At Tuesday's Oklahoma City Council meeting, the OKC Planning Department presented its first city-wide housing strategy, which aims to expand housing options and address local affordability concerns.
The city hopes to work with stakeholders to build 4,000 new homes each year while preserving or repairing 1,000 existing homes annually. Over the ten-year plan, that's a goal of about 50,000 total homes across a range of housing types and income levels.
"New homes and revitalized neighborhoods help people age in place, support local businesses and commercial districts, and create opportunities for communities to thrive," said Housing Strategy Implementation Manager Shannon Entz.
The plan also details some of the challenges it hopes to address. About 77,000 households in Oklahoma City are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing, and the city's eviction rate was 7% higher than the national average in 2024.
In addition to affordability issues, Oklahoma City is projected to reach one million residents by 2055. That means the city will gain about 280,000 new residents, according to 2025 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Projected growth requires the city to consider infrastructure needs, according to the plan. For example, with limited space for new roads, the city will need more public transportation and more housing options near public transit.
The Housing Strategy also includes "guiding principles" separate from the city's quantifiable plan. Those include respecting the history of diverse neighborhoods, building lasting housing types for all stages of life and maintaining integrity by being transparent with the community.
"Housing is more than a roof over our heads," Entz said. "This strategy is a call to action: let's build, preserve, and invest in OKC neighborhoods where everyone can prosper."
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