Tulsa City Leaders Seek Public Input On Riverwood Neighborhood Improvement Plan

City leaders are looking into a high crime area of Tulsa and asking people to speak up about changes they want to see.

The Riverwood neighborhood improvement plan hopes to change the area between 51st and 71st from Lewis to Riverside Drive. One of the biggest parts of the Riverwood improvement strategy is revitalizing Johnson Park, a cornerstone of the area that city leaders think will lead to even more positive changes.

Johnson Park near 61st and Riverside is bustling with kids playing basketball. The park has been here for decades, and the city said it’s time for an upgrade.

“We actually have money to make something really happen," said city councilor Jayme Fowler.

Fowler said the city has $8 million to revamp the park and give it a much-needed facelift with construction planned for the fall of this year. But that is just the start in making big changes to a high crime part of town near 61st and Peoria.

"There is a high concentration of apartments, when you give them a section 8 on top of that, you have trouble," he said. “There's a lot of great neighborhoods surrounding it," said councilor Jeannie Cue. "We want 61st to be known as a great place to live.”

Cue said that’s why she and other city leaders are starting the Riverwood Neighborhood Improvement strategy. It involves an initial $50,000 to fund community meetings, research, and short-term projects so they come up with the best plan possible.

“Any new businesses we can bring, we're working on rehabbing the strip malls, all that is so important to the neighborhood," she said.

Fowler said police are already cracking down on crime with real-time Flock cameras near 61st and Peoria. But they also want a balance. They don't want the area to change so much, with more businesses and wealthier people coming to the point that those living here now would be forced out.

"We all know we need to do something different, they know that," said Fowler.

Residents are asked to take a survey now through May 5th to give city leaders an idea of what improvements they would like to see. There are also community meetings happening in the next several weeks.

Survey

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