Board approves large-entertainment permit for Sheridan hookah lounge with five-year review

The Tulsa Board of Adjustment approved a special exception allowing a large entertainment/assembly use (a proposed hookah lounge and events space) at 3019 South Sheridan Road, subject to a five-year time limit and standard permitting requirements. Applicant Andre Ramsey described plans for a roughly 9,400-square-foot space with expanded restrooms and an interior layout that will be reviewed by the fire marshal to set final occupancy.

Ramsey told the board the business would operate primarily at night and that he intends to host live entertainment such as open mic nights and speakeasy-style programming. He described preliminary hours as evenings only; at hearing he stated a plan of roughly 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and later (applicant referenced 9 p.m.–2 a.m. or 10 p.m.–2 a.m. in different comments) on Friday and Saturday. He also said there is no kitchen within the leased Family Dollar shell and that his initial interior modifications will focus on restrooms and code compliance prior to occupancy.

Neighbors and neighboring business owners raised concerns about late-night noise and shared parking: a nearby resident and the owner of the Bowman Twin Event Center told the board their properties sit within roughly 50 feet of the shopping-center parcel and that the parking lot is heavily used by other late-night operations and event venues. "If there's an event going on, as well as the bingo, the parking lot's full," one neighbor said during public comment. The event-center owner also said she had not been contacted by the applicant and asked the board to weigh the shared-parking implications.

Board members acknowledged the commercial shell is large enough for assembly and that parking capacity and occupancy will be reviewed by permitting authorities at the building- and fire-marshal stages. Because the business has a short-term lease (applicant said three years) and nearby operators described uncertainty about impacts, the board imposed a five-year condition on the special exception: the approval will expire at the end of five years and the applicant must return to the board for further consideration if it wishes to continue.

The board's approval is conditional on final occupancy limits set by the fire marshal, standard building-permit compliance (including restrooms and accessibility), and compliance with alcohol and tobacco regulations if applicable. The board recorded no specific numerical occupancy limit in its motion; final allowable occupancy will be set by fire and building officials during plan review and inspection.