MAP

Introduction

The Land Use Plan Map designates the preferred land use types for all areas within the city limits. It is used during the development review process to evaluate if rezoning cases are consistent with the vision established by the community during the development of the comprehensive plan. The land use plan map is updated based on amendments made to the plan, either through individual development applications, through land use planning exercises, or through routine housekeeping updates conducted by Tulsa Planning Office staff.

Approach

The Land Use Plan for Tulsa focuses on preserving what exists today while accommodating needed growth. While the Downtown area functions as a central location for the city, centers are distributed across the city to serve the needs of residents near their homes. Employment lands are located along major highways, railways, and around the Tulsa International Airport. Parks and Open Space designations protect existing outdoor recreational and natural areas, while special focus is given to the land use development along the Arkansas River to ensure it remains an asset for all members of the Tulsa community.

Origin and Modifications

Tulsa’s Land Use Plan Map incorporates the vision established by the community during the planning processes between 2008 and 2010 that led to the adoption of planitulsa. This map has been modified as a part of the 2022 plan update to simplify some concepts for easier interpretation and implementation. In particular a handful of changes have been made to the Land Use Plan Designations.

In the previous version of the plan there were three neighborhood designations including: Downtown Neighborhood, Existing Neighborhood, and New Neighborhood. These have been combined into a single “Neighborhood” designation, and the distinction between different areas of the city is re-established in the Development Era Map. Similarly, the previous version of the plan had three levels of centers: Regional Centers, Town Centers, and Neighborhood Centers. Over years of reviews, the distinction between Town Center and Neighborhood Center has been difficult to establish in a consistent way, therefore these have been re-categorized into two designations: Regional Center and Local Center. The distinction between these two designations is whether the Center serves a local area or a larger regional area, based on existing land uses.

The previous version of the plan included a designation called “Mixed-Use Corridor”, and that has been modified to “Multiple Use” in order to allow for areas that are not strictly along a given corridor to have that designation applied, as well as to differentiate the land use designation from mixed-use zoning. Finally, the Main Street land use designation from the previous version of the plan has been removed and replace with Multiple Use. The Main Street designation remains in the Major Street and Highway Plan, and any properties in a Multiple Use Land Use Designation along a street that is designated Main Street will be held to the same standards as the previous plan. This was done in order to ensure that Main Streets in Tulsa exist in their entirety for future generations.

More detailed description of each of the Land Use Plan Designations can be found in the next several pages of this guide. All land use changes that were established in small area plans have been carried over to this updated land use plan map, and any changes are consistent with the modifications described above.

Land Use Plan Map

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Land Use Designation

LAND USE PLAN DESIGNATIONS

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Neighborhood

Neighborhoods are “Mostly Residential Uses” which includes detached, missing middle, and multi-dwelling unit housing types. Churches, schools, and other low-intensity uses that support residents’ daily needs are often acceptable, particularly for properties abutting Multiple Use, Local Center, or Regional Center land use areas. Multi-dwelling unit housing that takes access off of an arterial is considered Multiple Use, Local Center, or Regional Center. If a multi-dwelling unit housing property takes access off of a lower-order street separated from the arterial, then it would be considered Neighborhood.

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Multiple Use

Multiple Use areas are “Mostly Commercial or Retail Uses” which include restaurants, shops, services, and smaller format employment uses. This land use designation is most common in areas of the city from earlier development patterns, with Local Centers being more commonplace in newer parts of the city. For single properties that are commercial but surrounded by Neighborhood, Multiple Use is the preferred designation.

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Local Center

Local Centers serve the daily needs of those in the surrounding neighborhoods. This designation implies that the center generally does not serve an area beyond the nearby neighborhoods. Typical uses include commercial or retail uses that serve the daily needs of nearby residents. In order to introduce a regional trip generator, the entire local center designation should be amended to be Regional Center with significant input from all affected properties and nearby neighborhoods.

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Regional Center

Existing regional trip generators define the Regional Centers in contrast to Local Centers. These centers should be the most connected land use pockets outside of downtown for public transit access and high-capacity arterial streets. New regional trip generators should be permitted in the area with special consideration given to the transportation access and circulation. Regional trip generators include universities, malls, large medical campuses, casinos, big-box shopping centers, and very large churches.

LAND USE PLAN DESIGNATIONS

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Employment

The employment designation is intended to accommodate offices, warehousing and storage, manufacturing and assembly, and industrial processes. The “Industrial Site Suitability” map corresponds to the Employment land use designation and indicates where uses that are potentially incompatible with sensitive land uses are best suited to locate. This directs industrial uses to particular areas of the city while discouraging industrial in close proximity to Neighborhood areas.

