Shrinking our historic preservation zones

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Tonight the Tulsa City Council will consider a zoning change to remove some lots from the Yorktown historic preservation overlay (HP) district. These lots are part of the new Arvest Bank development under construction on the southwest corner of 15th and Utica. They'll also consider a major amendment to the PUD for Arvest Bank to allow a curb cut onto Victor Avenue from the bank's parking lot. Victor is a residential street, and nearby homeowners are concerned that the erosion of the HP district combined with making Victor Avenue a convenient route for bank traffic will hurt property values and quality of life. The neighborhood is already squeezed by the expansion plans of Saint John Medical Center.

The people who bought homes in the area bought with the understanding that HP would help protect their investment in restoring their historic homes. Sure, it can be a bother to seek a certificate of appropriateness when doing exterior work on a home in an HP district, but the benefit is that all your neighbors are under the same set of standards. You don't have to worry about your investment being undermined by a bad remodeling job across the street or the house next door being torn down and replaced with a suburban-style home with the garage as the most prominent feature. Changing the zoning breaks the promise the City made to these property owners.

Yorktown Neighborhood leaders would appreciate your presence and support at tonight's meeting at 6 pm at City Hall.

For more discussion about the issue, here's the relevant thread on TulsaNow's forum.

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Historic zoning is at risk and the 1th and Utica Arvest Bank project is on tonight's City Council agenda. See Michael Bates comments on what's going on here. The City's Ethics Code will also be reviewed at a special meeting... Read More

3 Comments

Mike said:

My wife and I were there (we live in the neighboring Gillette HP District) supporting our Yorktown neighbors in their failed attempt to keep their HP neighborhood from being encroached upon by commercial development. Sad, precedent-setting evening for our city. Money still shouts louder than average citizens.

mad okie Author Profile Page said:

The precedent was already set, and it will continue
71st & Harvard, Peggy Jones, the South Yale bridge, the I-44 expansion, the sound abatement program at the airport, etc...

The A Team said:

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
words and music by Woody Guthrie

Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

Chorus

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Michael Bates published on June 9, 2005 12:51 AM.

Mixing HaloScan and Blogger comments was the previous entry in this blog.

Ethics ordinance on a special meeting agenda for Friday morning is the next entry in this blog.

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