It happens all the time in neighborhoods throughout Tulsa: the dreaded PUD or zoning change proposal…

Neighbors may notice the yellow signs, but the legal jargon serves only to obfuscate. Online searches result in little or no information. TMAPC? BOA? PUD? Huh? Developers hire lawyers to help them interpret the zoning code and navigate the approval process, while average citizens lack the resources to obtain equal representation. Two-weeks notice leaves little time to educate people and understand what’s going on. Neighborhood activists rally, but their last-minute opposition is seen as obstructionist and anti-development. The PUD is approved by the TMAPC, and waltzes through the City Council.

Sound familiar? Unfortunately for many Tulsans, it does.

That’s why the “Land Use Education and Communication Task Force” has been created. Their mission? “To review and recommend revamped processes for education and communication regarding city land use processes.”

The meetings of the Land Use Task Force are open to the public, and public input is welcomed. If you have constructive ideas for improving the way zoning issues and development proposals are handled, be sure to show up and speak out.

WHAT: Land Use Education & Communication Task Force Meeting 

WHEN: Friday, March 27, 4:00 PM 

WHERE: City Hall, One Technology Center (corner of 2nd and Cincinnati) 

MORE INFO: Councilor Bill Christiansen is the Task Force Chairman.