Tulsa Board of Adjustment Meeting 1384 – June 9, 2026

The City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment held its 1384th meeting on June 9, 2026, beginning at 1:03 p.m. and adjourning at 2:28 p.m. The board considered nine agenda items including a consent calendar item, several special exceptions, and variances. All applications were approved with votes as noted.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda Item 1 – Minutes of Meeting 1383 (May 26, 2026): The board voted to continue approval of the minutes to the next meeting on June 23, 2026, as members had not had time to review the draft received that morning. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Agenda Item 2 (BOA24050): No public speakers. A letter from Holy Family Cathedral expressed support for the music venue and vinyl record press project, noting appreciation for development in the Cathedral District.
• Agenda Item 6 (BOA24054): No public speakers. A letter from Mr. Donahue, the neighbor to the south (out of the country), was received opposing the variance, though the applicant stated he had been unable to communicate with Mr. Donahue.
• All other agenda items had no public speakers or written opposition.

Discussion Items

• Agenda Item 2 – BOA24050 (913 South Boulder Avenue): Brian Elliott requested a special exception to allow a large indoor assembly and entertainment use (music venue with up to 1,300-person capacity) and a low-impact manufacturing use (vinyl record press) in the Central Business District. The project includes workforce apartments and a café in the former First Christian Church. The board found the adaptive reuse appropriate and the vinyl press minimal in impact. The motion to approve was unanimous.

• Agenda Item 3 – BOA24051 (5150 East 101st Street South): Tony Torres, representing River Oaks Presbyterian Church, requested a special exception to amend a previously approved site plan for a 5,000-square-foot addition to the religious education building. No parking or worship capacity increase was included. Two neighborhood meetings were held with no opposition. The board noted the church has operated since 1981 and the expansion is away from residential areas. The motion to approve was unanimous.

• Agenda Item 4 – BOA24052 (2629 North Columbia Avenue): Jesse Stringer requested a special exception to permit a detached single-family house in the CS district. The property had been rezoned from IL to CS to allow residential use while avoiding setbacks on adjacent industrial lots. The board discussed potential future conflicts but found the proposal modest. The motion to approve passed with Ms. Dumas abstaining (4-0-1).

• Agenda Item 5 – BOA24053 (262 North Yukon Avenue): Isaiah Coleman requested a special exception for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in an RS-3 district. The property is in Owen Park, which is outside an overlay that would have allowed ADUs by right; thus a special exception was required. The ADU will be created from an existing detached building and will serve veterans through a Section 8 voucher program. The board found the proposal thoughtful and consistent with the neighborhood. The motion to approve was unanimous.

• Agenda Item 6 – BOA24054 (3105 South Gary Avenue): Robert Bell requested a variance to reduce the rear street setback from 35 feet to 10 feet in an RS-1 district. The lot is irregular, fronting three streets (31st Street, Gary Avenue, and Gary Court – a dead-end street only 30 feet wide). The applicant argued the hardship arose from the lot shape and topography, and that the variance allowed the garage to be placed away from the neighbor’s driveway. The board split; Mr. Hill and Ms. Dumas voted no, citing the self-imposed nature of the large house size (4,356 square feet). The motion to approve passed 3-2.

• Agenda Item 7 – BOA24055 (7447 East 101st Street South): Derek McCall requested two special exceptions: to increase driveway width from 30 to 32 feet (and from 27 to 32 feet in the right-of-way) and to increase fence height from 4 to 6 feet within the front street setback for a large single-family home on a 4.7-acre lot. The lot contains floodplain and steep slopes, and the taller ornamental fence was requested for safety. The board found the relief reasonable given the lot size. The motion to approve was unanimous.

• Agenda Item 8 – BOA24056 (11405 East 27th Street South): Myra Ramos requested a special exception to modify dimensional and setback requirements for an existing partially built carport. The carport exceeded allowed size (21x25 feet vs. 20x20), height within 10 feet of property line (13’4” vs. 8’), and projection into street setback (25 feet vs. 20). Ms. Ramos stated she was unaware a permit was needed. The board acknowledged the modest overage and the need to protect vehicles from weather. The motion to approve passed 4-1 (Mr. Hill opposed).

• Agenda Item 9 – BOA24057 (Northwest corner of West 71st Street and South Union Avenue): Derek McCall requested two variances: to reduce the minimum number of cottage houses arranged around a common open space from three to two, and to increase the maximum building coverage per cottage house from 1,000 to 1,250 square feet. The 65-unit rental development on a steeply sloping 37-foot grade change could not accommodate townhomes as originally planned. The board acknowledged the unique topography and that the zoning code does not perfectly address this housing type. The motion to approve all variances was unanimous.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Unanimously: Agenda items 1 (continuance), 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9.
• Approved with Abstention: Agenda item 4 (Ms. Dumas abstained).
• Approved 4-1: Agenda item 8 (Mr. Hill opposed).
• Approved 3-2: Agenda item 6 (Mr. Hill and Ms. Dumas opposed).
• All applications were approved as requested; no applications were denied or tabled.