Tulsa Looks At Incentives To Lure Retailers
City considers incentives to bring big-box retailers to Tulsa
BY ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer
City councilors are considering a multimillion-dollar incentive program aimed at making Tulsa more competitive with surrounding cities in attracting big-box retailers.
“Everyone, it seems, is looking for incentives, and really to be competitive you’ve got to have those incentives to offer up,” Economic Development Director Clay Bird told councilors Thursday.
The program would offer up to $2 million in sales-tax rebates for businesses that would generate substantial sales-tax revenue, such as Costco, a national discount retailer long rumored to be interested in Tulsa, Bird said.
Other cities in the region, such as Oklahoma City, have similar programs, and even Tulsa’s suburbs have offered retail incentives where Tulsa has not, Bird and Retail Marketing Coordinator Tammy Fate said.