Country Club
Gardens
Cost: $55 million — $29
million from federal Hope VI
grant; remaining funds from
tax credits, federal home
loan bank and city support
through Community Develop-
ment Block Grants, HOME
grants and Enterprise fund-
ing.
Development: First five of
seven phases of develop-
ment complete. Sixth phase
waiting approval for use in
Northgate Neighborhood. The
final phase of private home
building is under way.
Occupan
cy: Of the 353
rental units, 217 are public
housing. Of the public hous-
ing, 80 units are designated
for residents 64 and older.
Occupancy is at 98 percent.
Amenities: Community
center with kitchen and multi-
purpose room, exercise facili-
ty, computer center, security
patrols, computer lab, medi-
cal clinic and a nationally ac-
credited child care center.
Source: Tulsa Housing Authority
Sunny subdivision leaves its shady past behind
B
Y
G
INNIE
G
RAHAM
World Staff Writer
F
or 8-year-old Jada Scott,
her home is part of a great
memory.
As she skips rope with a
friend, they trade stories about
their families and debate the
chance of breaking their
jump-rope record of 200
consecutive jumps.
The girls gather with friends
each day after school in their
neighborhood, Country Club
Gardens. They like being
outside, which offers views of
the downtown Tulsa skyline and
the immaculately manicured
Tulsa Country Club golf course.
“My grandma and I sat
outside watching the golfers and
taking pictures and looking at
the birds,” Jada said. “It was a
really nice day. We had a good
time. The houses here are just
beautiful.”
Jada was born the year the
development began. Her home
now stands in place of the
former Osage Hills, the city’s
formerly oldest and most
run-down public housing site.
Considered by some residents
to be an eyesore and crime
haven, Osage Hills has been
transformed into a new
subdivision bordered by historic
mansions, the golf course and
the Tisdale Expressway.
It is a step up from the last
place 11-year-old Keiyana Cheat-
ham said she lived.
“It was old and raggedy, and
the electricity didn’t work half
the time,” Keiyana said. “This
place is nice. Everything works,
and we don’t get bugs. I like
staying in my yard and playing.
It’s a comfortable place to live.
It’s safe.”
The duplexes are designed to
mix renters who pay full market
rate and those who rely on
public housing subsidies.
Francis Ware said she chose
to use her Section 8 voucher in
Country Club Gardens because
of the home layout and services.
She lives next to families who
pay market price.
“We don’t look at it as who
pays the full amount and who
doesn’t,” Ware said. “We want
one big community who gets
along. This is the only place I
wanted to go when I applied” for
Section 8.
Each day, Ware joins her
three children — ages 4, 5 and
7 — take advantage of several
youth programs, including Camp
Fire and the computer lab. She
points out the vibrant home
exterior colors, landscaping and
playgrounds.
“Some people say this looks
like ‘Mister. Rogers’ Neighbor-
hood,’ ” Ware said. “My kids
have their own backyard, own
front yard and much more to do.
There is something for them to
do every day.
“It’s wonderful. It’s secure, and
we have had no problems. It’s
been enjoyable having our own
peaceful place.”
When the development began,
some critics, including Sen. Tom
Coburn, R-Okla., blasted the cost
of the project, which was
estimated to be between $50
million and $55 million.
Although the construction cost
is about average at $72 a foot,
other funding was needed to
provide support services such as
self-sufficiency programs, a
community center and youth
activities, THA Executive
Director Roy Hancock said.
To attract developers, the fees
they received could be as high
as 9 percent, he said.
“These types of projects are
costly,” Hancock said. “It wasn’t
that it didn’t need to be done.
But we have about $1.5 million
in resident services alone. There
are so many other components
and mandates that contribute to
the cost. The project is more
than bricks and mortar.”
The development took longer
than expected because of
unforeseen approvals required
from different agencies, he said.
Construction was broken into
seven phases, with the fifth
phase completed in March. THA
officials have requested funding
for the sixth phase to be used to
rehabilitate and build homes in
the Northgate neighborhood.
Hancock said sixth-phase
funding is not enough to build
more units in Country Club
Gardens. But it can be useful in
the revitalization effort in
Northgate, the city’s
northernmost neighborhood.
Crown jewel: The final phase
of the development is under way
with the construction of private
homes along the golf course. Of
the 21 lots available, two have
homes that were finished in
March and are for sale.
“We consider this to be an
extremely important part of the
project,” Hancock said. “This will
be the crown jewel of homes
along the Tulsa Country Club.”
Toby Powell, president and
owner of Concept Builders, said
his company created a home
design specifically for Country
Club Gardens. All the homes
will be custom-built to the
owners’ wishes.
The homes are equipped with
high-end appliances and tile and
marble. The model home has a
covered porch, two-car garage,
four bedrooms and a family
room with large windows
showing a golf green. The
homes range from about 1,800
to 2,200 square feet with costs
between $120,000 and $140,000.
Lots are about 70 feet wide.
Builders estimate that it will
take two to three years for the
private development to be
completed.
“What we run into, like with
any subdivision anywhere, is
getting the first six houses up,”
Powell said. “Once people see
cars in driveways, it will take
off.”
All residents can use the
amenities, such as after-school
youth programs, the computer
lab, medical clinic and fitness
room.
Country Club Gardens
residents using public housing
assistance must go through a
self-sufficiency program, have
goals for moving off the
subsidies, have no felony
convictions and undergo a rental
history screening.
Once people move from public
assistance, they can remain in
their homes by paying market
rate. No other public housing
site has that option.
Home builder Tom McDermitt
said the presence of regular
security patrols is a selling point,
along with the nearness to
downtown, the golf course and
community programs.
“We were thinking about
outdoor living with people sitting
on their front and back
porches,” he said. “If we can
overcome the stigma of what
was here before, show the
amenities and how nice it is to
be along the golf course, I think
it’ll go well.
“Where else in north Tulsa
can a person find a golf course
lot? Those are always at a
premium anywhere.”
Ginnie Graham 581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com
A 20
Saturday, May 20, 2006
A
W
T
ULSA
W
ORLD
MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World
Jada Scott, 8, jumps rope Wednesday at Country Club Gardens, the former site of the Osage Hills
public housing complex.
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