News & Updates

It was a rainy spring afternoon when Neighborhood Alliance sat down local community leader John Milner at a local coffee shop in downtown Oklahoma City. Despite the weather, he walked to our meeting which, given his commitment walkable neighborhoods, was not a surprise. John is also committed to his hometown. His love for Oklahoma City and his community became evident as we talked.

 A lifelong resident of Oklahoma City and graduate of Putnam City High School, John has witnessed significant change and growth across the city. 

When asked about changes he has seen, his perspective was positive. 

“I think it has been exciting,” Milner said. “I remember being in high school, and for fun we did what I think was traditional—we would go to the mall or to a movie, but always on the north side of town. I never remember coming into any of our Arts Districts or going downtown.” 

John moved to Meadowbrook Acres, a neighborhood close to the area where Classen Curve has been developed in his early 20s and said connecting with neighbors there gave him a taste for neighborhood work. The experience gave him a chance to learn how to create a community’s identity and best lay out a collaborative effort in defining a sense of pride for a neighborhood and business space as it developed together. 

From Meadowbrook Acres, Milner explored the Linwood neighborhood where he moved into a little house with a wonderful front porch.

“I loved it! I never would have envisioned that growing up on the north side of town,” he recalled. 

However, Milner didn’t just live in the community, he invested in it. He and some friends opened a screen-printing business called Tree and Leaf in the Plaza District, which opened the same day as Pie Junkie during a “Live on the Plaza” event one Friday. 

“It was like a side college business…and it snowballed from there. We had a blast,” John said as he remembered the “Daily Thunder” series of shirt prints that came as OKC became prouder each season of the beloved basketball team.  

Milner believes the success of business districts, along with City’s investment in them, and thoughtful citizens who pulled together with the mindset that areas were worth saving is partially what has made OKC’s renaissance such a resounding success. 

“A lot of people discovered places like the Plaza and just kept going.” 

Although he claimed he did not have time for a new project or mission often, it was a simple bench that caused John to become involved in the Linwood Neighborhood Association. 

“It was one minor, minor thing that got me involved and it was this old, dilapidated park bench that was in our median. I mean for like a year I drove by this thing,” Milner recalled. The bench led him to finally call Linwood’s president and say, “no more. I am replacing this park bench. I just want to give you a heads up.” He finished it and repainted it bright yellow and put back in the median. Shortly after that he got a call from the president at the time asking him to join the neighborhood board. After working on committees and chairing the neighborhood’s home tour, John was elected Linwood’s president. When he looks back at his time in that role, he says his favorite memories are all the events, large and small, that he and his neighbors organized. 

“Anytime we had an opportunity to get residents together, picnics, the home tour, progressive porch parties, that’s what it is about,” Milner replied, remembering simple things that brought neighbors together.

 John became known for having a popcorn machine on his porch, which was the feature which had drawn him to purchase the home. 

“You are outside your home, watching your neighborhood, waving at your neighbors, they are coming over to talk to you or it’s a Friday night and you’re rolling the popcorn machine out and just making popcorn for people who are walking by.” 

John reflected on the things he had learned as a neighborhood leader one of the things he is proud of is the way he and his neighbors worked through a Simplified Planned Use Development (SPUD) to rezone a lot in their neighborhood. 

“I learned how to work with people. I learned a lot about people’s character. I learned about people’s intention,” Milner said. “I also think I learned that it is far more valuable to listen and then respond. I think it also important if you are serving as a Neighborhood President to not tell people what to think but to help them work through a problem. The more opinions you can get on the table in a calm conversation the better the product you are going to get. It not easy and can take time but will be worth it.”

John has served Oklahoma City in so many capacities it’s dizzying. He was appointed to the Traffic Commission and then moved to the Historic Preservation Commission in February of 2020, before recently moving into a role as the Ward 6 Planning Commissioner earlier this year. 

He credits the work he had done in his neighborhood and on commissions for helping him to understand the system and know how to navigate the processes. “Every role I have had before joining the Planning Commission has benefited me in understanding the process. I am a big believer in processes. We need to have them. But I am also a big believer that if a process doesn’t work, we need to be ready to look at it.”

After living in Linwood for several years John surprised even himself by moving to the SoSA (South of Saint Anthony’s) neighborhood where he serves on the association’s board. The townhome he lives in is very different from the 1930 Tudor Revival home he left but, after 11 years, he felt it was time to hand it off to a new caretaker who could continue to love it and restore it. One of the aspects of his new neighborhood he loves is it walkability. 

When asked what makes someone a good neighbor?

“I like to tell people, you know everybody really is a good neighbor,” Milner replied. “You know what makes a good neighbor? Turning your porch lights on at night, bringing your trash cans up… Calling your neighbor to check in if something doesn’t look right at their house. Everything else is, you know, how much you want to be involved with your neighborhood.” 

“I think at the end of the day, what it means to be a good neighbor, is to have a tremendous amount of respect for the residents that live in your community. Different opinion, different ideas, different believes… and I think it’s also a willingness and want to help neighbors in need. Whether it be taking cookies to a new resident, dinner to a sick resident… It’s just little acts of kindness. It’s having respect for the 500 other opinions in your community.”