71st Street Corridor Revitalization Project

The City of Tulsa is leading an effort to promote redevelopment and enhance the appearance of the 71st Street shopping corridor, from just west of Memorial Dr. to Garnett Rd. There are three main components, outlined below, that will make 71st Street more appealing for redevelopment and reinvestment, and a more pleasant place to visit, shop, work, and live.

Simplifying Zoning Standards

The City has worked to make it easier to open new businesses by simplifying the extremely complicated zoning regulations along 71st Street between Garnett Rd and just west of Memorial Dr (see interactive map). New, business-friendly zoning regulations covering the entire corridor were adopted by Tulsa City Council on December 6, 2023.

Previously, the area was home to 19 separate Planned Unit Developments (PUDs), customized zoning regulations for individual properties adopted starting in the 1970s, when developers and city officials had very different objectives than today, with rules that required buildings to be placed very far away from the street behind massive parking lots, without any requirements for trees or landscaping, along with severely limiting uses on each property.

Over the years, those PUDs had been amended more than 200 times, creating several layers of confusing rules.

Those 200+ amendments made it virtually impossible for developers, business owners, and property owners to easily understand what was allowed on an individual property, preventing reinvestment and redevelopment. The result was a major shopping corridor that is showing its age while also being difficult to redevelop.

Because this corridor is so important to the local economy, the City replaced the complex, restrictive PUDs with one simple, modern, standardized set of zoning regulations for the entire corridor.

This business-friendly zoning allows property owners and business owners more flexibility to adapt these properties to modern needs and to keep up with growing competition from areas that do not face the same restrictive, outdated regulations.

The new rules in CO-16 are far easier to understand and will encourage redevelopment and reinvestment, while enhancing the area’s appearance over time.

Beautification

Overhauling the planted medians along 71st St. is a major priority, and work has already begun to prune, replace, and plant trees from Riverside Dr. to Highway 169.

Additional efforts include new sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and other streetscape elements, from west of Memorial Dr. to Highway 169.

Those projects will be funded over then next 10-15 years by a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district associated with the new Scheel’s store under construction at Woodland Hills Mall, and by City of Tulsa right-of-way maintenance funds.

The Scheel’s store will also include hundreds of new trees and extensive landscaping around their building and parking lot.

Commercial Redevelopment Incentives

Support for businesses along this corridor is being made available through the City’s Commercial Revitalization Revolving Loan Fund, a flexible loan program for small businesses and property developers looking to expand in key commercial corridors, along with the City’s Retail Incentive Program and Economic Development Infrastructure Fund.

Additional information about these and other economic development programs is available from PartnerTulsa and TEDC, the City’s economic development teams.