Shadow Mountain Hospital expansion plan approved by city zoning board
BY KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
1/09/13 at 8:11 AM
The city Board of Adjustment voted 4-0 on Tuesday to approve a proposal to construct a 37,000-square-foot addition to Shadow Mountain Hospital that would include 60 new beds.
A Dec. 11 hearing on the matter was continued to give Shadow Mountain Behavioral Health System, which operates a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents at 6262 S. Sheridan Road, and neighborhood residents more time to discuss the proposal. A petition in opposition to the expansion signed by residents of 137 households was presented to the board at that meeting.
Tuesday's approval by the board came with three conditions agreed to by Shadow Mountain and neighborhood residents:
- That the hospital erect an 8-foot fence along the west side of the property.
- That the hospital erect a 6-foot fence along the south side of the property.
- And that the hospital agree to a restrictive covenant ensuring that the 600 feet west of the property remain zoned residential.
"In that little square mile are so many psychiatric beds, but with the extra security ... we have done our best to take care of the security concerns," neighborhood resident Susan Lindsey said after the meeting.
Another resident, Anita Greiner, said after the meeting that "we are happy with what we have come up with."
The hospital addition also will include activity, therapy, classroom and dining facilities, according to the psychiatric hospital's application. A new entrance to the hospital will also be built.
Construction is expected to begin within two months.
During December's Board of Adjustment meeting, about half a dozen people spoke in opposition to the proposed expansion, citing concerns that more patients would lead to more crime and disturbances in the neighborhood.
Shadow Mountain Behavioral Health System CEO Mike Kistler told board members in December that the hospital wants to be a good neighbor.
"We have been here 32 years," he said. "The service is needed. I feel very strongly saying if we don't provide some of these services to Oklahoma, we will see increased issues."
Kistler said the hospital now has 100 beds and that expanding it makes sense from a cost perspective.
He did not speak at Tuesday's meeting.
In other action: The board voted 3-0, with one abstention, to deny an application by Chris Carter for a special exception to the zoning code to use a single-family residential property at 244 W. 16th St. for office space.
Original Print Headline: Shadow Mountain expansion plan OK'd
Kevin Canfield 918-581-8313
kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
An artist's rendering shows the changes coming to Shadow Mountain Hospital. Courtesy
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