Tulsa Board of Adjustment approves several variances and special exceptions, continues four items to July 22

The City of Tulsa Board of Adjustment, meeting as Case No. 1364, approved a series of variances and special exceptions affecting signage, vehicle sales and housing and continued four items for more information or revised plans.

Board members voted to grant special-exception permits allowing vehicle sales at two commercial sites and several signage variances, including requests to retrofit two existing QuikTrip freestanding signs with electronic message centers and to allow additional directional and presale signage at a renovation of the McDonald’s site on Admiral Place. The board also approved a request to permit a new manufactured home in an RM‑2 zoned lot and approved a reduced side‑street and garage‑door setback for a corner lot on North Owasso Avenue while continuing a related front‑setback request for two weeks.

Why it matters: these rulings affect how commercial properties use their frontage and how new residential construction fits older, narrow lots. Sign variances and electronic message centers (EMCs) can affect visibility and driver behavior along busy corridors; vehicle‑sales approvals change commercial activity and can shift parking demand; manufactured‑housing approvals affect housing supply and neighborhood character.

What the board decided (by case)

- BOA 23906 (1322 N. Lewis Ave.): The board approved the special exception to allow personal vehicle sales and rentals in the CS district (unanimous, 5–0) but continued the accompanying variance request to permit outdoor storage/display within 300 feet of an abutting residential district to July 22 for a clarified site plan and parking layout. Staff and the board asked the applicant to provide a clearer site plan showing striped customer parking, striped sales/display spaces and a layout that separates customer parking from sales inventory.

- BOA 23911 (11615 E. Skelly Dr.): The board approved a special exception to permit a small, new used‑vehicle sales lot on a previously vacant, platted CS parcel (unanimous, 5–0). The applicant told the board the proposal will be limited in scale (about 30 vehicles on site) and the board conditioned approval on the site plan shown in the packet.

- BOA 23907 (8105 E. Admiral Pl. S., McDonald’s): The board granted variances to increase the number of permitted driveway and drive‑through wayfinding signs to improve on‑site traffic management and pedestrian/vehicle safety on a busy commercial corner. The motion approved the conceptual signage plan shown in the packet (unanimous, 5–0).

- BOA 23909 (9555 S. Riverside Pkwy., QuikTrip): The board approved variances to allow two existing lawfully nonconforming freestanding signs to remain at their current height and area (16'4" tall, ~94.5 sq. ft. of display) and to permit the addition of an electronic message center in the existing cabinets; the board noted the signs predate the RDO overlay and are set back well from the right‑of‑way on a geometrically constrained lot (unanimous, 5–0).

- BOA 23910 (100 Civic Center): The board approved variances to allow two roof signs identifying the building (the applicant removed earlier roof signage and proposed new signage roughly in the same roof location). The board cited the building’s unique architecture and the practical difficulty of placing identity signage anywhere other than the roof (recusal noted for 1 member; motion passed 4–0 with one recusal).

- BOA 23908 (6132 W. 8th St. S.): The board approved a special exception to permit a manufactured housing unit in the RM‑2 district, subject to the plans and product specifications the applicant submitted (unanimous, 5–0). The applicant said the unit will be permanently installed on a perimeter/block foundation and will match the packet’s product illustrations.

- BOA 23912 (2147 N. Owasso Ave.): The board split its action. The board continued Item 1 (a request to reduce the standard 20‑foot street setback to 5'‑7") to July 22 to allow the applicant to supply clearer build‑line graphics comparing the required setbacks to the proposed footprint and adjacent lot setbacks. The board approved Item 2 — a reduction of the side‑street setback and the requested relief for a street‑facing garage door — finding the lot shape and age of the plat create practical difficulties (motion passed; the board adopted the applicant’s site plan and a written proof‑of‑hardship exhibit into the record; unanimous, 5–0).

- BOA 23904 and BOA 23905 (two midtown infill lots on 30th Place/30th Street): Both applications — variances related to open‑space and driveway coverage for new homes on nonconforming lots — were continued to July 22. Board discussion emphasized the recurring tension between large modern footprints and older, narrow lots: members repeatedly described the relief sought as “self‑imposed” unless the applicant can show a unique, non‑financial hardship or provide alternative driveway treatments that reduce impervious area. The board offered a liberal continuance so applicants might work with staff on revised designs and alternate paving/striping approaches (motions passed, continuances unanimous).

Votes at a glance (selected outcomes) - BOA 23906 (1322 N Lewis) — special exception APPROVED (5–0); variance CONTINUED to July 22. - BOA 23911 (11615 E Skelly) — special exception APPROVED (5–0). - BOA 23907 (McDonald’s signage) — variances APPROVED (5–0). - BOA 23909 (QuikTrip signs/EMC) — variances APPROVED (5–0). - BOA 23910 (100 Civic Center roof signs) — variances APPROVED (4–0, 1 recusal). - BOA 23908 (manufactured home) — special exception APPROVED (5–0). - BOA 23912 (Owasso) — Item 1 (front/street setback) CONTINUED to July 22; Item 2 (side‑street and garage relief) APPROVED (5–0). - BOA 23904 & BOA 23905 (infill driveways/open space) — both CONTINUED to July 22 for revised site plans/exhibits.

What the board asked applicants to provide: clearer site plans and parking counts for vehicle‑sales requests; striping and circulation diagrams for vehicle display versus customer parking; evidence that any requested relief is not purely financial or self‑imposed (especially for open‑space/drivway variances); and, where applicable, product/spec sheets (manufactured home) and explicit site plan callouts for the areas that would be used for sales or display.

Next steps: continued items return to the Board of Adjustment agenda on July 22. Applicants with continuances were encouraged by board members to work with planning staff to produce site plans and revised elevations so the board can review clarified proposals.