Recent Posts

This just came out yesterday about New Mexico really working to exploit outdoor tourism:

https://apnews.com/61f25162f1b84145be3115de000f4ec8?fbclid=IwAR1cxrolnz_6rEORSBtcGP68Nhw0jGM_9rLqwV8XO0bMSBprXtFLB0xEQsk

I would point out that there are still plenty of vacant places where local businesses could go, even right near where this is.  So I don't think its pushing out any locals. Actually been very frustrated that more local retail offerings haven't come to my area.  Feel really alone in my spot.  More retail in one location helps draw attention/promotion and more foot traffic.  Is this ideal? No.  But at least another spot that has sat dark and empty for decades now will be alive and lit up. And agin, there are still lots of empty spots nearby if any local retail wants to move in!  Would love more retail neighbors! Please! lol.

Are they still doing pop up shops across the street in Philcade or has that been made permanent space for something else?

I'm blown away by the pushback that the sale is getting. That square mile is nothing but tract housing and floodplain. And it has been under develop since before 2000. You had to figure that the entire square mile would eventually get developed, right?

Why didn't you buy it.......

Despite the property’s historical significance, the ranch was never designated a historic site. Being regular private property, there are no requirements for preservation, and the property hosted an auction for the buildings’ contents on Monday.

The property has to sell before bulldozers can turn the ranch into homes, but Tulsa County property records show the land’s sale hasn’t been finalized. Shaw hopes it will one day hold between 109 and 136 new homes.

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/perryman-ranch-redevelopment-on-hold-until-further-hearings/article_09a41e7e-1a46-58e5-b775-7979641b4a61.html

I'm glad someone is doing something like this in downtown.

Imagine how profitable a QT kitchen would do downtown (especially from lunch and after work crowd - order on an app and pick it up on way to car). QT isn't quite as forward thinking in terms of urban planning and I doubt they want a gasless store (besides one in DT Atlanta?). I'm guessing QT makes so much on a normal store, DT Tulsa isn't even on their radar. That would be a good way for them to "throw the dog a bone" just to have their name and brand as part of the fabric of DT Tulsa.

But to be honest, more chains in DT Tulsa means fewer local places. This C Store and Jimmy Johns take a bit from all the local lunch places around 4th and Main. So I don't mind chains avoiding DT Tulsa, as that gives local places more of a market, but also is a sign that the population and traffic in DT is really light or at least inconsistent compared to 71st and Memorial or 61st and Yale. On the other hand, Jimmy Johns, Bueno, BK and DGX moving in are signs that the tide is turning. We might hail it at first, but having been to so many American downtowns full of all the same places (Walgreens, 7/11, McD, etc), it is a bit monotonous, soul-less and ultimately bad for local places. Great for landlords though.

I would point out that there are still plenty of vacant places where local businesses could go, even right near where this is.  So I don't think its pushing out any locals. Actually been very frustrated that more local retail offerings haven't come to my area.  Feel really alone in my spot.  More retail in one location helps draw attention/promotion and more foot traffic.  Is this ideal? No.  But at least another spot that has sat dark and empty for decades now will be alive and lit up. And agin, there are still lots of empty spots nearby if any local retail wants to move in!  Would love more retail neighbors! Please! lol.

One of my Tulsa buddies came out the summer we moved to NE, NM.  We went hiking in the Valle Vidal wilderness in the Carson National Forest.  Bob commented about what a great asset this under-utilized wilderness is and lamented how all his childhood recreational areas outside Denver in the mountains are now so over-run that it's hard to enjoy them anymore.  He also mentioned vandalism is an issue in some mountain recreation areas now.  It's a cautionary tale.  The Valle is one place I want the whole world to know about because it is so cool and peaceful but I want to be selfish about it and not tell a soul and keep it as peaceful as it is now.  Fortunately, the 70 miles of gravel from one end to the other works as sort of a disincentive to too many exploring it.

Fished Valle Vidal last year.   Awesome area.   And yeah,  70 miles of gravel will keep a lot of the city folk out. 

Not what I would have chosen but defintely a step in the right direction. I assume it'll be open into the evenings? I'm always disheartened when I see a Hyatt or Doubletree van at the 15th and Lewis Walgreens. When I stay in downtown areas I always like to find the nearest C-store for water, snacks, etc. It seems people who stay in our downtown are required to go to 15th and Lewis for this. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before but I really wish Braums would open a restaurant and fresh market downtown. Their grocery offerings are perfect for a small but growing downtown residential population.

Some good points. I do think that the fact that a national chain is investing in DT is a good sign for our momentum/reputation. It's a sign (albeit somewhat small) that DT has reawakened to a point where national chains are comfortable investing.  That being said, it's definitely a fine line trying to keep the balance of local and national. It's really neat currently having a DT full of almost all local places.

I think it's one our DT's best assets. The Arts District is almost completely local places (Are there any national chains there besides the hotesl?). The Deco District has a great mix that is mostly local.

Cherry Street and the core of Brookside are about 20% national chains, which is still very respectable in this day and age (compare to Tulsa Hills which is almost exclusively national chains, maybe 2 out of 50+ businesses there are local). The southern part of Brookside (39th-51st) is well over 50% chains though, but that part is the suburban shopping area that it has been for a while.

One of my Tulsa buddies came out the summer we moved to NE, NM.  We went hiking in the Valle Vidal wilderness in the Carson National Forest.  Bob commented about what a great asset this under-utilized wilderness is and lamented how all his childhood recreational areas outside Denver in the mountains are now so over-run that it's hard to enjoy them anymore.  He also mentioned vandalism is an issue in some mountain recreation areas now.  It's a cautionary tale.  The Valle is one place I want the whole world to know about because it is so cool and peaceful but I want to be selfish about it and not tell a soul and keep it as peaceful as it is now.  Fortunately, the 70 miles of gravel from one end to the other works as sort of a disincentive to too many exploring it.

I love NE NM! So beautiful and peaceful. It's the best place to ski because they don't charge a housing payment for a few days of lift passes!

I get that the overcrowding in parks is frustrating, but also that most people who live there and move there like it a lot and have to accept that "you are the traffic". CO has done a great job promoting itself and all the beauty. It is well known like LA and so many people want to live there. It's nowhere near as bad as LA, but definitely beyond bordering states in prices and crowds.

The good thing for those long-time locals is they can learn the best times to go (or avoid) and have explored enough they can always find a hundred more remote empty places to go. Colorado has infinite wilderness. We have had no issues finding serene isolated places on trips to CO, despite seeing certain areas with crowds. Outside the main popular areas, there's seemingly infinite wilderness. Typically best to go to the mountains on weekdays, earlier and ideally during the school year (which was easy to arrange as a tourist w/o kiddos!).

I've heard taking a weekend trip to the mountains from Denver is a big pain now where what used to be a 1 hour drive takes 2+ hours a lot of the times. Which for me would take that from a weekend trip to 3 day minimum to be worth it. Tulsans can fly to DEN in 2-3 hours so not even that huge of a head start to live there if you're stuck in traffic every day (which adds up to weeks throughout the year).

Most everyone on the TUWC board was surprised with the addition of Bales Park to the land inventory.  This was not part of our ask though the grasslands at Bales Park were cited numerous times.  We knew about the east bank connector a few weeks back.  There's little not to like about this.  Closing off 61st St. and returning it to woods would be an incredible development.  I also like that Malcolm McCollam's ask for the bike park has made it into the plan as well.