In July of this year, the City of Sapulpa sent out a survey asking residents how they felt about parking in Sapulpa’s downtown.
In a town of more than 20,000 residents, there were 600 responses.
Planning Consultant Scott Bruce presented the study’s results and a proposal to handle the findings to Sapulpa City Council during Monday’s Study Session meeting.
According to the presentation, the public survey comments centered around the lack of parking on Dewey Avenue and the need for easy access to retail space, particularly for the elderly or handicapped.
Some of the comments, such as those regarding uneven sidewalks or accessibility, are already being resolved with the construction currently wrapping up on Dewey Avenue, or will soon be resolved in a series of updates set to take place next year on the side streets.
The loss of parking spaces on Dewey (the study estimated 52-56 spaces) was a point of concern when the streetscape project was announced, and the City of Sapulpa has been investigating options to make up for the lost spaces. In the study, Bruce presented five options near major thoroughfares where buildings could be removed to make room for additional or expanded parking.
The proposed infill spaces raised the eyebrows of several sitting in the meeting, including current and former directors of Sapulpa Main Street, the organization dedicated to the preservation of Sapulpa’s historic downtown.
“Appreciate what we have”
Janet Birnie currently serves as president of the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce, but she served for a few years as Main Street Director. She’s worried that although there have been no moves made in any direction with this proposal, if the City decides to move forward, it could result in a loss of some of Sapulpa’s historic buildings—a loss she says would be unneccessary.
“Strategically thinking about parking is a good thing,” she said. “Seeing how we can help (Italian restaurant) Il Gusto, or preparing for what Will Bellis is going to be bringing into town is a smart move.”
(Author’s note: Will Bellis is the owner of Arrowhead Land Company and purchased the building next door, which is being converted into a state-of-the-art indoor golfing experience. It’s due to open late this year or early 2026.)
“Hobson is going to need more parking. But tearing down buildings in the core of our historic downtown isn’t what needs to happen,” she said.
At least two of the buildings in the proposal have historic significance, including what used to be the Criterion Theater (Number 3 on the Map) on South Water Street, and the American Legion building on East Lee (Number 4).
Birnie was Main Street Director when Broken Arrow was planning what would become their Rose District. She said Broken Arrow officials came to Sapulpa because it was our downtown they wanted to emulate.
“They wanted it to look like us. They wanted it to look historic,” she said. “But it’s not. We have that.”
She now says that people visit Sapulpa are usually awestruck by the amount of old building stock downtown Sapulpa still has, even though it used to have much more. “Some of it is gone due to fires, but still, most people can’t believe we have so much,” she says.
Birnie acknowledges that there are a number of buildings downtown that are vacant and in danger of eventually being condemned, but she points to examples like what is now Reed Architecture and the Ovations buildings that have been purchased and restored and are now being actively used as proof that these buildings still have life in them.
“We want to keep and appreciate what we have,” she said.
“There are other areas”
Cindy Lawrence, the current Main Street Director, feels much the same way, and can relate more than most—her family’s cigar store building is one of those that became a parking lot, even when it wasn’t necessary at the time. “The building was owned by some folks who didn’t live here,” she said. “They gave my dad four days to vacate the building before they tore it down. There was nothing wrong with it…it was a great location!”
Lawrence says another “great location” is the building at the corner of North Water and East Dewey (Number 2 on the Map). It currently houses Human Skills, but if it ever became available, she says she could get it on its way to being sold or rented “that week.”
“We get calls all the time about it. People are always asking, ‘I need 3,000 square feet on Route 66,'” she says.
Lawrence says she’s worried that the survey respondents weren’t fully aware of the trade-off they’d be making. “I’m not sure that they’d agree if they knew the consequence would be tearing down one of our buildings,” she said.
The survey included a section on parking being removed from Dewey Avenue, and asked readers if they thought addition parking lots should be placed downtown, but there was no mention of demolishing buildings to accomplish that goal.
“There are other areas downtown that are currently vacant, and could be used for parking,” she says, adding that more parking at the County Courthouse will soon be made available after the former bank drive-thru on the property is removed, which is set to be demolished next year.
“Sapulpa doesn’t have a parking problem”
Former Main Street Director Tami Fleak is much more direct on the problem—and in fact, doesn’t believe it’s a problem at all.
“Sapulpa doesn’t have a parking problem,” she said in a phone conversation earlier this week. “Sapulpa has hundreds of parking spots downtown.”
She points to the Route 66 Christmas Chute as an example of Sapulpa’s ample parking options. Fleak served as one of the core committee members for the Chute, and was walking the streets during the event almost everyday.
“We had three years of thousands of people coming to downtown Sapulpa every night during the holidays, and you know what we never heard about? Parking.”
Fleak also pointed out that parking on the side streets would be increasing, particularly those for the handicapped. But she said the idea of tearing down a building to accommodate the loss of parking on Dewey is a stretch too far.
“Fifty-two parking spaces do not equal tearing down a historic building,” she said, adding that if business owners will create something worth coming to, they will find a place to park.
“Parking lots don’t drive business, they ruin places. Do you think Sapulpa is going to get a lot of business by putting a sign out that says ‘Welcome to Sapulpa, Parking Lot Capital of Route 66?’ No. But, if you have what they want, they will find a way to get to you.”
