Tulsa needs to increase its housing supply by 55% to meet the city’s demand over the next decade, city and state leaders were told Monday.
More than two dozen area lawmakers and Tulsa City Councilors met during a special meeting Monday at City Hall. Mayor Monroe Nichols continues moving to increase the city’s housing supply, but housing experts told councilors and lawmakers more needs to be done.
Only 830 residences were built per year from 2000-2021 in Tulsa, according to a study shown during the meeting. To meet demand, the city needs to produce 1,290 residences per year. Tulsa is far from alone — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates a national deficit of over 4.5 million homes, owing to underbuilding following the 2007-2009 economic recession. Rent in Tulsa has continued to rise in recent years. A 2023 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development study showed the average rent in Tulsa is $1,352 per month.
Nichols campaigned on achieving “functional zero homelessness” in Tulsa by 2030, a feat that would require the construction of thousands of new homes.
Tulsa’s existing housing stock consists of 60% detached houses, while the remaining 40% is split between smaller townhouses, condos, duplexes and apartments, Tulsa Development Authority Commissioner Jennifer Griffin said during the meeting. Most homes in the city have three bedrooms, Griffin said, but almost 70% of Tulsa households contain two or fewer people.
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The result is a city’s housing supply out of whack, with many Tulsans living in residences that are either too big or too small for their needs.
“This drives up costs,” Griffin said. “And it makes downsizing difficult.”
Griffin shared a study that showed 63% of respondents said they would be willing to live in a townhouse or condo if it were financially possible. She said about 60% of Tulsa is currently zoned for townhouses or condos. Yet those structures make up only 3% of Tulsa’s housing supply.
Townhouses are often more cost-effective than a detached home. They can be built on smaller lots and can be cheaper to maintain than a single-family home. But Oklahoma is one of just five states, including California, Minnesota, Maine and Pennsylvania, that require fire sprinkler systems in townhouses, adding a significant cost to new construction. Ending that mandate would be one way to quickly and cost-effectively increase the city’s housing supply, she said.