By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
A city ordinance variance approval paves the way for a new urgent care clinic in Yukon.
The Yukon Board of Adjustments at its January meeting granted a request by 2Z Development LLC for a variance to a City of Yukon ordinance for property at 1111 W Vandament.
The developer plans to build a new MedWise Urgent Care center in the Yukon Angle Addition, north of W Vandament on the west side of Garth Brooks Boulevard. The 3,080-square foot facility will face Vandament.
The board, by a 4-1 vote, approved the variance allowing the medical office building to encroach about 3.14 feet into the west 25-foot setback abutting First Place Boulevard.
Board member Ken Smith cast the lone dissenting vote, saying the variance would not have been needed if the building was slightly smaller.
“I wasn’t convinced they exhausted their efforts in designing their building to get 120 feet out of the building, instead of the city having the ‘give it up’,” Smith said. “They could have changed the direction the building is facing, and they wouldn’t have needed the easement.
“The problem was that the curb cut was already there on Vandament where they wanted it.”
Mark Zelnik, representing the applicant, told the Board of Adjustments the building size could not be reduced and still accommodate the needs of the urgent care facility.
The “interior layout” would not allow MedWise to reduce the building to 2,940 square feet, Zelnik added.
MedWise now has 11 urgent care clinics – with four more coming – in the greater Tulsa region. These buildings were designed with 3,750 square feet.
The developer – at the tenant’s request – wanted to orient the building for the “most visibility to Garth Brooks Boulevard,” according to the variance application.
Zelnik told board members there would not be enough parking if the building’s position was “shifted”.
A shared access agreement along the east boundary of the site and a shared parking easement on the north side prohibit the building from being rotated, according to the variance application.
MedWise’s model is focused on providing high-quality urgent and preventative healthcare needs with an empathetic and compassionate approach at consistent and convenient locations, according to the company’s website.
“MedWise currently has 11 clinics in the Tulsa area and has interest in expanding our urgent cares in many adjacent regions to Tulsa, which include Oklahoma City,” MedWise marketing manager Antonya Pharr said.
“At this time, we do not have an estimated date as to when.”
The QuikTrip Corp., a Tulsa-based gas station and convenience store chain, started expanding into the health care market in 2020.
“QuikTrip is known for friendly, efficient delivery of high-quality products to customers around the country,” said Dr. Patrick Aguilar, MedWise’s chief medical officer. “We believe that these are the exact characteristics that will help us provide excellent care to patients at MedWise.
“Patients rightfully expect high quality clinical care when they visit healthcare providers, and we will pair that with the same customer service principles that earned QuikTrip its reputation.”
PAVED PARKING
Yukon’s future MedWise Urgent Care site is now a paved parking lot. The proposal calls for new pavement and striping for the building’s parking area.
Twenty-three parking spaces are proposed on the 0.42-acre site zoned C-3 (restricted commercial district), the site plan indicates.
Board of Adjustments’ member Buddy Carpenter made the motion to approve the variance for the building setback.
Chairman Joe Horn, Vice Chairman Sherry Huston, and members Rhonda Dennis and Carpenter voted “yes”, with Smith voting “no”.
Referring to more “developable lots” on the Yukon Angle property, Smith fears there may eventually not be sufficient parking.
“At some point, they’re not going to have anywhere for anyone to park,” the former Yukon mayor said. “They’re going to use up all the pad sites and everything will be ‘shared’ parking.”
The property where the Yukon Angle development sits formerly housed a bank, auto dealership and vocational technical school.
Yukon Angle occupants include Nails R Us & Spa, Iron Goat Garage, Dutch Bros. Coffee, Select Physical Therapy, and more.
Construction of a HTeaO fresh-brewed tea store has started on the north side of the property across from the Yukon Post Office.
