Good afternoon everyone. It's been a while since I've posted on our project and felt it was time to fill you in on the goings on that has come to afflict our proposed development.
As many of you know, after announcing our project and our effort to work with the TDA; the Mayor, her staff and the 'donors' to the new Driller Ballpark announced they were moving the ballpark site across the street from us on what was contracted through the TDA to be the Greenwood Chamber development.
Since that announcement, our efforts have been met with every possible opposition from not only the Mayor and her staff but by the TDA themselves. On April 17, the TDA Board of commissioners created Resolution #5443 that granted us additional time to perform due diligence and also directed TDA staff to enter into contract negotiations. Every attempt to contact the TDA attorney through staff as directed was met with no answer by that attorney. We were removed from the agenda at June's TDA meeting without so much as a phone call to inform us as to such. We did make it onto the July agenda only to be told by the TDA attorney that he would not enter into negotiations as he was lacking sufficient information...information that had already been provided to TDA staff well prior to this meeting. We agreed to provide one additional piece of information that was requested at that meeting so we could move forward with negotiations.
To that end, our attorney drafted a contract using TDA's format and presented it for review and comment. We received no answer until yesterday when our attorney received an email from TDA Chairman Carl Bracy.
July 29, 2008
Stephen A. Schuller, Esq.
GABLE & GOTWALS
1100 ONEOK Plaza
One West Fifth Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103-4217
Re: Tulsa Development Authority Resolution 5423
Dear Mr. Schuller:
We are in receipt of your correspondence dated July 18, 2008. As you know, the City of Tulsa, and several private donors contributing more than $30 million to a public trust, are developing a master plan for a national class Double A baseball park and associated amenities in the Greenwood and Brady Districts. This master plan incorporates the property in which your clients have expressed an interest. The city believes that the development of a coordinated high-quality, arts, entertainment, educational, and mixed-use development surrounding the ballpark is vital.
At the present time, the land under contract with the Greenwood Community Development Corporation has been set aside as a prospective site of the ball park. We have not seen any plans yet that specify the precise limits and any data concerning the proposals comprising the Master Plan. We therefore have no knowledge of what other properties may be affected or included in the Plan. The ball park may require a larger site or a complete change of land use may be recommended.
After further review and conferring with our attorney, Darven Brown, it is my personal feeling that the Tulsa Development Authority should proceed no further in connection with the marketing activities of any of the property in the vicinity of the baseball site location until we have full information concerning the finalized plans adopted by the city. While the Tulsa Development Authority is a separate entity from the city we have always conducted our business in a manner that we consider to be in the city’s best interest. That being the case, it would seem to be unwise for the Tulsa Development Authority to proceed further with any negotiations with your client at this time. After all, the city has the right of eminent domain and can take whatever properties become necessary for its municipal purposes.
Because of the foregoing, I feel that it would be in the best interest of the public and the City of Tulsa to terminate any negotiations and cancel the Resolution now in place. I have asked that this item be placed on the agenda for the regular meeting of the Tulsa Development Authority to be held at 8:30 o’clock a.m., on August 7, at which time you may wish to appear.
Yours truly,
S/Carl Bracy, Chairman
xc: Mr. Leon Davis
Mr. Hurst Swiggart
Mr. George Shahadi
Mr. John D. Clayman
Mr. Melvin R. Gilliam
Ms. Paula Bryant-EllisIt has always been our intention to create a high quality mixed-use development that would benefit this area of downtown and encourage additional economic growth and development in the area, something we thought the TDA was created to help do by "promoting the revitalization of declining areas and encouraging private reinvestment and economic growth through rehabilitation and redevelopment."
With the proposed ballpark, of which we are an avid supporter (going so far as to be the last speaker in favor of carrying our share of the burden of an assessment to bring the stadium downtown at the city council meeting), we then looked at our project scope in the hopes of maximizing the economic impact we could have in the area. To that end, we brought in a 120-room hotel development that would compliment our building's structure and overall look while still providing space for off street parking for the 42 loft residential tenants as well as the hotel. Further plans then called for a rooftop pool to support the limited service national flag hotel brand as well as supply 6,000 sf for a new national food/entertainment concept that would be new to the market.
Our goal is to bring a high density, high quality mixed use development that would offer several things Tulsa has never seen before in terms of amenities, services, and branding. We feel this is the proper economic engine that can jump start other private development in and around the area and help grow our downtown.
Today it would seem that the 'donors' want control of this surrounding area to benefit not just any developer but only those developers they see as benefiting their own goals and agendas and quite honestly, as a citizen, a businessman and a developer interested in helping this city grow, I find that incredibly bothersome and arrogant on the part of these wealthy donors.
The TDA is an authority that was created to perform its goals and do so in keeping with what is in the best interest of the public and the citizens of Tulsa. I ask you as interested citizens that want to see downtown grow, what is in the best interest of a city demanding growth and encouraging development than a proposal to develop what we have identified and will add to the employment numbers, the sales tax revenues, ad-valorem base and diversity within the area that is so desperately needed?
We will be pursuing all available options at our disposal to encourage the TDA to do the right thing here. Embrace the individual developer that is trying to do the right thing and not allow us to be pushed out by the special interests behind the ballpark trust's plan for surrouding mixed use development.
There are many variables to this story, which I am more than happy to share in more detail should you be interested. I would like to close by encouraging anyone that believes we are on the right path and supports the individual developer to email the TDA and the Mayor in support of our development.
Beyond what is happening to our project potential, make your voices heard so that this doesnt happen to the next developer that wants to help this city grow.
Thank you, I will keep you posted on any additional developments. You can reach me at 902-0760 if you have any questions.
Will Wilkins
120 Development Group, LLC/Novus Homes LLC
Maoyr Kathy Taylor -
mayor@cityoftulsa.orgCarl Bracy -
carl.bracy.acfx@statefarm.com George Shahadi -
george.shahadi@williams.com John Clayman -
jclayman@fdlaw.com Melvin Gilliam -
mgil070995@aol.com Darven Brown -
dbrown1925@sbcglobal.net