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Downtown

The area within the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL) highway is generally understood to be the downtown area of Tulsa. This area has fewer development limitations than most areas of the city, and a high density of employment, residential, mixed-use, commercial, retail, and institutional uses. Land uses and transportation infrastructure in this area should be primarily pedestrian-oriented, with parking either on street, behind buildings, or in structured parking garages.

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Park and Open Space

The Park and Open Space designation includes parks, trails, public sports complexes, country clubs, stormwater facilities, forests, and cemeteries. While these individual uses differ greatly, the general goal of this designation is to ensure these areas remain in their current undeveloped state, and that new development in near proximity does not encroach in ways that undermine the purpose of the property. Active parks and open space should be further activated by development that faces these uses.

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Arkansas River Corridor

The Arkansas River Corridor comprises a mix of uses - residential, commercial, recreation, and entertainment - that are well connected and primarily designed for the pedestrian. This Corridor is characterized by a set of design standards that support and enhance the Arkansas River Corridor as a lively, people-oriented destination. The Corridor connects nodes of high-quality development with parks and open space. The natural habitat and unique environmental qualities are amenities and are respected and integrated as development and redevelopment occur. The future development of this Corridor is intended to complement the adjacent thriving neighborhoods by providing appropriate transitions and connections to the Arkansas River.

DEVELOPMENT ERA MAP

Introduction

At an area of 224 Sq. Mi., Tulsa is a city whose urban form covers the full spectrum of urban environments, from the high-density downtown area to the newly developed suburban neighborhoods on the city’s edge. While all part of the same city, these areas require different approaches to ensure land use decisions are appropriate for their context. How neighborhoods are developed, buildings are designed, streets are engineered, and public spaces are managed all can depend on the existing context. Growth is inevitable, in all parts of the city, and it is the goal of this section to ensure the right approach for the right part of town.

Interaction with Land Use Plan

The Land Use Plan Designations described on previous pages are universally applied across the city. The Development Era framework allows for a differentiation within each Land Use Plan Designation by the area of the city it falls within. Therefore, if a property is designated as “Neighborhood” on the Land Use Plan, and “Early Automobile Era” on the Development Era Map, it would be identified as “Neighborhood - Early Automobile Era”. This allows for a more tailored approach to land use planning than just using the Land Use Plan Designations.

Development Era Considerations

The way the city developed in each defined era is differentiated by several characteristics. Growth occurred in ways that maintained connections to key destinations of the city, and transportation infrastructure innovations led to changes in the pattern of development. As time progressed Tulsans transitioned from walking and horse-drawn carriages, to streetcars, to the adoption and proliferation of the automobile. These changing transportation systems had a significant effect on the organization of both transportation infrastructure and land use in the city. Each Development Era area retains the historic underlying street grid and block layout, and it is important that development decisions reflect and preserve the functionality of those underlying systems.

Development Era Classifications Overview

Downtown Era - late 1800s-1910s

Downtown is the oldest part of the city and developed prior to the advent and proliferation of the automobile. This area is limited to the land inside of the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL), as this forms a distinct boundary between Downtown and the surrounding areas.

Streetcar Era - 1910s-1930s

The Streetcar Era area is the second level of the Development Era Map and encompasses those areas of the city that also predate the proliferation of the automobile and maintain a highly walkable urban form. These areas emerged as the streetcar suburbs and commercial main streets prior to World War II.

Early Automobile Era - 1930s-1950s

The Early Automobile Era area includes those parts of the city that developed prior to and after World War II but prior to the major annexations of the 1960s. These neighborhoods developed during the rise of the automobile, but generally maintain a rectilinear street grid with homes on smaller lots.

Late Automobile Era - 1950s-present

In the late 1950s and early 1960s the suburbs grew at a tremendous rate in the Tulsa metropolitan area. It was at this time that surrounding communities, such as Broken Arrow, began to grow at a rapid pace. At this time, the City of Tulsa annexed more than 100 square miles, and neighborhood subdivisions began to proliferate from the core of the city toward the suburban communities.

Future Growth

Some areas of the city have yet to be developed, and it is important to consider the impacts of converting land from a rural or natural setting to that of a developed area. These areas should be ready for growth to occur with regard to infrastructure, the distribution of public services, and the fiscal and economic realities of the region.

Development Era Map

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LEGEND

DEVELOPMENT ERAS

Introduction

Over the next several pages the five Development Era Classifications are described in detail in order to inform the review of development proposals for their appropriateness in different parts of the city.

Tulsa’s development pattern has responded to the technologies and sensibilities of different time periods. In the four graphics below, examples of the predominant pattern of development are shown for each Development Era Classification except for Future Growth. Moving from the earliest era, Downtown, to the latest era, Late Automobile, three key differences are apparent:

1. Straight streets become more curvilinear;
2. The level of connectivity decreases;
3. Residential uses become more separated from other uses.

