June 2021—December 2022: The City of Tulsa, PartnerTulsa and an 11-member Leadership Committee appointed by Mayor G.T. Bynum, worked alongside more than 1,000 North Tulsa residents to develop a plan to revitalize 56 acres of publicly-owned property in the Kirkpatrick Heights and Greenwood areas of North Tulsa, known as the Kirkpatrick Heights Greenwood Master Plan (KHGMP). In December 2022, the Tulsa City Council unanimously approved the plan and formally entered the implementation phase. 

January—December 2023: In February 2023, PartnerTulsa received a technical assistance grant from the Opportunity Accelerator, an initiative of Results for America, designed to support governments in their efforts to promote economic mobility and reduce racial disparities in their communities.  

As part of the Opportunity Accelerator program, PartnerTulsa and a Working Group made up of 30 North Tulsa leaders, collaborated with the W. Haywood Burns Institute and other national partners, to conduct additional research and analysis of existing governance models to support development outlined in the KHGMP. 

At the end of that process, the Working Group recommended that the Tulsa Development Authority form a 7-9 member Advisory Committee to support the establishment of an independent Community Development Corporation (CDC). The goal of the CDC is to establish a governance structure that ensures Black Tulsans directly benefit from the redevelopment of the area.

The Advisory Committee will partner with the City of Tulsa and PartnerTulsa to create the legal framework, structures, and organization of a 501(c)(3) Community Development Corporation. 

Committee members are required to attend mandatory, 1-hour bi-weekly meetings through the end of the 2024 calendar year. 

As the CDC forms, some Advisory Committee members might transition to board positions, but it’s expected that the committee will disband once the CDC is fully established. 

The KHGMP Working Group members have studied applications from existing community-based organizations nationally and leveraged the experience of these organizations to inform the drafting of the application and scoring criteria. 

At least 3 of the members will be residents of the Master Plan’s study area (see the study area map included in the next tab).  

Qualifications for Advisory Committee Members 

• Direct connection to the KHGMP study area either as a resident or business owner in the area
• Previous board leadership experience 
• Knowledge or experience in real estate, construction, law, community development, economics/business associations, finance, communications, nonprofit leadership, fundraising, research, and evaluations
• Previous engagement and involvement with the creation of the KHGMP 
• Proven skills and experience related to social and economic justice, racial equity, inclusion and belonging
• Ability to commit to serving as an Advisory Committee Member for at least one year

The following scoring criteria will be used to select advisory committee members.

The geographic boundaries of the study area and for applicants to be considered as residents, are Pine Street to the north, US Highway 75 to the east, the rail line to the south (Archer Street), and LL Tisdale Parkway to the west. 

Local landmarks in the planning area include the Greenwood Cultural Center, located across the street from historic Vernon A.M.E. Church, the historic Greenwood Main Street, the newly constructed Greenwood Rising, Oklahoma State University–Tulsa, Langston University, Emerson Elementary School, Carver Middle School, and the Rev. B.S. Roberts Park.