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TULSA, Okla — Over the next five to seven years, Green Country Habitat for Humanity and its subsidiary, Boomtown
Development, will construct approximately 250 single-family homes in North Tulsa. The $35 million initiative will sell homes to first-time homebuyers who complete GCHFH’s Homebuyer Program.
“In 2015, Green Country Habitat for Humanity changed its strategy of building anywhere we could find
inexpensive land to concentrating our development in one area and working in partnership with other
organizations,” says Green Country Habitat for Humanity President & CEO Cameron Walker. “That
switch is exemplified in our partnership in the Kendall Whittier neighborhood. We played a crucial role in
providing access to homeownership and building high-quality homes that have helped transform that
area.”
Partnership will have a huge impact on North Tulsa
Walker said that when they began looking for the next area to focus their attention, North Tulsa was always at the top of
the list. The need for quality housing, particularly owner-occupied housing, in North Tulsa is profound.
The addition of 250 new homes and new homeowners in a relatively short period will have a huge
impact. “When you add that to the hard work that members of the community are doing along with
partners like the City of Tulsa and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, I have no doubt that the future
of North Tulsa is very bright,” Walker said in a press release.
Several projects in this initiative will begin this year. they include the Peace Pointe development at 33rd
Street North and North Columbia Avenue. The Whittier townhome community at East Admiral Place and
North Lewis Avenue and homes in the Dunbar neighborhood will also be included.
“The entire Green Country Habitat for Humanity team is extremely excited to begin work on a
concentrated effort benefiting North Tulsa,” says Shonda Fisher, Green Country Habitat for Humanity
Board Chair and Vice President of Accounting and Finance at Omni Air International. “The homes we
built in Kendall Whittier redefined notions of what affordable housing looks like, and what we will build
in North Tulsa is even better.”
Affordable homes that add value to the neighborhood
Fisher said the staff has worked hard to design homes that can be built at an
affordable price while delivering high style that will make the homeowners proud and add value to the
neighborhood. “These families will also have an asset and a financial toolset to help them build
generational wealth.”
The expansion of GCHFH’s work in North Tulsa is Phase II of the Strategic Focus the organization
adopted in 2015. At that time, GCHFH began building almost all its homes in the Kendall Whittier
neighborhood. It acted as a housing component of a larger community revitalization effort that combined
the forces of more than 20 public and private organizations to affect change and improve outcomes for
the citizens of the community.
New homes envisioned all across North Tulsa
GCHFH hopes to replicate and build on the success of its work in Kendall Whittier with a series of
developments across a broad swath of North Tulsa bounded by 56th Street North and I-244 to the north
and south and North Harvard Avenue and North Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard to the east and west.
As is the case in Kendall Whittier, many entities are focused on the revitalization of North Tulsa and
there is tremendous momentum for public, private and municipal organizations to join with community
stakeholders. The partnerships will help to create vibrant communities that provide equal opportunities for its residents.
“Tulsans throughout our community are working to close the life expectancy gap that exists between
North Tulsa and the rest of the city,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “A big part of that is establishing quality
affordable housing. At the City of Tulsa, we have established an Affordable Housing Strategy and just this
past November we initiated a tax increment finance district to channel over $40 million into North Tulsa
housing. Green Country Habitat for Humanity is a key partner in this work, and today’s announcement is
a powerful statement about their commitment to making Tulsa a city where every child has an equal
shot at a great life.”
Bill Major, Executive Director of The Zarrow Family Foundations said, “Building affordable housing for
homeowners is key to stabilizing families and neighborhoods as we have seen in the Kendall-Whittier
neighborhood. We at the Zarrow Foundations are excited to see this effort continue in North Tulsa.”
Peace Pointe development will kick off construction with a ground-breaking ceremony 11 a.m. next
Saturday, March 13.