Neighborhood Character Overlay 2

April 17, 2025

The Tulsa City Council has initiated a zoning overlay to cover residentially zoned property within the Florence Park neighborhood, an area bound by 15th Street, 21st Street, Harvard Avenue, and the Broken Arrow Expressway. The proposal is intended to make new housing more compatible with the established neighborhood.

What is an Overlay? 

As the name implies, overlay districts include regulations on top of requirements in the base zoning district, in order to accomplish specific goals.

Overlay zoning is intended to be used when the base zoning district applied to an area remains generally appropriate, but when an additional, modified, or eliminated requirement could help implement the city’s planning goals or address an area-specific planning, design, or land use regulation issue.

What would the Overlay do?

Essentially, it would require new housing to fit in better with the existing neighborhood:

• Max. building height of 30 feet and 2 stories
  Current height limit: 35 feet

• New buildings must face the same way as others on the same block
  Current: No similar requirement.

• Max. building setback of 35 feet
  Current: No max., only a min. setback of 25 feet

• Max. driveway width of 12 feet
  Current: up to 30 feet depending on lot frontage

• Max. building width of 40 feet
  Current: No max. width

• Min. roof pitch of 8 inches of vertical lift per every 12 inches of horizontal distance
  Current: No min. roof pitch

• A front porch or stoop is required on new buildings
  Current: No porch required

• Garages must be set back at least 18 feet from the front wall of the house
  Current: No requirement

• Allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right
  Current: ADUs require a Special Exception

Next Steps

Two open houses will be held, on April 30 and May 1, 2025. The proposed amendments will then be presented to TMAPC for consideration on May 21, 2025. TMAPC will make a recommendation, which will then be forwarded to the Tulsa City Council for their consideration.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback to TMAPC on the proposed overlay, you may send an email with the subject line “NCO-2 Comments” to planning@cityoftulsa.org or speak at the TMAPC meeting on May 21.

All comments received will become part of the public record, will be reviewed by planning commissioners, and will be available online in the agenda packet and case information.

TMAPC meetings are recorded, livestreamed and archived on tgovonline.org, and broadcast on Cox channel 25. If you choose to speak at the TMAPC meeting, please read the following tips.

Suggestions for giving comments before Boards and Commissions

Begin by stating your name and address.

Make your presentation brief, focused, respectful, and to the point. If there are many speakers on an item, each speaker’s time may be limited. Preparing notes in advance can help keep your comments brief and focused on the points you want to make. Keep in mind, boards and commissions cannot consider finances in their decisions.

Choose one speaker to represent a group. If you are part of a larger group (such as a neighborhood association) and several people wish to speak, it is best to select one speaker to present your group’s support or concerns, or to select one person per topic that the group wishes to address.

Keep the discussion relevant. Focus your comments on actions the board or commission can take, and try to avoid issues that fall outside their jurisdiction (e.g. code violations, water taps, utility services, storm water management, etc.)

Say it once. Don’t repeat what previous speakers have already said. If your point has been made by someone else, you can choose to not speak (even if you’ve already signed up to speak).