Today we continue with our guest blog posts from Summer 2024 TURC students’ research project. Each student was challenged to write a brief post that showcased an element of their research from this summer, in addition to an original visual representation of data they have been analyzing. Students will present their full research project on August 9th from 1-2pm (Helmerich Hall, Room 219). The presentation is open to the public and you can find more information and RSVP here: https://pp.events/a8l1nMpb
Today’s guest blog is from Michael Brobst, a rising sophomore in the Collins College of Business and Seeme Tiwana, a rising senior at Holland Hall. Together, they have been focusing this summer on housing supply in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Michael can be reached at mab8113@utulsa.edu or you can connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-brobst-26872a292/ and Seeme can be reached at htiwana25@hollandhall.org
Meeting the Housing Needs of Broken Arrow: Present and Future
Broken Arrow Oklahoma (BA) is a unique suburb of Tulsa. Its low housing costs, proximity to Tulsa and local amenities have made it a welcoming place for families to live and own homes. According to the housing study published by Points Consulting, these luxuries are attracting many families. Fortunately for BA, a large influx of people is expected in the coming years. However, BA’s current housing infrastructure lacks what is needed to house them.
The current BA population recently surpassed 117,500 in 2023, a 20% increase from its population in 2010. At this pace, BA is expecting an additional 40,000 residents over the next 20 years. This rapid population growth threatens to inflate housing prices with a vacancy rate of only 5%. This can be seen in the table below with population and home values rising together. BA home prices are rapidly rising with home values jumping 30% in 3 years. Rising housing prices have started taking a toll on BA citizens with 22% of prospective home buyers struggling to afford average-priced homes and 72% of low-income renters being cost-burdened. The primarily burdened of these individuals are the low-to-middle income families looking for starter homes which BA significantly lacks. The BA housing market is in good shape relative to the state and the country but will not continue to be if strategies are not implemented to accommodate this influx of people. Broken Arrow lacks the housing supply and affordability needed to accommodate its people. Broken Arrow needs more multifamily zoning, priority development incentives, housing diversification, homebuyer assistance, and a housing committee to solve their crisis.
86% of BA’s housing zoned land is zoned for single-family housing with only 10.6% of land being zoned for multifamily housing. To accommodate a larger population, BA will need to transition single-family and agriculturally zoned areas into multi-family zoning. Once areas of BA have been rezoned to multifamily housing, BA can waive development fees for multifamily housing incentivizing developers to take on multifamily projects. This avenue is not without its limitations as the public may be opposed to rezoning areas of town, meaning the rezoning process may be timely. While awaiting rezoning, BA needs to diversify what is allowed in single-family zoned areas. The development of duplexes, twin homes, and townhomes in these areas provides more affordable housing and less land demand.
For BA to accommodate new home buyers, it can implement a homebuyer assistance program that provides applicants with 50% of the required down payment on a house. This program is already implemented in BA’s peer cities of Edmond Oklahoma and Midland Texas. Finally, BA needs direction to secure its housing future which is why it needs a housing committee. A housing committee would help guide BA in the right direction while it grows. Although a difficult path ahead, Broken Arrow can successfully house those moving in while keeping its housing costs low if it implements these five strategies.
City of Broken Arrow, City reviews housing study findings. City of Broken Arrow, 2024. https://www.brokenarrowok.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2444/1317
Points Consulting. Hitting The Target: Housing Needs Assessment & Forecast For Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 2023-2040. Points Consulting, 2024. https://points-consulting.com/hitting-the-target-housing-needs-assessment-forecast-for-broken-arrow-oklahoma-2023-240/
United States Census Bureau, Broken Arrow city. United States Census Bureau, 2024.
Zillow, Broken Arrow OK, Housing Market. Zillow, 2024.
