Regarding the proposed outlet mall near Turkey Mountain and the fears I’ve read that the construction will close, or seriously affect, the Turkey Mountain trails: let me first establish that I’m a fan of Turkey Mountain, and I also agree that it should be preserved. However, I am also a fan of the truth, though it is often less exciting. I’m also a fan of taking practical action.
Based on the proposal map, the construction wouldn’t be getting rid of Turkey Mountain at all. The outlet mall would be at the corner of 61st and 75, and would literally only affect one trail (a portion of the pink trail), if the proposal map is correct.
Now, regarding action: The entire northern half of Turkey Mountain appears to be located on private property. The sale of the portion at the corner of 61st and 75 has already gone through, and the plot was already zoned commercial by the city. This means that attempting to block the construction by contacting the city is futile, and voicing your concerns to the previous property owner is moot. Don’t waste your effort. The best idea would be to start pushing the city to purchase the remaining private property that the northern half of Turkey mountain resides on and re-zone it as a public park. THAT is a fight that could get results. Start hitting up the people who plan to run for political office in Tulsa and get them to make a formal stance on this in their platforms. Hit up the current political officers in the city and call them out on the issue publicly. Start fundraising to create a pool of money that can be used to purchase portions of this private property so it can be donated to the city on the condition that it be re-zoned as a public park. Fight the fight, but make sure you’re aiming in the right direction and make sure your efforts aren’t wasted.
Thank you for this. So, whose bright idea was it to build a public park on somebody’s private property?