Tulsa Pauses Data Centers, Tackles Monument Questions This Week

Good morning, this is Tulsa Local Pulse for Friday, March 13th, 2026. We're starting this morning with some important developments happening at City Hall that could shape Tulsa's future. The city council is seriously considering a temporary pause on new data center approvals, potentially lasting anywhere from six months to a year. Council members want time to review zoning rules and infrastructure capacity as the industry moves at lightning speed. One major project called Project Anthem is already under construction near 11th Street and the Creek Turnpike, representing an 800 million dollar investment that's expected to bring about 50 permanent jobs paying around 65,000 dollars a year. The planning commission should release recommendations as early as next week, with a council vote on the moratorium possibly happening later this month. Speaking of city decisions, there's also an ongoing conversation about monuments in our public spaces. The Kitty Gang Family Foundation is asking the Parks and Recreation Board to create a formal review process for controversial statues and monuments. They're specifically focused on the Tulsa Association of Pioneers monument in Owen Park, which includes names of known KKK members. The city is developing its first Public Arts Master Plan to create a more comprehensive framework for how we handle these kinds of decisions going forward. On a lighter note, we've got plenty of weekend activities for folks looking to get out of the house. There's the OK So Tulsa Story Slam happening tonight at Living Arts at seven o'clock with a confessions theme. If theater is more your speed, the Pembroke Players are performing Shakespeare in Love tomorrow and Sunday. And if you're in the mood for some Cajun flavor, Cajun Boil Catering is taking over Kitchen 66 at Mother Road Market from eleven in the morning through seven thirty at night tomorrow, serving up crawfish, crab legs, and more. Now turning to sports, the University of Tulsa Softball team is heading to Denton this weekend to face North Texas in their first American Conference road games of the season. The Golden Hurricane are looking for their first conference win with games starting at six tonight on ESPN Plus. On the crime front, Tulsa police released body camera footage this week from a violent incident in the Blue Dome district last May that left one person dead and several injured. The footage shows officers confronting two armed suspects in what was a chaotic situation. Both officer shootings were later deemed justified. One suspect is expected to enter a plea in May. Thank you for tuning in to Tulsa Local Pulse. Don't forget to subscribe for more daily updates on what's happening in our community. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.