PRESERVE OUR URBAN WILDERNESS

Now, almost exactly 30 years after the Turkey Mountain Special District was created, there is again an interest in commercial development adjacent to this wonderful natural recreation feature.

In city after city there are large commercial clusters as well as strips of commercial development. There is nothing unique about commercial shopping malls.

Wilderness group opposes proposed outlet mall near Turkey Mountain

A local wilderness coalition said Tuesday that it cannot support the proposed development of an outlet mall near the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness area, in part because the developer has been unable to fully address the organization’s concerns about the project’s impact on the area.

Can the tide be turning?

Turkey Mountain is in District Two. I live in District Two (2/10 of a mile from the Turkey Mountain parking lot) and Jeannie and I have exchanged emails a few times. She is not at all sold on the mall going on Turkey, and she can be quite influential with the other eight counselors. Take a few minutes to send an email. If you’re lucky and they respond, keep the dialogue open. These city officials work for us, and want to represent us.

Uninformed comments

Blah blah blah. ANYONE who has followed this story knows the land is privately owned. Kaiser did indeed buy a large amount of land between the Riverparks land and the proposed mall site and intends to keep it wild. Putting this mall next door to existing wild area, as well as paving 60 acres of wild area is devastating to this wilderness. And the mention of congestion?? This mall brings with it the worst traffic problems the sity has ever seen. Already, thousands of commuters bypass Tulsa Hills and speed down 61st Street and Elwood. Throw in this outlet mall and the two lane bridge over HWY 75, and this will be a major bottle-neck. This is a very sensitive issue to me, as I live in the neighborhood just west of the Turkey Mountain parking lot, and have to deal with traffic that has tripled since Tulsa Hills was built..