None of these development patterns is superior to the other, and each facilitates different lifestyles that suit the needs of different Tulsans. As the general pattern of development in the city continues to move towards infill, these distinctions can help ensure that new development is appropriate for its context.

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Downtown Era Street Pattern

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Streetcar Era Street Pattern

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Early Auto Era Street Pattern

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Late Auto Era Street Pattern

Non-Residential or Mixed-Use Residential Only

Relationship to Land Use Plan Designations

Land Use Plan Designations that are affected by the Development Era Map include: Downtown, Neighborhood, Multiple Use, Local Center, Regional Center, and Employment. Land Use Map designations that are not affected by the Development Era Map include: Arkansas River Corridor Overlay and Parks and Open Space. The next several pages provide descriptions for each affected Land Use Plan Map designation by each corresponding Development Era classification.

Characteristics Explanation

Combinations of Land Use Plan Designations and Development Era Classifications (LU-DE) have differing urban form characteristics. These characteristics were defined by the predominant real-world conditions of each LU-DE combination in the city today, and these should be considered along with the immediate surrounding context of any development project.

Residential Density

Residential density ranges were developed based on the densities permitted for different housing types in the most common zoning categories in each Development Era Classification. The graphic below illustrates the full range of recommended densities by the three categories of housing types.

1. Detached Housing - This category includes Detached Houses and Patio Houses as defined in the Tulsa Zoning Code.
2. Missing Middle Housing - This category includes Townhouses, Cottage House Developments, Duplexes, and Multi-Unit Houses, and small Apartments and Condominiums as defined in the Tulsa Zoning Code.
3. Multi-Dwelling Unit Housing - This category includes medium and larger Apartments and Condominiums as defined in the Tulsa Zoning Code.

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Commercial Format

Commercial Format describes the most appropriate size of commercial development for a given LU-DE. These include: small format, such as what would be found on historic main streets; medium format, such as a medium-sized grocery store; and large format, such as big-box stores.

Industrial Intensity

Industrial Intensity describes the appropriate level of industrial development based on its potential impact on surrounding land uses.

Urban Form

Urban Form includes descriptions of appropriate setbacks, common block lengths, and block shapes.

Land Use Diversity

Land Use Diversity describes what mixing of uses is appropriate in each LU-DE, with high, medium, and low levels of diversity.

Mixed-Use Orientation

Mixed-Use Orientation describes whether a property with multiple uses including a residential component should have those stacked vertically or positioned adjacent to each other horizontally.

Connectivity

Connectivity describes what modes of transportation should be prioritized and to what degree a given LU-DE should be physically connected to its surroundings.

Parking

Each LU-DE has descriptions of preferred parking orientation, with types including on-street, structured parking, behind a structure, beside a structure, or between a structure and the road. This category also includes recommendations on driveway widths, including narrow, medium-width, and larger-width.

Screening

This section describes recommended levels of screening between uses of differing types.

Signage

In this section the most acceptable forms of signage are described for each LU-DE.

DETACHED HOUSING

Freestanding residential buildings, typically occupied by a single family who are either the owners or are tenants under contract with the owner. In the Tulsa Zoning Code, two building types fall into this category: Detached House and Patio House.

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⬚ figure Patio House

MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING

Missing Middle Housing refers to house-scale buildings with multiple units, and are often “missing” in cities like Tulsa that have high concentrations of detached housing and multi-dwelling unit housing. These housing types have been more difficult to develop due zoning regulations that exclude these building types or have site design requirements that make these housing types impractical, as well as difficulty with financing due to the limited number of properties that can be used for comparison. In the Tulsa Zoning Code, five building types fall into this category: Townhouse, Duplex, Multi-Unit House (triplex, quadplex, etc.), Cottage House Development, and small Apartment/Condominiums (10 or fewer units).

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⬚ figure Cottage House Development

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MULTI-DWELLING UNIT HOUSING

A classification of housing where multiple housing units are contained within one building or multiple buildings within a complex or community. In the Tulsa Zoning Code one building type falls into this category: Apartment/Condominium (More than 10 units).

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DOWNTOWN ERA - late 1800s to 1910s

Description

Downtown Tulsa began as a small town that sprung up around the Frisco railroad. This is evident in the orientation of the street grid within downtown that is not aligned by compass directions, as the rest of the city is, but by the orientation of the railroad corridor. Throughout Tulsa’s history, the downtown area has remained the primary location for intensive development, major employment uses, and tourism destinations. While the downtown area originally developed during the first few decades of Tulsa’s existence, there are many more structures that were built during the 1970s and 1980s, corresponding to the clearing of city blocks during Urban Renewal and the fluctuations of the oil and gas industry. Over the decades, the infrastructure of downtown has been retrofit to accommodate commuter traffic, with the introduction of the Interstate Highway System, one-way streets, and large areas of surface parking. In recent years, however, there have been efforts to return the downtown to a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly condition by converting one-way streets to two-way streets, promoting infill development of underutilized blocks, and the enhancement of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.

