Background

The City of Tulsa, like cities around the country, is faced with a severe housing shortage. There are many obstacles to building new homes, and this program is  one of many the City is working on to address the housing crisis. The T-Town HOME Catalog will include well-designed, pre-reviewed plan sets for many types of houses, and will help speed up the permitting process and make housing development easier and more affordable for anyone interested in building housing in Tulsa. The process of developing the program will also highlight areas of the permitting and development process that could be improved.

The City of Tulsa has already undertaken several steps to analyze and address specific issues related to housing, including conducting housing studies, adopting zoning code amendments, forming partnerships with housing- and homelessness-focused philanthropies, the construction of new public housing units, funding a low-barrier shelter/residential care center, and increased funding for housing development initiatives. The City has developed partnerships with local philanthropies focused on affordable housing development and ending homelessness, and the Tulsa Planning Office continuously evaluates and proposes amendments to the zoning code to facilitate housing development. The Path to Home initiative provides a list of 33 action steps to address community needs.

The $104.2 million Tulsa Housing Initiative includes $75 million approved by Tulsa voters in 2023, plus $5 million from ARPA, $8.1 million from the Downtown Development & Redevelopment Fund, $5.1 million from HOME-ARP, $8.4 million in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and $2.7 million in Opioid Settlement funds.

The City is currently evaluating properties citywide that would be good candidates for new housing development, on both infill and greenfield sites. The City will promote these sites for housing development and is considering the purchase of properties to develop housing. The Planning Director and the Housing Policy Director are also developing a concierge-like service for new middle housing developments.

Common Questions

What are pre-approved or permit-ready plans?

The City of Tulsa is developing a catalog of well-designed house plans that will be pre-reviewed by City staff for compliance with local regulations, making it faster, easier, and more affordable to build new housing. Applicants will still need to submit site plans showing how the building will be situated on a lot, but the bulk of reviews on the buildings themselves will be pre-completed.

What kinds of houses will be included?

Though specific types have not been selected yet, many types of houses will be provided in the T-Town HOME Catalog, including duplexes and backyard cottages (also known as Accessory Dwelling Units [ADUs]).