Tulsa officials broke ground Thursday on The Hilltop, a 106-unit affordable housing development on MLK Boulevard next to Oklahoma State University’s Tulsa campus. Twenty of those units will be designated for individuals transitioning out of homelessness, marking the first time a Tulsa Housing Authority property has those designations.
The groundbreaking was a celebration of the city’s progress in its goal to achieve functional zero homelessness by 2030 and build 6,000 affordable housing units by 2028.
During the groundbreaking, Mayor Monroe Nichols praised Tulsa County, THA and the Zarrow, Burnstein Family and Schusterman Family foundations for rising to the challenge of caring for the city’s homeless population.
Nichols expressed his gratitude for the county’s partnership with the city to establish a low-barrier shelter in the former Tulsa County juvenile detention center.
“You’re starting to see all of us just really come together … whether the projects are complex, it’s how we’re meeting the needs of young people across this community, or it’s how we’re building a strong economy, we are all doing it together,” the mayor said.
Bill Major, president of the Zarrow Family Foundation, said The Hilltop will stand as a model for what it takes to address Tulsa’s homelessness crisis with both compassion and strategy.
“Today, we take a major step forward, and it’s a step built on the shared belief that Tulsa can and should be a place where every person has to come,” Majors said.
The Hilltop will cost $36 million and be a combination of public and private financing. Built on top of a hill with an expansive view of downtown, the project will replace the Sunset Plaza Apartments. Those were demolished in 2023 after being declared a public nuisance.
