Eyes are on east Tulsa this year as major developments, including a massive data center and the controversial Cry Baby statue, could call the area home.
Project Anthem is one of several data centers on the horizon for the Tulsa area. The Cry Baby statue is in talks to be built at the northeast corner of East 11th Street and South 129th East Avenue.
These are only a couple of events on the horizon in east Tulsa this year.
We spoke to Tulsa councilors Christian Bengel and Karen Gilbert, who represent the majority of the east side, about their 2026 priorities. Both councilors recently entered their respective roles as chair and vice chair of Tulsa City Council — and they’re ready to set their sights on improving the east side.
Gilbert, elected to serve as chair for the 2026 council year, said there’s a lot of work to get done.
“I’m just anxious to get back at it and move our city forward,” she said.
Bengel, who serves as vice chair, said he’s trying to reverse the psychological view of east Tulsa this year.
“I feel like people have just kind of said, ‘You know what, the city doesn’t care about us,’” Bengel said. “I want to do what I can to help people understand that we can have much better, but we as a community have to take some responsibility ourselves.”
Bringing east Tulsa a roadside attraction
East Tulsa may soon be home to the controversial “Cry Baby Cry” statue — a 20-foot child on a bicycle with tears rolling down its face. Under the proposal, the $250,000 publicly-funded art piece would be placed next to a Route 66-themed restaurant at the corner of the property.
The proposal to bring the statue to east Tulsa didn’t happen organically, Bengel said.
Bengel, who took office in 2022 and is now chair of the city’s Route 66 Commission, wanted his district to have an attraction to help generate traffic and interest.
“People are making investments — we have to figure out how to get them over here,” he said. “There’s got to be a reason for people to come over here.”
Route 66 runs through east Tulsa but there are no plans so far to include the region in the centennial celebrations set for this year. City leaders have been in talks to add new murals in the area ahead of the celebration.
Project Anthem data center
The Project Anthem data center — a proposed $800 million, 340-acre facility in east Tulsa — is planned for the intersection of East 11th Street and the Creek Turnpike. Data centers have drawn opposition from local lawmakers and residents alike due to their high usage of electricity, water and other resources. Proponents say they bring in much-needed tax revenue.
Bengel said people don’t realize how as a society they created the need for data centers.
“We created this problem,” Bengel said. “And now the chickens are coming home to roost.”
People need to be calm and rational about how data centers can benefit the community and ask questions, he said. He wants to make sure that there’s job creation and not just a big development taking up space.
Increasing community engagement
Gilbert, who was elected in 2011, said her priority for east Tulsa is to make sure community members are aware that she’s there to help.
“I’m available to help with any issues, whether it’s street rehab, sidewalks, or code enforcement issues, just working with them to make sure that they have a voice at City Hall, just like everybody else,” she said. “For the last several years, it’s been really touch and go for them to where they didn’t feel like they were getting support.”
She now has more of east Tulsa in her district since the city was redistricted in 2022. It’s a new area for her that she’s excited to be part of — and Gilbert said she’s working with Bengel since their districts sit next to each other.
Bengel wants to increase community engagement in his district. He wants more people involved in conversations, asking questions and showing up at town halls and City Hall.
“At some point we’re going to need somebody to take my place, and we want somebody who’s interested in the community, not their own personal interests and their own personal agendas, but really sees the community,” he said.
Managing infrastructure, mobile vendors
When it comes to food trucks and mobile vendors, Bengel has been concerned about oversaturation in the east Tulsa market — too many trucks versus the amount of brick-and-mortar businesses in the area.
“The more buildings and suites we have vacant, it’s going to cause further decline, further attraction of crime,” he said.
Gilbert and Bengel have been working to better regulate food trucks before the state made changes at their level, she said.
Oklahoma passed two laws earlier last fall around food truck licensing and fire safety. Mobile food vendors will have to renew their permit and be inspected annually.
State law also requires new fire suppression systems, which some vendors say are an unnecessary and costly burden for their businesses. Gilbert plans to continue discussing permitting processes with mobile vendors and entrepreneurs.
Helping east Tulsa’s immigrant community
Gilbert works with residents in her day job at Tulsa Crime Prevention Network, also known as Tulsa Crime Stoppers, to relieve any fears they may have and helps them connect better with Tulsa police officers. She hopes to continue doing so this year, and finding ways to improve relationships with the city’s fire department.
Bengel, on the other hand, wants people to know that if they’re a victim of crime — regardless of legal status — that they can call 911 for medical care.
“I want the people in my district to know that regardless of what the federal and state government may be doing, your municipality doesn’t support those specific things of targeting citizens or folks of questionable immigration status,” he said.
This story has been updated to reflect the correct description of Project Anthem.
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