DTP Shares New Plan for Downtown Tulsa, Guiding nearly $30 Million in Investment
Sept. 19, 2024 — Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP) presented a new strategic plan for Downtown Tulsa and celebrate a year of achievements at the organization’s annual meeting Sept. 19 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
Together with PartnerTulsa and the City of Tulsa, DTP has developed the first Downtown-wide planning effort in 14 years. “Downtown Tulsa Forward” was created to provide a structured approach to leveraging Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues for public realm improvements while identifying catalytic and transformative improvement projects for Downtown Tulsa over the next 10 years. The plan serves as a framework for $28 million in guided and strategic investment throughout Downtown to support the continued growth and development of Tulsa’s economic and cultural center through 41 specific, curated projects.
“The recommendations in Downtown Tulsa Forward were developed with feedback from over 300 Tulsans, including property and business owners, leaders of civic and cultural organizations, and Downtown residents. The plan also includes outstanding, relevant recommendations from a dozen other publicly approved plans and studies,” said DTP President and CEO Brian Kurtz. “Downtown Tulsa Forward ensures that Downtown Tulsa continues to evolve as a world-class urban center, fostering economic growth, improving walkability and enhancing public spaces for all who live, work and visit Downtown.”
The primary purpose of the plan, the first Downtown-wide planning effort since 2010’s Downtown Area Master Plan, is to guide public realm projects to be funded by TIF revenues generated from over a decade of Downtown investment. However, it also outlines over $3 billion in projects designed to boost economic development, housing and neighborhood quality. The 41 recommended projects span five categories, from visionary, transformative projects to street-level, tactical improvements within Downtown’s public realm. Projects were prioritized through various types of community engagement, including focus groups and surveys. The full plan can be found at DowntownTulsa.com/Forward.
In addition to sharing Downtown Tulsa Forward publicly for the first time, at the DTP annual meeting Kurtz, along with DTP Board Chair Elliot Nelson and elected officials, will highlight DTP’s impact over the past year and since the organization’s incorporation in 2021 as detailed in DTP’s FY23-24 annual report.
In Fall 2023, DTP launched a 10-week farmers market to introduce fresh food and produce to Downtown residents and workers while providing much-needed activity in Chapman Green. Vendors were selected to provide unique offerings that complement Downtown’s existing business composition. A successful pilot season informed DTP's launch of a permanent market in April 2024, which continues weekly through Oct. 30, 2024.
To refocus its role in providing direct support to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring in our community, in June 2023 DTP created an Outreach Coordinator position embedded within its Downtown Ambassador Team. Funded through a grant from Ascension St. John, DTP's Outreach Coordinator works directly with those experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Downtown Tulsa. The coordinator meets individuals’ immediate needs and connects them with available resources, leading several in FY23-24 to seek housing and support services.
During the FY23-24 holiday season, DTP’s annual Pop-Up Downtown initiative provided pop-up retail opportunities for BIPOC entrepreneurs to test brick-and-mortar storefronts, leading to four permanent Downtown businesses — three of which continue their Downtown residency today. Six local businesses popped up around Downtown to operate concepts ranging from vegan makeup and custom eyewear to freshly baked bread. Total program impact to date is over $49,000 in revenue earned by 14 participating businesses since Winter 2022. Applications for the FY24-25 Pop-Up Downtown are open through Sept. 27, 2024, at DowntownTulsa.com/Pop-UpDowntown.
“Over the past year, DTP has piloted and created community-centered, inclusive, and accessible activities and programs to meet the ever-changing needs of Downtown Tulsa,” Kurtz said. “We are at an inflection point, a time to identify the type of Downtown we want to become and commit to the work our community must undertake to get there. Our dedicated and engaged board of directors and staff are excited to build on successes from the last year, and to implement new ideas and services to continue Downtown’s transformation.”
DTP’s membership program provides partners with new opportunities to engage with Downtown businesses and stakeholders while increasing the organization’s capacity to enhance Downtown programs, events and experiences, including expanded Clean & Safe programs and business support services. Founding corporate members include Bank of Oklahoma, Williams, McNellie’s Group, Tulsa Community College, Atento Capital, Phillips Theological Seminary, and PSO. For more information on membership, visit DowntownTulsa.com/Membership.
For more information about Downtown Tulsa Partnership, visit DowntownTulsa.com.