Members of the Tulsa city council and Tulsa Public Facilities Authority voted to have Tulsa's city attorney accelerate a judge's decision in a case that will determine whether part of a city park may be sold.
For months the city council has been working to commercialize and sell 12 acres of land in the southwest corner of Helmerich Park near 71st and Riverside Drive.
However, Craig Immel of the Smart Growth Tulsa Coalition filed a petition contesting the city's authority to sell the space.
Former Tulsa Mayor, Terry Young, is against the idea of building a commercial building. He wants to make sure Helmerich Park remains a public park, as originally intended. Young also worries about the possible economic impact.
“The redistribution of existing tax within the city for people who would shop at that store, that would be taking it away from other similar operations in town; that type of facility is not going to draw a lot of out-of-town visitors that are going to drop new coins into our coffer,” Young said.
Members of the Smart Growth Coalition plan to file a suit against the TPFA if permission is granted by the judge to sell the land.
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