City Takes Major Steps Forward on Key Housing Initiatives

IOT 3 Housing Administrator Selected; Housing Acceleration Team Completes First Project; Community Builder Pilot Program Kicks Off; and T-Town Home Catalog Nears Completion

Multiple housing initiatives took major steps forward this month as work continues to address Tulsa’s housing shortage.

According to the 2023 Tulsa Housing Strategy, Tulsa needs approximately 13,000 housing units by 2033 to meet housing demand. To further meet demand, Tulsa needs 6,000 units that are affordable by 2028.

To meet these needs, the City has progressed on:

• $75 Million IOT3 Housing Fund Administrator – Last week, the City selected an administrator for part of the $75 million in Improve Our Tulsa 3 (IOT 3)housing funds to leverage funds and facilitate housing development.

• Housing Acceleration Team - Streamlining six building permits for the Tulsa Housing Authority's Hilltop Apartments, the City’s new Housing Acceleration Team completed its first project this month.

• T-Town Home Catalog – Also known as the Pre-Approved Plans Program, the T-Town Home Catalog is being refined and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

• Community Builder Pilot Program – This month, the City moved forward with the Community Builder Pilot Program to assist developers in turning unoccupied properties back into usable housing.

“Tulsa remains in dire need of more housing, and I’m thankful for the work that so many are doing in Tulsa to make an impact,” Mayor Nichols said. “Thanks to strong momentum, we’re working toward our goal of adding more housing units as quickly as we can. As we move through this process, I'm reminded that these homes aren’t just numbers; they're the foundation of stability, opportunity, and community for so many Tulsans, that is only made possible through deliberate steps like we’re taking collectively as a city.”

Improve Our Tulsa 3 - $75 Million in Housing Funds

Last week, the Standards Specifications & Awards Committee approved the selection of Housing Partnership Network (HPN) as the administrator for some of the $75 million in IOT 3 housing funds that Tulsans approved in August of 2023.

“The selection of Housing Partnership Network as our fund administrator means we are one step closer toward achieving our collective housing goals,” Council Vice Chair Karen Gilbert said. “I am so thankful to the voters for approving these critical housing dollars and look forward to our new partnership with HPN who will leverage city funds to maximize Tulsa’s investment in housing.”

Sales tax revenue for IOT 3 begins collecting this fiscal year. In anticipation of these funds, the City issued a Request for Proposals in June to secure an administrator for some of the $75 million in housing funds. Once a contract has been negotiated, HPN will be responsible for leveraging City dollars and overseeing the issuance of IOT3 Housing Funds for developments that help meet the City's needs.

Due to Tulsa's immediate housing demand, the City is considering bond issuances to expedite the availability of IOT3 Housing Funds so that the City has more of the monies up front to quickly get projects off the ground. The selection of HPN follows the work of the City’s 3H Task Force, as well as the Mayor’s executive order earlier this year that set housing as a priority for the City of Tulsa.

As the City enters contract negotiations with HPN, it will work through an economic incentive policy framework to define the specifics of the four funds, which include:

• $25 million Housing Grant Fund: Leverages programs such as Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to support housing at or below 60% of the area median income

• $7 million Housing Investment Fund: Deploys revolving capital for housing up to 120% of the area median income

• $10 million Housing Acquisition Fund: Acquires strategic sites for housing development

• $5 million Housing Preservation & Rehabilitation Fund: Renovates vacant or abandoned units  

The City is retaining $25 million for infrastructure investment, and approximately $3 million is being set aside for administrative, financing, and evaluation costs.

HPN is a national nonprofit collaborative of over 100 leading affordable housing and community development organizations. The organization has already launched an initiative in Tulsa to address the city's affordable housing shortage and has a wealth of knowledge regarding Tulsa's affordable housing needs and opportunities.

In the coming months, the City will request the issuances from the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority (TPFA) and the Tulsa City Council for $35 million in revenue bonds. If approved, this advance funding will accelerate deployment of resources well ahead of all IOT3 collections, which are projected to begin in 2026 and run through 2030.

By year-end, the City expects to have both the funding in place and a contract with HPN so it can start accepting applications from developers to move new housing projects forward.

Housing Acceleration Team Speeds Up Timeline for $36 Million, 106-Unit Complex in Downtown Tulsa

This month, the City’s Housing Acceleration Team, which was convened by Mayor Nichols through an executive order issued earlier this spring, worked to quickly issue six building permits for the Tulsa Housing Authority's Hilltop Apartments. The team is tasked with streamlining permitting, inspection, and zoning processes to more efficiently review and approve building permits, inspection requests, and zoning applications.

Rendering of the Hilltop Apartments

The Hilltop Apartments was the team’s first project.

The apartment complex is being spearheaded by the Tulsa Housing Authority, which has secured funding to begin development later this year. The development includes a 106-unit affordable multifamily apartment complex in Downtown Tulsa with a total project cost of $36 million. The Hilltop will be a fully affordable development with 20 units designated for chronically homeless individuals, funded by the City of Tulsa’s HOME-ARP funds.

In addition to issuing these permits for a large-impact affordable housing development within 30 days, the team will use the recently completed permit-review process to compile lessons learned that can be applied to all future permit applications.

T-Town Home Catalog (Pre-Approved Plans Program)

The City’s Pre-Approved Plans Program – a program to provide developers and individuals with sets of pre-approved plans to quickly get housing projects off the ground – is continuing to progress and move forward.

The catalog is in its final development stages and is being reviewed by City staff. In the coming months, additional stakeholders will offer their comments on the draft program before it’s finalized and launched by the end of the year.

When launched, the T-Town HOME Catalog will include well-designed, pre-reviewed plan sets for a variety of housing types and will help speed up the permitting process and make housing development easier and more affordable for anyone interested in building housing in Tulsa. Builders will still need to submit site plans showing how the building will be situated on a lot, but the bulk of reviews on the buildings themselves will be pre-completed. The process of developing the program will also highlight areas of the City’s permitting and development process that could be improved, including zoning, infrastructure, building codes, and other regulations and processes.

For more information on the catalog, visit: https://tulsaplanning.org/homecatalog/

Community Builder Pilot Program

The Community Builder Pilot Program, which was announced by Mayor Nichols earlier this spring, launched this month to assist developers in turning unoccupied properties back into usable housing. City teams have pre-identified a small list of developers to start the pilot, and work is underway to support them in their development efforts.

This program is being implemented initially as a pilot program and is currently limiting the number of participants and properties to evaluate the program and make changes as needed. If you are interested in learning more about the program, please call (918) 576-5564 or email communitybuilder@cityoftulsa.org. 

More Information

For more information on the City's housing efforts:

• Housing & Unit Tracker - www.cityoftulsa.org/housing 

• 3H Task Force - https://www.tulsacouncil.org/3htaskforce 

• Path to Home - www.cityoftulsa.org/path-to-home 

• Mayor Nichols' Housing Goals - www.cityoftulsa.org/mayor-housing