Iron Gate: Good intentions, fuzzy math

On Sept. 8, the Tulsa Board of Adjustment denied Iron Gate’s request for a special zoning exception to build a new facility at 3rd and Peoria. The Board’s decision is disappointing. What’s also disappointing is Iron Gate’s hand in its own defeat.

When the soup kitchen and grocery pantry announced the planned move from downtown last month, the outcry was loud and immediate. Many Pearl District business owners felt blindsided by the news. 

Startled by the backlash, Iron Gate requested a two-week continuance on the initial Board of Adjustment meeting and launched a PR campaign that included an op-ed in the Tulsa World, a Studio Tulsa interview with Rich Fisher and a podcast interview with The Frontier. At a town hall-style meeting Sept. 2, Iron Gate board member Shane Saunders attempted to field pointed questions from an often petulant, accusatory crowd.

Opposition to the move was a cocktail of NIMBY (“Not in my backyard”) fear-mongering and legitimate concern over logistics such as parking and traffic. Yet, on Sept. 8, Iron Gate was only prepared to combat the uncharitable spirit of many of the complaints. During the charity’s allotted 45 minutes at the mic, Iron Gate attorney Malcolm Rosser hemmed and hawed as the Board asked basic questions about the project’s design and intent. More than once, Rosser deferred to the architect, who was not present. Though Executive Director Connie Cronley made an eloquent case for the value of Iron Gate’s work, she did not address the logistics that would inform the Board’s decision. 

The clincher was parking, and on this issue, Iron Gate died by its own hand. Prior to the final meeting, a heartfelt blog entry on Iron Gate’s website outlined the need for a new building, the fallout from the announcement and attempts to reach an understanding with the neighborhood.

“Our architects consulted with us through the whole process to determine we need at least 14,000 square feet for the facility and 39,000 square feet for parking (staff, volunteers, and guests.),” the post read (emphasis ours).

Renderings presented at the final meeting showed the parking lot as a fraction of that size. Board member Stuart Van De Wiele surmised from the scale that the parking lot in the concept art was more like 6,300 square feet, a number contested by no one.

“It’s not ideal,” Saunders conceded.

“I mean, you can say 39,000 is a typo,” Van De Wiele later offered. No one took him up on it.

Despite Iron Gate’s recent efforts to reassure critics that many of its guests arrive by car, the renderings showed just 33 parking spots for guests and staff (as opposed to the previously promised 61 spots) and a single entrance to the parking lot.

Ultimately, Rosser and Saunders fell back on fuzzy-headed promises “to be good neighbors,” “to work with the neighborhood” and “to address any concerns that arise the best we can.”

This might be a good line of argument when fighting in the court of public opinion, but the Board of Adjustment makes its decisions based on numbers, not promises.

For more from Joshua, read his article on Tulsa Artistss Services.