Tulsa city councilors OK a proposed CVS at 15th and Utica that’s drawn criticism from many nearby residents.
The store plan was overhauled after a planning commission rejection last year, but neighbors still say it doesn’t meet requirements of their small-area plan.
Neighborhood resident Don Barnum maintains aesthetic opposition to the store.
"It's still a big box, and if after seven or eight tries it still doesn't fit, maybe it's the wrong plan at the wrong time in the wrong place," Barnum said.
One of opponents’ sticking points is the store doesn’t have a functional second floor, which they say their small-area plan calls for.
City Councilor Blake Ewing was among five yes votes.
"This plan is a balance of so many of the things that were brought forward. I believe that as councilors, we're asked to contemplate the good of the community," Ewing said.
Resident and nearby office owner Renee Williams said if the main draw is increased sales tax, it’s not going to work.
"If 80 percent of the revenue is coming from the drive-thru, those are prescription drugs," Williams said. "In the state of Oklahoma, prescription drugs are not taxed."
Developers made several concessions to help gain approval, such as moving the drive-thru and including more intricate brick work.
The store would go on the northeast corner of the intersection. An existing gas station and office building would be demolished.
