Tulsa, OK – Mayor Nichols has issued an executive order that prioritizes housing in Tulsa, aiming to address key issues in the city’s housing market. This order lays out ambitious goals to address affordable housing, reduce blight, and ease development barriers.
The primary objectives of the executive order include:
– Increasing affordable housing stock by 6,000 units by 2028
– Reducing blighted properties by 60% by 2028
– Lowering the cost burden on developers to produce more housing
Mayor Nichols emphasized that this effort is more than just talk. “We are sending a message to Tulsans that meeting our most pressing needs is more than just talk—it’s about building stronger systems, speeding up processes, and making it easier to meet our housing goals,” he said.
Gene Bulmash, Senior Advisor of Housing for the City, added that these actions will help the city address housing challenges. “Over the next several months, we will be working to put systems in place that will help us achieve additional housing units and faster development processes.”
These initiatives align with the recommendations of the 3H Task Force Path to Home and will continue to be discussed and implemented in collaboration with the Tulsa City Council.
Key components of the executive order include:
1. **Housing Acceleration Team**
This team will work to improve the permitting, inspection, and zoning processes to make it easier and faster to approve building permits and zoning applications. The team is already in place and will begin immediately.
2. **Housing Permitting Tracker**
A publicly available online platform will track building permits and Certificates of Occupancy to monitor the progress of affordable housing initiatives. This platform is expected to be available by this spring.
3. **Community Builder Program**
This pilot program will incentivize developers to rehabilitate vacant, abandoned, and blighted properties. Incentives may include reduced permit fees, fast-tracked permitting for interior remodels, and preferred partner status. The program is designed to streamline the approval process and assist developers with compliance.
4. **IOT3 $75 Million Housing Funds Plan**
Mayor Nichols will work with the City Council to present a plan for utilizing the $75 million approved by Tulsa residents through the Improve Our Tulsa 3 program. This will include issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to gather details on potential projects, with the possibility of issuing bonds to accelerate funding for housing projects.
These steps reflect the City’s ongoing commitment to addressing housing needs and revitalizing communities throughout Tulsa.