Tulsa Board of Adjustment Meeting No. 1390 — September 8, 2026

The City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment (BOA) held Meeting No. 1390 on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:29 p.m. in the Tulsa City Council Chamber, 175 E. 2nd St. The board approved the August 25, 2026 minutes, considered nine new-business cases (BOA-24087 through BOA-24095), and took action on eight; the assisted-living special exception (BOA-24094) failed to receive a majority and was not approved. The largest public hearing involved 22 signed-up speakers, and the board used a three-minute speaker limit.

Approval of Minutes

• Minutes of Meeting No. 1389 (August 25, 2026) were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• BOA-24089: A neighbor at 11045 E. 14th St. opposed the proposed roughly 1,800 sq. ft. home, saying nearby houses are about 1,020 to 1,220 sq. ft. including garages and that the plan did not match the neighborhood. The applicant said the home was designed to match the existing neighborhood and that windows on both sides were needed for fire egress in a three-bedroom plan. The applicant said there were five negative comments; board members later referred to three opposition letters, a discrepancy in the transcript.
• BOA-24094: More than 20 residents signed in to speak; staff reported 64 opposition letters and a petition with 158 signatures (one neighbor said he and his wife would add theirs, bringing the total to 160).
  • Opposition speakers, including attorney James H. Ferris and adjacent resident Russell Jacobson, argued the project would be injurious to the neighborhood due to 61st Street traffic, narrow 20-foot dead-end streets, lack of sidewalks, emergency-access problems, ambulance noise, medication-storage crime risk, lower property values, and lack of community engagement. HOA president Mark Meader said the surrounding HOA represents 350 homes and that most members opposed the project. Other opponents said they are not against assisted living generally but believe this site is inappropriate.
  • Tyler Perrett spoke in support, saying the community needs small residential senior housing and that the project would put a vacant home to use.
  • The applicants, Tammy Lupin and Joshua Friesenhahn, responded that the facility is not a medical facility or a rezoning, would look like a single-family home, and would have parking and traffic accommodations.
• Other cases: No public speakers appeared for BOA-24087, BOA-24088, BOA-24090, BOA-24091, BOA-24092, BOA-24093, or BOA-24095; written support or opposition is noted in the case summaries.

Discussion Items

• BOA-24087 — 2547 S. College Ave. E. (RS-2): Megan Fitch requested a special exception to increase maximum driveway width from 27 to 38 feet in the right-of-way for a front circle drive. She cited comparable circle drives in the neighborhood and support from adjacent neighbors. The board approved with a condition requiring landscaping, including at least one tree, on the island created by the drive.
• BOA-24088 — 12415 E. 18th Pl. S. (RS-3): William Beadles requested a special exception for a carport in the street yard and street setback because his car could not fit in the small garage. He reported no negative feedback and demonstrated other carports nearby. Approved.
• BOA-24089 — 11044 E. 14th St. S. (RS-3): Edward Welch requested a variance from the 50 percent minimum open-space requirement for a nonconforming 3,983 sq. ft. lot. The plan was an 1,800 to 1,820 sq. ft., three-bedroom, two-bath home with no garage and 44 percent open space. Board members found the hardship not sufficient and denied the variance. The denial motion described the request as a reduction from 50 percent to 47 percent, although the applicant said the plan would provide 44 percent; that discrepancy is in the transcript.
• BOA-24090 — 1116 S. 129th E. Ave. (CS): Summit Construction Group, represented by Alan Holcomb, requested Building Service and Warehouse special exceptions on behalf of LNS Overhead Door LLC. The proposed 6,000 to 6,500 sq. ft. warehouse would be designed for possible future conversion to retail units. One support letter was submitted; no opposition appeared. Approved.
• BOA-24091 — 8404 S. Union Ave. (AG): Nathalie Cornett requested a special exception for Outdoor Assembly and Entertainment use of an existing private sports field on an 80-acre property. The applicant said the field would serve local clubs, lighting would not run past 10 p.m., and there would be no bleachers. Approved with a condition limiting the use to an outdoor sports complex.
• BOA-24092 — 2119 E. 30th Pl. S. (RE): Nathalie Cornett requested a side-setback variance because a home built in 1995-96 was rezoned from RS1 to RE during construction. The east side encroaches to about 6 feet; the west side has a port-cochère. Approved. The applicant described the west-side encroachment as 10 feet from the property line, while the approval motion specified 9 feet; the transcript records that inconsistency.
• BOA-24093 — 1570 E. 22nd Pl. S. (RS-2): Joshua Friesenhahn requested a variance from the 25-foot rear setback to zero feet to attach a covered patio to an existing accessory building. Board members disagreed on whether the hardship was self-imposed; a motion to deny failed 2-2. The board unanimously continued the case to September 22, 2026.
• BOA-24094 — 3215 E. 61st St. S. (RS-1): Tammy Lupin and Joshua Friesenhahn requested an assisted living special exception for 12 residents in a 5,000+ sq. ft. home, exceeding the eight-resident household limit. The plan included 10 rooms (eight single and two double occupancy) and two to four caregivers on-site. Staff clarified that assisted living is a residential use under the zoning code and that a special exception is not a rezoning. Board members cited the lack of community engagement and the strength of neighborhood opposition. A motion to deny failed; no motion to approve was made, so no action was taken and the application was not approved.
• BOA-24095 — 109 N. Detroit Ave. (CBD): JC Fisher, representing Alpha School/CDS Development, requested a variance from the one-acre minimum school lot area to 0.2 acres for a K-8 school in the Detroit Lofts building. The lot is 8,700 sq. ft.; the school space is 3,759 sq. ft.; enrollment was 22 and would be capped at 50, with about eight staff. The applicant described a drop-off and pickup plan using a neighboring hotel alley, access to Reconciliation Park, and a turf play area. With three board members present due to one recusal, the board approved with an enrollment cap of 50 students.

Key Outcomes

• Approved unanimously: Minutes of Meeting No. 1389.
• BOA-24087 — Approved (4-0): Driveway-width special exception subject to island landscaping with at least one tree.
• BOA-24088 — Approved (4-0): Carport special exception.
• BOA-24089 — Denied (4-0): Open-space variance; hardship found insufficient.
• BOA-24090 — Approved (4-0): Building Service and Warehouse special exceptions.
• BOA-24091 — Approved (4-0): Outdoor Assembly/Entertainment special exception, limited to an outdoor sports complex.
• BOA-24092 — Approved (4-0): Side-setback variance.
• BOA-24093 — Continued (4-0): Case continued to September 22, 2026; denial motion had failed 2-2.
• BOA-24094 — No action / not approved: Assisted living special exception failed to obtain a majority; denial motion also failed.
• BOA-24095 — Approved (3-0): School minimum-lot-area variance with 50-student cap; one board member recused.

Board members' comments were brief, and the meeting was adjourned at 3:29 p.m.