Southwest Tulsans worried about more apartment complexes
BY KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
Friday, November 02, 2012
12/10/12 at 2:44 PM
Correction: A Tulsa World map on the Greens at Page Belcher apartments included an incorrect location. The proposed site is near the northeast corner of Union Avenue and 71st Street. The map has been corrected.
City Councilor Jeannie Cue will hold a public meeting next week about a possible moratorium on new apartment complexes in part of southwest Tulsa.
Cue told fellow councilors at a committee meeting Thursday that she has heard from residents who are concerned about the continued development of apartment complexes in the area.
The moratorium would apply to the 6-square-mile area covered by the city's West Highlands/Tulsa Hills small-area plan and would remain in effect until the plan is completed in June or July of next year.
The area is largely zoned agriculture with large single-family lots but has seen a spurt in commercial development, including the Tulsa Hills shopping center.
"I know it is part of the small-area plan not to stop or change anything, but the residents have been very active in participating in this," Cue said. "I have been asked by a group to see if we could just do a moratorium on the planning until they get the finalization of the small-area plan."
Small-area plans are used by the city to plan for the development of particular areas in consultation with interested parties and stakeholders. The plans address a variety of issues, including infrastructure, transportation, housing and public space.
City Planning Director Dawn Warrick said after the meeting that the city had no intention of stopping any development within the West Highlands/Tulsa Hills area when it started formulating the small-area plan earlier this year.
But "conditions change" and the city must strike a balance between the interests of developers and the interests of those who live in the affected area, she said.
"We have to be aware of what conditions are in place that may cause one group to feel disenfranchised versus another," Warrick said.
The City Attorney's Office said Thursday that the city has the authority to impose moratoriums but must have a good reason to do so and must include a time limit and provisions for exceptions.
Cue said one development residents are concerned about is the proposed Greens at Page Belcher apartment complex. Planned for a site between Union Avenue and U.S. 75, it would have 595 units.
Cue told fellow councilors that her constituents were worried about the traffic and crime such developments might attract.
"You live in a neighborhood; you love your neighborhood; and you want to be comfortable," she said. "And that is why they are having a small-area plan to get people's ideas on how they want to live."
The public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Zarrow Regional Library, 2224 W. 51st St.
Original Print Headline: More apartments worry city residents
Kevin Canfield 918-581-8313
kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Councilor Jeannie Cue: She may seek a moratorium on new complexes near Tulsa Hills
|
