Urban Tulsa Weekly

Dave Strader, 8/23/2012 - 12:07pm
"Definition of Insanity: Making the same mistakes over and over while expecting a different outcome each time. Isn't that what the leadership of Tulsa is proposing now with this Vision2 package? Isn't this what they have been doing for the past 40 years? There is an alternative plan. Our future is in planning and we have a plan. The Comprehensive Plan. We have the talent to implement this plan through The Tulsa Planning Department. We have overwhelming support for the Comprehensive Plan from the thousands of Tulsan's who participated in and continue to support PlaniTulsa. Why aren't we doing everything possible to execute this plan? The City of Tulsa just began a program called Small Area Workshops. In these workshops, The COT hosts planning meetings inviting neighborhoods and business to work together in developing plans designed to help their areas succeed in the future. This is the first step in the planning process as outlined in the new comprehensive plan. Once the stake holders have a plan, the end result is called a Small Area Plan. This is a city sponsored process and neighborhoods all over Tulsa are lining up to participate. Sadly, that is where the city support ends. We are spending tens of thousands in tax payer dollars and untold volunteer hours churning out small area plans to no where. In the end,there is no policy or funding mechanism in place to implement any of them. Without funding mechanisms, Small Area Planning is nothing more than a pacifier for pipe dreams. When the planning is done and the COT goes home, neighborhoods are left to fend for themselves in locating funding for their plans and are solely responsible for implementing them. Doesn't that seem insane to you? Or is it merely ineptitude. Isn't it time we stopped the insanity and began to support the plans we already have? The Vision2 package presents us with a unique opportunity to do just that. Fund PlaniTulsa!"