Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment met at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in the Tulsa City Council Chamber, 175 E. 2nd St., to consider eight zoning cases. Only four of the five board members were present, so three affirmative votes were required for approval. The chair noted that Ms. Dumas would leave at 2:30 p.m., reducing the board to three members. The board approved the corrected minutes of Meeting No. 1392, approved six applications, denied one application, and continued one case to November 17, 2026. The meeting adjourned at approximately 2:31 p.m.
Applicant Domingo Maldonado, through counsel Anna Sanchez, requested a variance to display and store used vehicles for sale within 300 feet of an abutting residential district in the CS district. The property is a former Sonic drive-in on a 0.65-acre lot; the related special exception for personal vehicle sales had already been approved at the previous meeting. The applicant proposed a maximum of 25 vehicles, placed on the east and south sides farthest from the adjacent apartments, with existing screening fencing retained. The board discussed the narrow lot and minimal neighborhood impact. Vote: Approved 3-1, conditioned on no more than 25 vehicles on the south and east sides only; one board member, Mr. Hill, voted no, citing an insufficient hardship.
Applicant Nathalie Cornett, Eller & Detrich, P.C., requested a special exception for low-impact manufacturing and industry in the CH district to operate a boutique vinyl record pressing studio, said to be the first in Oklahoma. The 2,500-square-foot space would employ four to six people during business hours (8 a.m.–5 p.m.) and involve one production line. The applicant said the process produces no odor, vibration, or off-site noise, and the surrounding Pearl District includes music-related uses. Board members discussed limiting the exception to the leased space. Vote: Approved unanimously.
Applicant Jesse Bucelluni requested a variance to increase the aggregate wall-sign area in the CBD from 426 square feet to approximately 479 square feet. The building is 41 stories; an existing tenant sign at the top uses 426 of the 427 square feet otherwise available, leaving 1 square foot, and the applicant wanted to replace an existing sign at the same size using existing mounting structure. The board identified the size and height of the building as the hardship and approved the variance. Vote: Approved unanimously.
Applicant Katherine Ormond requested a special exception for an assisted living facility in the OL district. The existing building is under contract for purchase, near St. Francis Medical Center, and surrounded by office, commercial, and hotel uses rather than residential. The facility would have 11 beds, 24/7 occupancy, four staff during the day and one at night; the 61-occupant figure in drawings was a code calculation, not the planned occupancy. Vote: Approved unanimously.
Applicant W Design, represented by Roger McKee, requested a variance to reduce the minimum open space per unit in the RS-3 district from 4,000 to 3,480 square feet. The 7,000-square-foot lot is the smallest in the neighborhood; an asphalt-paved mutual access/emergency-access easement takes up approximately 736 square feet that would otherwise count as open space. The proposed house would be about 3,700 square feet. Board members divided, with some viewing the open-space requirement as important and others seeing the easement as a unique hardship; because a vote might split 2-2, the case was continued. Vote: Unanimously continued to November 17, 2026, so a fifth board member could be present.
Applicant Mark Capron, Wallace Design Collective, on behalf of LDF, requested a special exception for barbed-wire or razor-wire fencing in the CG district around a warehouse distribution and vehicle storage area. No residential uses are within 850–1,000 feet; the property is buffered by wetlands/floodplain, and an older Albertson's distribution center in the area already uses barbed wire. Vote: Approved unanimously.
Applicant Nathalie Cornett, Eller & Detrich, P.C., requested a special exception to allow entry gate features up to 12 feet tall in the street setback of the Estates at Tulsa Hills subdivision. The 8-foot masonry perimeter wall was already in place; the entry columns would range from 8 to 12 feet and be set back more than 70 feet from Maybelle. Board members found 12 feet excessive and without sufficient justification. Vote: Denied 3-1.
Applicant Daniel Ruiz, with his daughter, requested a special exception for an outdoor assembly and entertainment use in the CS district to operate a food truck court on family-owned property. Two food trucks would operate—Mexican food and Mexican snacks/ice cream—with requested hours of 11 a.m.–6 p.m., a dumpster area, and no covered seating. A neighboring property owner expressed support before the meeting, and the applicant had consulted the Health Department. The board supported the use but added conditions because of its proximity to a residential neighborhood. Vote: Approved unanimously, subject to hours of 10 a.m.–8 p.m. and a maximum of three food trucks on site.
Protestants or interested parties. The applicant will be given time to present the case not to exceed 15 minutes. The board will then hear from interested parties or protestants. Each party will be given time to speak not to exceed five minutes. Please do not repeat comments of previous speakers. After the board is heard from protestants or interested parties, the applicant may be allowed time for a rebuttal not to exceed 10 minutes. If you wish to speak in support or opposition to a case, please sign in before speaking. The sign in sheet is located here at the front desk. Exhibits given to the board will be kept and made a part of the permanent record. During the hearing, the board may ask questions of the applicant or interested parties at any time. Staff reports for each application are available as PDFs on the Board of Adjustment webpage at Tulsa Planning.org. After the presentations, the board will vote to approve or deny the application. If you are approved, staff will give you a copy of your case report following the hearing for your records. You will need to submit this documentation to the permit center as a revision to your current permit application or include the documents with a submittal for a new permit. If you submitted your permit through the online portal, please submit revisions in the same manner. When addressing the board, please state your name and address for the record. Please direct all comments into the microphone. A video of these proceedings is also being recorded for future airing on Tiga of Channel 24 Cable TV. Please silence all electronic devices. And if there are not any questions, Mr. Chair. All right, thank you, Nathan. So we're usually a board of five. So you can see we're only four today, so for your case to pass, you're gonna need three yeses. I'm at 2 30. We're gonna lose Mrs. Dumas. So then we're gonna be three. So if you need to request a continuous, you may come up with Mr. Nathan and request a continuous. I have one change on the minutes. Um case 24105. It's out of character, but I did vote yes on that one. It's got me down as a no, so is that the only comment we have? No further comment. Okay. So we have a motion to revise to update these minutes. Okay. Do we make an appropriate motion to approve with that with those changes? With that change? Okay, then um do you want to make the motion? Sure. Uh Mr. Chair, uh move to make a motion for meeting minutes to approve meeting minutes uh from 1392 October 13th, 2026, with the change that was previously mentioned.