After an Oklahoma city councilman visited Fort Worth in April to check out the city’s progress on redevelopment of its urban core, the city’s officials have decided to study how Cowtown and Charlotte, N.C., managed such a bang-up job.
Oklahoma City’s Planning Department Director Russell Claus said that Fort Worth is “already there” in terms of urban renewal, and wants to follow in Fort Worth’s booted footsteps.
The city council will meet in a special session later this month to discuss what they learned from Fort Worth and Charlotte.
From The Oklahoman:
The meeting, set for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 18 at Oklahoma City Community College, will begin with a presentation from Fort Worth officials before a presentation by their counterparts from Charlotte. Greater Oklahoma City Chamber President Roy Williams will follow with a talk on what the chamber has learned from a series of visits to other cities in recent years.
Oklahoma City Planning Department Director Russell Claus has helped to organize the meeting and said it presents an intriguing opportunity for the council.
The city has spent lots of time planning urban redevelopment projects such as MAPS 3 and big ideas such as Core to Shore, but is early in the process compared to Fort Worth and Charlotte. As local leaders look into the future as they devise plans, it’s helpful to learn from a city that’s “already there,” he said.
As we wrote in a recent cover story, Fort Worth’s redevelopment is starting to pay off with more residents moving back to the inner city, resulting in higher property values in certain areas, especially the Near Southside.
Looks like other cities are beginning to take notice, too.
