Contact Information


Bill Leighty, CRS, GRI
Metro Tulsa Realty Group

4105 S. Rockford Ave
Tulsa, OK 74105
(918) 605-5529 (cell)
(800) 658-2687 (toll-free)
(918) 744-0004 (office)
(918) 398-5288 (fax)
Click to Email Bill

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New Construction in Midtown Tulsa

 

     The majority of homes in midtown were built before 1950, but there has been some new construction ... particularly in the last 5 to 10 years.  Due to the high cost of building sites, most of this new construction has been in the higher price ranges, typically beginning at about $350,000 to $400,000 and going up to a million dollars and higher


     These new homes appeal to those who appreciate the charm and character of the older, established historic Midtown Tulsa neighborhoods but want all of the modern amenities and conveniences found in new construction.  For those who can afford it, these properties make exceptional homes. 

 

New Midtown trend offers contemporary urban "loft style" living


     A new group of developers discovered in the last few years there is also a demand for modern townhouses, lofts, and patio homes in Midtown Tulsa.  Many of these new homes feature open living areas,
with a combination of beautiful hardwood, slate or stained concrete floors, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, balconies, and some with dramatic views of downtown Tulsa. 

 

     Pockets of these modern new homes can be found throughout midtown but one of the most popular and largest concentrations is within easy  walking distance of the many restaurants, shops and entertainment attractions in the Cherry Street District, located between 14th St and 15th St from Peoria Ave to Utica Ave. 

 

     Some of these townhomes offer a distinctively “Green” approach to new construction with state of the art urban architecture, including “Leed” Certified sustainable housing, with bamboo flooring, geo-thermal heating, rooftop gardens and low e-windows.  When shopping for one of these new midtown “loft-style” homes you can definitely benefit by having an experienced and knowledgeable REALTOR represent you in your purchase.  There really are quite a few options to choose from and a Tulsa REALTOR can help you evaluate which one best suits your preferences and lifestyle.   

 

New Homes in historic Midtown inspire a bit of controversy

 

   The trend towards so called “in-fill development” has created no small amount of controversy as some have insisted that the older neighborhoods are being ruined by insensitive developers who show no restraint and build homes that don’t fit the neighborhood in terms of size and scale. 

 

      One group of citizens has banded together in protest and formed a website to call attention to their concerns and you can check it out here:  Preserve Midtown  They have proposed a number of new restrictions on new construction in midtown Tulsa, including new ordinances and even suggested establishing a moratorium on residential demolitions until so-called "conservation" districts are established.  While we applaud and support their enthusiasm and zeal for protecting our treasured midtown Tulsa neighborhoods we often disagree with their proposed methods.

 

     These days you seldom here much about the age old real estate hypothesis that in a free society a piece of land will almost surely seek its highest and best use.  These are the market forces which can work for or against you, depending upon how much economic sense it makes to upgrade and grow with the prevailing market conditions. The strong, healthy and well maintained properties survive and the dysfunctional and neglected properties make way for new growth which ultimately benefits all of the neighborhood.  From our viewpoint, the vast majority of homes that have been demolished over the past 10 years were functionally obsolete or eyesores or both.

 

      It's not as if the neighborhood groups don't have some good ideas because we believe they do.  Some have suggested increasing permit and demolition fees to fund more rigorous inspections which makes pretty good sense .  But they also argue that "the fabric, character, and beauty of one of Tulsa's greatest resources - midtown neighborhoods - are being eroded like a rapidly spreading cancer."   They continue with the idea that "the  teardown / McMansion craze is destroying cultural and social diversity in Midtown by demolishing affordable middle class and even upper middle class homes in favor of McMansions that only the rich and near rich can afford."  This is the kind of rhetoric that fuels anger on both sides and hampers rather than helps create the kind of cooperation needed to balance the interests of both neighborhood and development groups.   

