Tulsa City Councilors decided Tuesday not to take action on the development of a portion of Helmerich Park. Instead, councilors continued a meeting to March 1 where public discussion will be reopened.
UPDATE: No action taken in executive session. Meeting has been continued to March 1st at 5 pm. Public discussion will be reopened. @KJRH2HD
— Darcy Jackson (@DJacksonKJRH) February 21, 2017
The special meeting was held Tuesday morning.
Mayor G.T. Bynum and his representatives proposed a solution to the almost two-year debate. They presented to the City Council why 8.8 acres of the park, owned by the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority (TPFA), "is not necessary for public use".
This section of land is located at the southwest corner of 71st and Riverside where volleyball courts sit.
In 2015, a lawsuit was filed against TPFA to preserve the park. This helped put a hold on developing the land. The lawsuit was dismissed in January of 2016.
If the City Council were to vote for the parks' abandonment, then it could move forward with its sale "to be developed for retail and restaurant purposes, and agreeing to receive sales proceeds an committing such proceeds to improvement and maintenance of Helmerich Park."
There have been talks about building an REI sporting goods store. Last May, a group of city councilors visited Dallas and toured an REI store and developments similar to the ones proposed in Tulsa.
Helmerich Park celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.
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