Planning commission recommends rezoning to permit restaurant/food-truck use on N. 91st East Avenue

The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission on Jan. 22 recommended approval of rezoning application Z-7805, which seeks to change a property north of the northeast corner of East Admiral Place and North 91st East Avenue from RS-3 (residential) to CS (commercial service). The motion to recommend CS zoning, made by Commissioner Zalk and seconded by Commissioner Rosene Robinson, passed 10-1.

Staff told the commission the request is intended to support a food-truck park and restaurant use that is not allowed in RS-3 zoning and that the property’s Comprehensive Plan designation is Employment, which supports low-intensity commercial uses. The staff report noted the property is adjacent to CH zoning to the east, has an industrial property to the north, and sits within the FEMA 500-year floodplain. The report concluded: "With consideration given to the factors listed herein, staff recommends approval of the application."

Applicant Roy Cordoba told commissioners he currently operates a food truck on the site and plans to convert the existing building into a restaurant. Cordoba said he has about 2,000 followers on social media who patronize his operation and that he applied for rezoning after receiving a city code violation. He told the commission he would limit restaurant hours to no later than 10:00 p.m.

Neighbors offered mixed testimony. Don Milligan spoke in support and said the applicant "has helped clean up the property." Opponents Clayton Boyce and Dewayne Boyce described ongoing problems they attributed to events at the site, including late-night gatherings, police calls, and one incident where gunfire was reported on New Year’s Eve. Dewayne Boyce said he had observed as many as 22 cars at some events.

Commissioners questioned whether rezoning and a permitted restaurant use would improve enforcement of hours and reduce ad hoc events; staff said restaurants are a permitted use in CS, small event centers with capacity under 250 are permitted, and alcohol service or a principal-use bar would require additional Board of Adjustment approvals. Several commissioners (Hood, Bulmash and Zalk) said rezoning could reduce late-night disturbances by replacing informal events with a regulated business with set hours.

The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council (City Council: 3) for final action. The property description in the file lists Lots 4, 5 and 6, Block 4, Moses Subdivision No. 2, Tulsa County.