 

            On the other side you have many home buyers, builders and developers who claim that unnecessary restrictions in the way of new building codes, ordinances, laws and enforcement would set a very dangerous precedent and impede commerce and unjustifiably hinder a homeowner’s rights.  At least one disgruntled person has published another site: Destroy Midtown which we can only hope is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to poke fun at the Preserve Midtown site. 

 

Some opponents say "Be careful what you wish for"

 

     Some in opposition to the proposed new limitations say that property owners, working within the framework of the existing building and zoning codes and covenants should have the final say on what is built upon their property.   They go on to say that any infringement or restriction upon their property rights should be carefully weighed and applied only when necessary to truly protect the public at large, not to appease a narrowly focused but vocal minority who seek to impose their views and their will on others.

           

            It is probably safe to say there are valid arguments to support the concerns of both sides and a healthy dialogue among reasonable people will serve us well.  After 20 years in real estate we have concluded the so called “bundle of rights” accompanying the ownership of real property is among our most valued rights as citizens of these United States. 

 

     When you start legislating restrictions on those real property rights you are tinkering with the very foundation of our democratic freedoms, our right to own real property and use it as we wish subject only to community laws and ordinances and so long as it poses no threat to others.   As they say, be careful what you wish for because these proposals are easy to put in place and almost impossible to change.

 

Potential for a huge loss of local tax revenues

 

     The people who support new restrictions might wake up some day to find that their property values have actually decreased because of the adverse effects these changes will have on the developers and entrepreneurs who many times risk their personal fortunes to ply their trade.  They will simply go someplace else to do business.  Without the prospects for new growth, it is easy to see how a neighborhood might easily fall into decline, as some historic neighborhoods reportedly have.  That is not even considering the potential impact on future revenue for a cash starved city struggling to make ends meet.

 

     Look what happened back in the late 50's and 60's when there was absolutely no new construction in midtown and families joined a mass exodus to new homes being built in south Tulsa and the suburbs.  Many of our most prized midtown neighborhoods fell into deep decline that lasted close to 25 years before people started moving back and renovating homes which helped inspire and give confidence to developers who began to once again invest in midtown.  If we discourage and limit new construction it will likely only be a matter of time until the same thing happens again. 


     That's why you typically see more deterioration in neighborhoods that have little change than neighborhoods that have a lot of change.  The diversity of housing types and styles is after all what makes midtown Tulsa neighborhoods so desirable when compared to typical suburban sub-divisions where 300 homes often share 5 or 6 floor plans and the homes all look so much alike.   

     In midtown, one of the biggest complaints has focused on a project at 24th & Yorktown Ave where a smaller home (built on 3 previously platted lots) with a 2007 total market value for assessment purposes of $280,000, was leveled to make way for 3 new homes.  The total value estimated for the three new homes is projected at around $2.25 million.  The difference between the annual tax revenue before and after this project is approximately $26,000 annually. 

 

    Over a 10 year period that would be a total loss of revenue of over 1/4 of a million dollars just on this one single piece of property.  How many parks could you mow, how many potholes could you fill, and how many schools could you fund with a quarter of a million dollars?  If the Preserve Midtown group is successful in mandating a "preservation overlay" for all of midtown, it is doubtful projects like that one would ever be built in the future; which could be economically disastrous to tax revenues as well as to your homeowners property rights in general.

 

Hopefully a sensible  compromise will be achieved

 

    We applaud associations who stay involved and work to protect the interests of their neighborhoods.  Watchdog groups can be very effective keeping people informed of the issues and land use decisions which impact them.  We would respectfully request  that everyone tone down the rhetoric, finger pointing and name calling that leads to further divisiveness and engage in a constructive and meaningful dialogue that will serve us all well.

           
    
For more information we suggest you visit some of the blogs and forums listed on our Tulsa Talk page where a lively debate is taking place.  Hopefully a compromise can be reached that will protect the interests of both sides in this issue.

 

 

For more information on
Midtown Tulsa Homes and Neighborhoods

please visit these pages:  
 

Midtown Tulsa | An Overview

Midtown Tulsa Homes & Neighborhoods

Midtown Tulsa Luxury Homes