Characteristics

• Developed prior to the full streetcar system and the proliferation of the automobile
• Full integration of land uses with a vertical mix of uses
• High-density residential development
• Major destinations drawing large numbers of visitors

Priorities

• Walkability
• Urban Design
• Revitalization of Historic Properties
• Housing Type Variety
• Mixed-Use and High-Rise Development
• Major Employment and Headquarters Uses
• Parking Lot Infill/Parking Strategies

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DOWNTOWN ERA CHARACTERISTICS BY LAND USE DESIGNATION

STREETCAR ERA - 1910s to 1930s

Description

Upon the implementation of streetcar alignments in Tulsa, new neighborhoods began to develop beyond the Downtown area. While this area's urban form was initially determined during the time period between 1910 and 1930, growth has been somewhat continuous throughout history, with a good deal of infill development occurring each decade. This Development Era contains some of Tulsa’s oldest residential areas, and there are great examples of how different housing types, different architectural styles, and land uses that support residents’ daily needs and lifestyles can exist in proximity to each other. Alterations to the urban form have occurred, primarily to accommodate automobile access, with the introduction of highways that disconnected pre-existing streets.

Characteristics

• Developed prior to the proliferation of the automobile
• Streetcars facilitated growth beyond the downtown
• Full integration of land uses or somewhat separated uses on a half-mile grid
• Mix of housing options from large detached homes, small lot detached homes, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, small apartment buildings, large apartment buildings, vertical and horizontal mixed-use

Priorities

• Walkability, Bikeability, and Public Transit Access
• Historic Preservation
• Housing Type Variety
• Mixed-Use Development/Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
• Commercial Districts
• Streetscapes

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STREETCAR ERA CHARACTERISTICS BY LAND USE DESIGNATION

* Residential density ranges based on densities permitted for different housing types in the most common zoning categories in each Development Era Classification.

EARLY AUTOMOBILE ERA - 1930s to 1950s

Description

As automobile use began to supplant the use of streetcars in cities across the country, the pattern of urban development changed. From the time of the Great Depression, through World War 2, and prior to the development of the Interstate Highway System, Tulsa’s land use pattern became more centered around the mile-by-mile grid of major streets that follows the boundaries of the township and range system. During this time period, Tulsa saw some of the fastest growth that has occurred in the city’s history, consistent with population growth across the United States. Detached house neighborhoods with a variety of architectural styles proliferated through the area, and a relatively low level of redevelopment has occurred over time as compared to the Downtown Era and the Streetcar Era.

Characteristics

• Mostly commercial, office, industrial, and other active uses along major streets
• Residential and neighborhood-based uses (schools, churches, community centers) within the areas bounded by major streets
• High degree of connectivity from neighborhood streets to the arterial network
• Mix of housing options from large detached homes, small lot detached homes, townhomes, and duplexes. Triplexes, quadplexes, small and large apartment buildings, vertical and horizontal mixed-use along transit corridors

Priorities

• Walkability, Bikeability, and Public Transit Access
• Historic Preservation
• Housing Type Variety
• Mixed-Use Development
• Commercial Revitalization
• Compatibility of Scale for Neighborhood Development
• Tapered Transitions Between Commercial Corridors and Residential Areas

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EARLY AUTOMOBILE ERA CHARACTERISTICS BY LAND USE DESIGNATION

* Residential density ranges based on densities permitted for different housing types in the most common zoning categories in each Development Era Classification.

LATE AUTOMOBILE ERA - 1950s to present

Description

Beginning in the late 1950s and the 1960s major changes occurred to the urban form of Tulsa. Two significant interventions include the introduction of the Interstate Highway System and the annexation events in the 1960s that more than doubled the size of Tulsa. This area of Tulsa has developed simultaneously with the development of surrounding communities, such as Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, and Bixby. Though the growth of this area has been consistent for more than 60 years, the vast majority of developable land has been developed, leading to a decline in the number of properties being built each decade since the 1970s.

Characteristics

• Developing since the mainstreaming of automobile-centric lifestyles
• High degree of separation between residential and non-residential uses
• Low levels of street connectivity, with no continuous pattern of subdivision streets
• Transportation is nearly exclusively concentrated on the mile-by-mile grid.
• Major streets are often both transportation corridors and destination corridors, which can lead to traffic congestion.
• Non-residential uses are predominantly organized into centers at the intersections of major arterial streets.

Priorities

• Commercial Revitalization
• Placemaking
• Community Gathering Opportunities
• Conservation of Natural Areas
• High Degree of Privacy
• One-Stop Shopping
• Commuting Routes

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