TULSA, Okla. — The signs of hard work are evident at any construction site, but there’s even more hard work taking place behind the scenes, in the halls of government.
One professional land surveyor told 2 News Oklahoma, Tulsa’s processes need revamping. 2 News listened to him and asked the city for more details.
WATCH: LISTENING: Surveyor calls 2 News, concerned about red tape:
Construction projects are much more than hammers and nails. It takes a litany of people to make a vision a reality, including people like David Lacy. Lacy is a professional land surveyor. Tulsa’s red tape hurts his business, and the whole city, he said.
“You know, we’ve been trying to entice like Tesla … or some government contracts to come to Tulsa, but we keep losing those contracts over and over because we just can’t get stuff developed in Tulsa,” Lacy said.
Lacy said he’s working on one project that’s taken a year. He blames it on bureaucracy.
The city said Lacy’s plans don't meet the minimum standards set by state regulations. A spokesperson for the City of Tulsa answered 2 News’ questions over email.
He said, on average, the city permits residential projects in 24 days and commercial projects in 26 days.
“I know one of my big developers is actually developing in Dallas right now, because it’s way more cost-effective,” Lacy said, “What’s the vision of Tulsa? Do we wanna see it grow, or do we wanna continue to lose developers and professionals?”
The spokesperson said the city is making significant strides to cut red tape, and the city hired an outside consultant to strengthen residential permitting, with the goal of getting more houses up.
It’s the same story, with different perspectives. What are your thoughts? Email 2 News at news@kjrh.com
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
