Tulsa Selected to Participate in Opportunity Accelerator Program to Help Create Governance Model for Greenwood, Kirkpatrick Heights Areas

2/22/2023

Next Phase of Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan Underway

Tulsa has been selected to participate in the Opportunity Accelerator (OA) program through Results for America that will help PartnerTulsa and the City create a governance model for the redevelopment of 56 acres of land in the Kirkpatrick Heights and Greenwood areas of North Tulsa.

The governance model will outline a framework for long-term community leadership and ownership of the area following the recent adoption of the Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan.

"Since the onset of this master planning process, we knew Tulsans needed to not only see something happen with these spaces that represented their desires, but have a say in how the areas are owned and governed, ” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “I’m thankful Results for America chose Tulsa as we work to identify best practices moving forward.”

“As we work to implement the Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan, this partnership with the Opportunity Accelerator is an incredible opportunity to rapidly dive into key implementation actions identified by the community and outlined in the Plan,” PartnerTulsa Executive Director Kian Kamas said. “We are thrilled to have the chance to work alongside a talented group of national partners who will support additional research on national best practices, help us execute additional community outreach and engagement, and ultimately assist with designing the governance model we will use to guide long-term development of publicly owned sites in the neighborhood.”

Tulsa is one of two new communities to participate in OA program, which will help support ideas that advance racial equity, minimize resident displacement, increase the number of minority-owned businesses and homeowners, and raise the median income of local residents.

“I am excited that we can finally begin putting in place the ideas that North Tulsa has spent more than a year planning,” District 1 City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper said. “With this Opportunity Accelerator, we’re one step closer to reclaiming the generational wealth that has been stolen from the Black community while creating more opportunities for everyone who lives in District 1 and in Greenwood and Black Wall Street.”

The OA collaboration is currently working in three communities (San Antonio-Bexar County, Oakland-Alameda County, Memphis-Shelby County) to help local governments advance programs that reduce systemic barriers to residents reaching key milestones—across life stages—that lead to social and economic mobility.
“We spent a year planning and bringing the community together to form this Plan, so to have the opportunity to begin work with this Opportunity Accelerator is exciting,” said Ashley Philippsen, KHMP Leadership Committee Co-Chair and Chair of the Tulsa Development Authority. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have consultants assist us in our vision to rebuild and create a community governance structure for Greenwood and North Tulsa.”

With the insights gained from these communities, the OA aims to scale successful practices to hundreds of governments nationwide, with the vision of strengthening the wellbeing of millions of residents.

“Greenwood and Black Wall Street are finally seeing a blueprint being formed to bring back community wealth and opportunities to a long-overdue part of our city,” said Dr. Lana Turner Addison, Leadership Committee Co-chair and NTEDi President / Chairperson. “I’m excited to work with this Opportunity Accelerator venture, to find ways to ensure that the wealth created in North Tulsa and Greenwood can circulate in the community through shared community ownership and governance.”
The collaboration is supported by Blue Meridian Partners, a national philanthropic organization that finds and funds scalable solutions to the problems that limit economic mobility and trap America’s young people and families in poverty.

About PartnerTulsa
PartnerTulsa is the City of Tulsa’s economic development Authority that streamlines and strengthens Tulsa’s economic development efforts through the merging of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (MOED), Tulsa Industrial Authority (TIA), Tulsa Parking Authority (TPA), and Economic Development Commission (EDC) into a single, enhanced Public Trust. Partner Tulsa (aka TAEO) is governed by a thirteen (13) member Board of Trustees and provides staffing for and oversees the operations of the Tulsa Development Authority (TDA). For more information about PartnerTulsa, visit www.PartnerTulsa.org.

About the City of Tulsa
The City of Tulsa serves more than 400,000 residents with approximately 3,700 public servants on staff. In addition to public safety, the City of Tulsa provides clean and safe drinking water to Tulsa residents and surrounding communities, manages more than 1,700 arterial street lane miles, operates refuse and recycling in addition to a mulch site, manages a 311call center for citizen needs, and more. The City of Tulsa operates under a strong mayor form of government with a nine-member City Council. G.T. Bynum is the current mayor - the 40th in Tulsa’s history. For more information about the City of Tulsa and its Authorities Boards and Commissions, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/abcs. For more information about joining the City’s team, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/jobs.