The Tulsa City Council has been stymied for months on a policy-driven measure to limit dollar-store developments, a proposal that has become a contentious moral issue involving the north Tulsa community.
Passionate pleas for racial parity have run into strong stances by city councilors who call the idea of a moratorium — especially one that would be citywide — less than ideal, at best.
Following are questions and answers about some of the core points in the discussion since the matter surfaced.
What would the moratorium actually do?
Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper proposed the six-month moratorium earlier this year. She says blocking any new dollar stores would give planners time to craft permanent changes pertaining to development.
Hall-Harper has framed the moratorium as a measure to counteract a proliferation of dollar stores in her district, which she says negatively affect her community’s health in the absence of grocery stores with better food options.
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Some areas of north Tulsa have an almost 10-year life-expectancy gap from areas in south Tulsa, an issue that has become the focus of several nonprofit groups and various officials at City Hall — notably the Mayor’s Office.
Why are some opposing it?
Opponents of the moratorium argue that it would do little more than send an anti-development message to businesses while not effectively addressing the real goal of eliminating the north Tulsa “food desert” and closing the life-expectancy gap.
City legal officials also argue that enacting a moratorium could make the city a target for lawsuits from the multibillion-dollar industry behind dollar stores.
Councilors who have voted against the moratorium have also focused on the form of the proposal, which makes the measure citywide rather than only in City Council District 1 in north Tulsa.
City legal officials advised that the moratorium, if based on essentially arbitrary council district lines, would increase the city’s risk of being sued.
If the council is against it, why is it still an issue?
In early August, the moratorium proposal got its first day in the spotlight. After hours of discussion and more than 20 speakers — most of whom were in support — councilors decided to table the discussion so they could hold an executive session on legal questions.
That discussion was held Aug. 16 behind closed doors, and councilors took up the issue again two weeks later.
Even more members of the community attended, largely speaking in support of the moratorium, before the council began its discussion — stretching the meeting past three hours.
Through those meetings, Hall-Harper’s proposal has transformed into a conversation about race and fairness, with moratorium supporters trying to make their position more clear to elected officials.
Literally in the 11th hour on Aug. 30, just before a vote that appeared to be headed toward defeat for the moratorium, Hall-Harper made an amendment to draw its boundaries to an area that closely resembles District 1 instead of citywide. Several studies of north Tulsa that encourage healthier food options were consulted in redrafting the moratorium boundaries.
That amendment so significantly changed the posted meeting agenda item that City Attorney David O’Meilia advised the council to table discussion again so that proper public notice could be given.
That meeting is now scheduled for Wednesday.
Isn’t north Tulsa getting new grocery developments already?
Yes. Two are being planned.
Supermercados Morelos announced last year that it plans to open a third local store in a shopping center at Pine Street and Harvard Avenue. The store is projected to open this month.
Also, the owners of a west Tulsa Save-A-Lot grocery have a new store planned for the southeast corner of 36th Street North and Peoria Avenue.
Those two stores, once opened, will alter the landscape of the food desert, but Hall-Harper and others say more is needed — education, limiting less-healthy options and actual long-term support for the stores.
How many dollar stores are there in north Tulsa? Are there really more than in other districts?
A map of Tulsa’s 49 dollar stores was created by the Indian Nations Council of Governments at the request of the council. It shows that 16 dollar stores are near or north of the Interstate 244-axis through Tulsa, including Districts 1 and 3. Seven are specifically in Hall-Harper’s District 1.
The rest of Tulsa has 33 dollar stores, according to the map.
That’s about 5.4 dollar stores per district while the north Tulsa districts — including stores that border the districts — average 8.
The two districts with the most dollar stores are actually west Tulsa’s District 2 and Hall-Harper’s District 1 — each with eight locations.
Councilor Karen Gilbert’s District 5 and Councilor David Patrick’s District 3 each have seven.
