Smart Growth Report Released
Tulsa, Okla. (February 20, 2025) – Housing Forward released a report today that includes guidance on how the City of Tulsa can best modify and improve its permitting, zoning and community engagement processes.
While the City of Tulsa has multiple strategies and improvement processes planned and underway, this report includes a comprehensive list of recommendations for the use of targeted, place-based infrastructure investments in Tulsa to speed up housing development toward the goal of developing 12,900 new units by 2033. Commissioned in direct response to the 2024 Housing Strategy, the report also offers guidance on how the City can better align policies and process improvements to reduce barriers to housing development.
“Tulsa has a clearly defined need for more housing of all types. We’re excited to work with the City of Tulsa to achieve the recommendations in this report so we can meet our housing goals and develop housing at the scale needed to meet current and projected demands,” said Tyler Parette, executive director, Housing Forward Oklahoma.
The research outlined in the report found that Tulsa has certain complex and misaligned zoning codes, as well as certain inconsistent permitting processes that can hinder the development of housing-at-scale. Further, the study cautioned that regardless of any improvements to zoning and permitting, Tulsa cannot meet its housing goals without steering investments and incentives to places the City defines for growth targets.
To achieve housing goals Tulsa must increase development by 50% annually. To increase development to 1,300 annually, the City of Tulsa will need to decrease timelines, decrease cost, and increase the capacity for streamlined construction. The report shows that it is possible to meet these needs by implementing the following recommendations:
1. Streamline, modernize, and align the zoning code with Planitulsa to facilitate housing development.
2. Eliminate unnecessary regulatory barriers and simplify the discretionary review processes to facilitate housing growth.
3. Streamline the permitting process and ensure procedural consistency to facilitate faster and more predictable development outcomes.
4. Institute a targeted, place-based housing strategy, steering public infrastructure investments and incentive programs to specific geographic areas that can best support increased housing density at scale, such as within the urban core or along transportation corridors.
5. Foster stronger partnerships and communication channels between developers, city departments, and community stakeholders.
6. Develop a structured, city-managed community engagement framework with dedicated staff, clear protocols, and consistent outreach.
“We are taking collective action here at the City to break down barriers and streamline our housing development and permitting processes, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team we have to carry out this work,” Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said. “I’m thankful to Housing Forward and The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation for their tireless efforts to help us continue to identify the needs we have around housing in Tulsa. What’s most encouraging to me about the findings and recommendations in this report is that many of them align directly with things that are already underway or are planned here at the City.”