Tulsa residents will unveil an imaginative plan for development of the Arkansas River.
A bold plan to develop the Arkansas River with self-contained, livable islands will be publicly unveiled next week by six Tulsans.
The development possibilities being proposed by the group begin with the construction of a dam that would create a 10-mile lake and three islands in the river channel that would house a mixture of residential, commercial, hospitality, cultural and public uses.
The major focus of the development would be between the 21st Street and 11th Street bridges.
The group envisions a public-private funding partnership and the creation of a public-private trust to manage the development, much like what Vision 2025 has done.
Although the group would not confirm a projected price tag, sources say it is likely to be $500 million in public funding with $100 million in private funds.
John-Kelly Warren, president of the W.K. Warren Foundation, and his wife, Margie; Tom Cooper; Scott and Chris Lambert; and Rusty Patton have formed a nonprofit group called Tulsa Stakeholders Inc. to lead the river development effort.
Some time ago, the six individuals were sitting around a kitchen table discussing
how Tulsa wasn't doing what it needed to do to be competitive, said Ryan Rex, owner of Rex Public Relations, which is representing the group.
"They decided that instead of just griping and talking about it, they were going to do something about it," Rex said.
Rex said the group started looking at all the possibilities to improve the city.
But after realizing that all the issues crippling Tulsa are just symptoms of a larger issue, the group concluded that the underlying solution is to create a quality of life that attracts and retains young professionals and businesses.
"If you create a quality of life like that, then you can begin to address all those other issues," he said.
Rex said the group wants the process involved with its development proposal to be as transparent as possible with public involvement. He said the group has purposely not solicited developers.
The group has held small, private meetings with public officials in Tulsa and throughout Tulsa County and with some neighborhood leaders to explain the plan. Those attending the meetings were asked to sign a nondisclosure document.
On Wednesday, the group plans to take the proposal public. The time and place will be announced next week.
The public-private partnership will fund the construction of an environment that allows private development to occur, Rex said. The first phase includes an impounding dam under the 21st Street Bridge, reconfiguring the east and west banks of the river, and building the islands and two access roads from the east. The dam will provide about 20 miles of shoreline that can be developed into Sand Springs.
Possible future phases would target development along the west bank.
Among its features, the development would take advantage of natural energy supply sources by using wind power from turbines, electricity from solar panels and hydro power from the dam.
River development expert Bing Thom was commissioned by the group to design a proposal. Rex said Thom stressed that to create such an island neighborhood would require certain percentages of residential, commercial, retail, institutional, educational, culture and public developments.
Bing also has been commissioned by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which has provided a $10 million grant for Arkansas River public beautification and enhancement projects.
A local group is proposing a development that would include building a dam to create a lake in the Arkansas River channel and islands with a mixture of cultural and public uses.
A bold plan to develop the Arkansas River with self-contained, livable islands will be publicly unveiled next week by six Tulsans.
The development possibilities being proposed by the group begin with the construction of a dam that would create a 10-mile lake and three islands in the river channel that would house a mixture of residential, commercial, hospitality, cultural and public uses.
The major focus of the development would be between the 21st Street and 11th Street bridges.
The group envisions a public-private funding partnership and the creation of a public-private trust to manage the development, much like what Vision 2025 has done.
Although the group would not confirm a projected price tag, sources say it is likely to be $500 million in public funding with $100 million in private funds.
John-Kelly Warren, president of the W.K. Warren Foundation, and his wife, Margie; Tom Cooper; Scott and Chris Lambert; and Rusty Patton have formed a nonprofit group called Tulsa Stakeholders Inc. to lead the river development effort.
Some time ago, the six individuals were sitting around a kitchen table discussing
how Tulsa wasn't doing what it needed to do to be competitive, said Ryan Rex, owner of Rex Public Relations, which is representing the group.
"They decided that instead of just griping and talking about it, they were going to do something about it," Rex said.
Rex said the group started looking at all the possibilities to improve the city.
But after realizing that all the issues crippling Tulsa are just symptoms of a larger issue, the group concluded that the underlying solution is to create a quality of life that attracts and retains young professionals and businesses.
"If you create a quality of life like that, then you can begin to address all those other issues," he said.
Rex said the group wants the process involved with its development proposal to be as transparent as possible with public involvement. He said the group has purposely not solicited developers.
The group has held small, private meetings with public officials in Tulsa and throughout Tulsa County and with some neighborhood leaders to explain the plan. Those attending the meetings were asked to sign a nondisclosure document.
On Wednesday, the group plans to take the proposal public. The time and place will be announced next week.
The public-private partnership will fund the construction of an environment that allows private development to occur, Rex said. The first phase includes an impounding dam under the 21st Street Bridge, reconfiguring the east and west banks of the river, and building the islands and two access roads from the east. The dam will provide about 20 miles of shoreline that can be developed into Sand Springs.
Possible future phases would target development along the west bank.
Among its features, the development would take advantage of natural energy supply sources by using wind power from turbines, electricity from solar panels and hydro power from the dam.
River development expert Bing Thom was commissioned by the group to design a proposal. Rex said Thom stressed that to create such an island neighborhood would require certain percentages of residential, commercial, retail, institutional, educational, culture and public developments.
Bing also has been commissioned by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which has provided a $10 million grant for Arkansas River public beautification and enhancement projects.
A local group is proposing a development that would include building a dam to create a lake in the Arkansas River channel and islands with a mixture of cultural and public uses.
