A $2.8 million plan for a new downtown housing development earned city council approval Wednesday.
The proposal, which passed 8-0, would bring 80 new units to the corner of 3rd Street and Denver Avenue. At least 13 units are earmarked for affordable housing, though a timeline for construction has not been finalized.
“It is an overall strategy to keep it in line with the mayor’s goal to have more affordable housing in the city,” said Erran Persley, the city’s chief economic development officer.
Persley says most new developments will include plans for affordable housing. It has been a part of a broader effort with the City of Tulsa and PartnerTulsa to revitalize downtown housing accessibility through initiatives.
The city has experimented with different strategies to make housing more affordable. One way is through mixed income housing to create homes with diverse income statuses.
“As we are building housing, and the city has some type of contribution to that housing, we are looking to make sure affordable housing is a part of that mix where appropriate,” Persley said.
The property is located in Council District 4, represented by Laura Bellis. She said a big part of the plan is making sure the area is affordable and that “our downtown is really everyone’s downtown.”
“Not just for recreational or business purposes, but also for people to live in and the people who work in the downtown entertainment industry, the restaurant industry — we want them to be able to afford to live downtown, too,” Bellis said.
Gene Bulmash, senior adviser on housing for the city, says the City of Tulsa supports private housing developers. But the city’s main challenge is creating more affordable housing, and that typically is not built without incentives or subsidies, he said.
“The city is trying to get the best bang for its buck, if you will,” Bulmash said. “Any time city funding is used there has to be an affordability component to that housing.”
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