City of Tulsa/TAEO(Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity)

PROJECT PURPOSE

As a part of a regional effort to establish the Tulsa Regional Advanced Mobility (TRAM) Cluster, the City of Tulsa is partnering with Fair Oaks Ranch LLC (aka Robson Ranch) to pursue development of thousands of acres in east Tulsa. Comprised of ~2,000 acres for industrial development and 3,000 acres for commercial, retail, and residential development, the project will expand northeast Oklahoma?s population, amplifying the state?s ability to attract and retain major employers. The project builds upon the region?s proposal for EDA?s Build Back Better Regional Challenge and funds critical wastewater infrastructure necessary to support this long-term growth and development. More specifically, the project would fund improvements to the Lower Bird Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion, Catoosa Relief Interceptor, and Main Stem North Lift Station Relief. Development of the industrial site alone is expected to create 4,000-9,000 initial jobs; 8,000-19,000 total jobs including industry multipliers; and $1.6-$3.6 billion in annual incremental GDP at full expected capacity, to be realized within 5-10 years of construction completion. The project builds upon the Northeast Oklahoma Automotive Corridor, linking MidAmerica Industrial Park, Tulsa Port?s Inola industrial site, and Tulsa, thereby establishing Oklahoma as a leading national contender for major automotive and OEM projects.

EVIDENCE

Evidence used to validate the proposed intervention includes: - Direct feedback to the City of Tulsa and Oklahoma Department of Commerce from major companies and site location consultants who have considered the site and listed a lack of wastewater infrastructure as a key reason for eliminating it from consideration. - Standard economic modeling to calculate multiplier effects of job creation using assumed industry multipliers, wages, and capital investments (see Exhibits 7 and 9).

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

COVID-19 has greatly impacted the Tulsa region, which has seen a 10.4% decrease in employment and regional wage decline of 8.1% from January 2020. COVID-19 also has had a much larger impact on certain demographic groups, especially our BIPOC community. The recent labor shortage has also been highly concentrated in cities, while rural communities lack a sufficient demand for labor due to limited job growth. The region faced challenges before COVID-19. Poverty rates for Tulsa County grew from 11.0 to 14.3 percent in the 2010-2019 period and opportunities varied for the region?s residents based on educational outcomes. For example, unemployment for Tulsa MSA residents with a high school degree is 1.8x higher than unemployment for those with a bachelor?s or higher. All of these circumstances point to a critical need to invest in the region?s infrastructure supporting long-term job growth in an effort to increase economic opportunity and growth. Wastewater infrastructure improvements at the Robson Ranch site will remove the primary barrier cited by prospective employers and strengthen the links between key sites in Northeast Oklahoma, creating enhanced economic opportunities in the state?s second largest metro, and across rural communities in Wagoner, Rogers, and Mayes Counties and the surrounding areas. t

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The proposed project will benefit from the project performance measures and processes which we will put in place for EDA?s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. These metrics will be collected and monitored by the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity (TAEO), leveraging a database that will be implemented in FY23. Key data points tracked will include: - Jobs created. - Average wages of jobs. - Total capital investment. - Disadvantaged business entity (DBE) participation (goal of 10%) Advanced mobility companies targeted (goal of 12) Advanced mobility companies attracted (goal of 5-11)

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma